North Sea Disaster

posted: March 29, 2012

Gas leaking from a North Sea platform forced the evacuation of a second rig Tues-day, as the coast guard banned ships and aircraft from travel-ling within kilometres of the accident.
French oil giant Total, which operates the stricken Elgin plat-form 241 kilometres off Aberdeen on Scotland's east coast, said the leak was the most serious problem it had faced in the North Sea in a decade.

Oil Drilling Rig Capsized

posted: December 21, 2011

An oil drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off the Russian Far East island of Sakhalin when it ran into a storm while being towed, and 51 of the crew were unaccounted for, Russian news agencies have reported. Fourteen crew members were rescued alive from the 'Kolskaya' jack-up rig, operated by Russian exploration company Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, two bodies were recovered and the rest of the crew were missing.

Officials are saying the rig capsized at about 0200 GMT on Sunday around 200 km off the coast of Sakhalin as it was being towed from the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka. It appeared that the vessel had not been doing drilling work, so no oil spill was likely. The rig's destination was not immediately clear.

Tragic Drill Rig Crash

posted: August 16, 2011

A 55 year old Nathalie man died at the scene of a single vehicle crash which occurred in Charlotte County Sunday evening around 6:30 p.m. Randy J. Hunt, the owner of Randy J. Hunt’s Well Drilling and Pump Service of Brookneal, was operating a 1985 crane-car well drilling rig when it ran off the right shoulder of State Route 615, about one tenth mile east of State Route 701. The rig overturned. Hunt was wearing his seatbelt, according to State Police reports.

Auger entanglement kills a man in Aspen

posted: August 15, 2011

On Thursday August 11th, a worker was entangled in augers and lost his life before anyone was able to stop the drill. It was less than a minute before someone stopped the rotation of the drill string by shutting it down at the generator. Drill-Safe extends its support for the family and co-workers suffering this tragic loss. We also hope that the investigation is thorough and that the results encourage the drilling industry to do as much as possible to consider safety at all times in all situations.

Sub surface Investigation Qualification Course

posted: July 27, 2011

This sub surface investigation qualification course, held by the National Drilling Association, is offered anually at the National Drilling Association Convention.

DrillSafe Australia Presentations

posted: July 20, 2011

DRILL SAFE Australia Quarterly Presentations

PDAC Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: July 19, 2011

Lightning Safety, Anglo American
Gas in Confined Spaces: A Silent, Deadly Killer, Anglo American
Gas in Confined Spaces: Illustrating the Dangers, Anglo American
Gas in Confined Spaces: The Facts, Anglo American
Dangers of Gas Emissions from Solid Waste Dumps, Anglo American

PDAC Safety Statistics

Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Annual Report 2009
Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Annual Report 2008
Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Annual Report 2007
Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Annual Report 2006
Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Annual Report 2005

Enform - Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: July 14, 2011

Drilling Rig Fire Due to High AOFP, High Pressure Formation
Geotechnical Auger Misses 24" Crude Pipe line
Roloc Bell Separates from Winch Line
Counterfeit training certificates a growing concern
Instrument Tubing Failure
Pressurized Spray Bottle Hose Release
Hydraulic Operated Master Valve Failure
Injury During a Truck Bed Loading Procedure
Uncontrolled Flow Back Occurs Due to Needle Valve Leak in Fracturing Assembly
Horizontal Well Blowout
Wireline Control Valve Tips Over Onto Worker
Working Safely with Silica
Explosion and Flash Fire Caused by a Controller Box Failure
Worker Caught Between Unmanned Seismic Track Drill and Truck
Worker Fatality Due To Inadequate Barrier on Sand-Line Drum
Worker Fingers Crushed By Dump Bailer Landing Plate
Cargo Securement Changes to Unmarked Cargo Tiedowns
Worker Suffers Severe Burn to Foot
Compressor Engine Fire from Equipment Failure
Worker Injured by Falling Diving Board
Combustion Occurs While Draining In-Service Storage Tanks
Short Circuit in Connector Assembly Causes H2S Gas Leak
Worker Burned by Propane Fire
Workers Hand Caught Between the Sheave and the Deadline
Workers Hand Caught Between Shank Blocks
Worker Fatally Injured During Pumpjack Maintenance
Sour Gas Leak from Casing Line Failure
Electric Heater Overheats Due to Static Build-up
Overturn of a Freestanding Mobile Double Service Rig
Workers Hand Partially Amputated From Contacting Fan Blade
Drilling Rig Proportional Brake Fails
Truck Operator Trapped in Vacuum Truck Tank
Dropped Bottom Hole Assembly Strikes Worker
Worker Injured Servicing Coil Reel Drive Chain and Rotating Joint
H2S Incidents Expose Need for Improved Hazard Management
Slips Catch on Service Rig Floor Injuring Worker
Worker Crushed While Unloading Hydrovac Truck

