The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has issued a warning to ExxonMobil Canada and a drilling contractor over a potentially fatal incident on a drilling platform.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the C-NLOPB has handed ExxonMobil Canada a notice of non-compliance following a near miss incident involving a flying rod that could have killed workers on the Hebron platform last month.
The incident was reported May 28 following maintenance on a crane, CBC said. The work involved the use of a hydraulic pin puller that