Find more Enform Drilling Safety Alerts

ADSC-IAFD Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: July 8, 2011

DRILLED SHAFT Safety Remeinders
CAISSON DRILL INSPECTION
TRACK DRILL INSPECTION
OSHA
NAT-OSHA-11-594 HEAT Campaign RELEASE ENGLISH
SMALL ENTITY COMPLIANCE GUIDE FOR FINAL RULE FOR CRANES AND DERRICKS IN CONSTRUCTION
Corps EM 385-1-1 (Safety Manual)
Anchored Earth Retention and Micropile Safety Tips
Working Safely During Installation of Anchored Earth Retention and Micropiles
Drilled Shaft Installation Safety Tips
Drilled Shaft Installation Safety

CDDA Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: July 8, 2011

Safe Practices for Helicopter Operations in the Forest Industry
Minerals Exploration Safety Guidance Note
Drilling Hazard Checklist
Working on Ice
Falling through the Ice Survival Tips
Ice Testing Information
Ice Best Practices Alberta
Fall Arrest Equipment Changes as per New CSA Standards
Hazard Alert: Truck reversing safety
Safety Alert: Swick Mining Services - Driving Safety
Safety Alert: Swick Mining Services - Unattended Drill Rig
Safety Alert: Swick Mining Services - Struck by Falling Hamer
Saskatchewan Mineral Exploration Guidelines
Propane cylinder vavle recall
Ontario First Aid
MASHA Bulletin - Jerry Can Safety
Helicopter Safety Documents
Hazard Alert - Duplicate Personal Protection
Safety Alert - Hand Severely Squeezed
Struck by chain while towing
Class Frontal Fixed Fall Protection

MSHA Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: June 13, 2011

Breaching and Drilling into Sealed Areas
Drill String Entaglement Report
Dust - What You Can't See Won't Hurt You
Guide to Working With Silica
Ignition of Gas While Drilling Boreholes
Near Miss Drilling Accident
Priority Standards & Safety Target Categories
Refueling Hazard
Underground Drilling With Augers and Jacklegs
Overhead Powerline Hazard
Silica Exposure
Drillers Fall Protection
Driller & Blaster Communication

Listings of some other MSHA fatalitity investigations and prescribed recommendations

Driller Fatalitiy 1
Driller Fatality 2
Driller Fatality 3
Driller Fatality 4
Driller Fatality 5
Driller Fatality 6
Driller Fatality 7
Driller Fatality 8
Driller Fatality 9
Driller Fatality 10
Driller Fatality 11
Driller Fatality 12
Driller Fatality 13
Driller Fatality 14
Driller Fatality 15
Driller Fatality 16
Driller Fatality 17
Driller Fatality 18
Driller Fatality 19
Driller Fatality 20
Driller Fatality 21
Driller Fatality 22
Driller Fatality 23
Driller Fatality 24
Driller Fatality 25
Driller Fatality 26
Driller Fatality 27
Driller Fatality 28
Driller Fatality 29
Driller Fatality 30
Driller Fatality 31
Driller Fatality 32

ADIA Drilling Safety Alerts

posted: June 13, 2011

Broken Leg
Closing In On Remote Transport Risks
Crushing Fatality
Dangerous States of Mind
Drill Rig Safety
Drillistic Solutions Program
Fitness For Duty
Hazard in RC Drilling Incident
Health Reality Check for Men Working in Regional Areas
Manual Handling - Risk Identification
Miners Arm Injured Using Drill Rig
Musculo Skeletal Task Analysis
Pre-Employment Medicals
Queensland Competency Standard for Drilling Industry Finalised
Rig Safety Workshop in Victoria
Safety Over All Factors
Safety 191009
Shift Work and Overtime
Strap in for a smoother ride
Structural Failure & Collapse of Drill Rig Mast
Uncontrolled Fall of Drill Head
When Pain is Money

BDA Drilling Safety Alerts

Fatality following excavation collapse
Hydraulic Fluid Injection into finger and hand following hydraulic oil leak on a drilling rig
Fatality in off-loading drill pipe in Australia

BDA Accident Statistics

Statistics of previous years accidents
Read BDA's Accident Statistics reports

BDA Newsletters / Publications

Read BDA's Newsletters from previous years
or
Read BDA's Publications on drilling safety

BDA Audit for drilling operations

posted: June 10, 2011

Two drillers suffer severe burns after fire

posted: March 16, 2011

NEWFOUNDLAND - A fire broke on a exploration drilling rig at Duck Pond Mine in Newfoundland, around 11 am on Friday morning. The two men were rushed to hospital for treatment of severe burns. One man was sent to a hospital in Grand-Falls, Windsor, being released after a one night stay. The other man, recieving much more serious burns, is being treated at Health Science Center in St. Johns.

All other exploration drilling rigs have been shut down at the mine for further investigation, the health & safety of employees comes first and they don't want to have repeat incidents. Though this accident happened off of the mine site, it was still on the Duck Pond Mine property.

Wyoming man falls down 200' mine shaft

posted: March 7, 2011

RENO, NEVADA - A father of five, Devon Westenskow, only 28 years young, falls down an abandoned mine shaft suffering head and body injuries. Attempts to save him were made but ended after being called unsafe.

Rescuers did everything they could to save the young man, but the unstable shaft threatened rescuers with falling rocks and debris when they were being lowered on rescue attempts. A video camera was later lowered and the man showed signs of breathing, his last rites were given on Friday and he passed later that day.

Devon resided from Evanston, Wyoming, worked for a geothermal drilling company and went exploring with his friends on Wednesday, off hours, and fell down this roughly 200` abandoned mine shaft.

Nevada has over 50,000 identified hazardous abandoned mine shafts, and this was not one of them. The importance of sealing these abandoned shafts is for the safety and well being of other humans, animals and the earth itself.

Rescue underway after oil rig explodes in Gulf

thestar.com

NEW ORLEANS - An offshore petroleum rig exploded and was burning Friday in the Gulf of Mexico about 130 kilometres south of Vermilion Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the site around 10 a.m. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not immediately known but the person had been airlifted for treatment.

Chevron finishes drilling well off Newfoundland

The Associated Press

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Chevron says it has finished drilling Canada's deepest ever exploration well off Newfoundland without any safety incidents. The well made national headlines as drilling began in May in 2,600 metres of water. Provincial politicians were on the defensive as the project went ahead despite an oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Safety warning for exploratory drilling

Safety solutions media - AUS

SafeWork SA is urging the mining industry to review safety procedures for exploratory drilling after a worker was injured on the Yorke Peninsula

Safety Alerts

International Association of Drilling Contractors

Comprehensive safety alert bulletin with archived alerts dating back to 1998.

Be on your Guard

Ground Engineering (GE) Magazine - U.K.

This article describes how to keep guards compliant with HSE regulations.

A Design for Living

Ground Engineering (GE) Magazine - U.K.

This article outlines the challenges faced by geotechnical drilling contractors implementing guards.

Work Safe Alberta

Safe Operating Procedures for Seismic Drilling

This article outlines the challenges faced by geotechnical drilling contractors implementing gaurds.

Drilling Safety - a Consultant's View

Golder Associates Ltd.

Download this document in
PDF format

Entanglement Report

September 28th, 1992

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PDF format

The "Grieves Guard"

Auger Guarding System

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PDF format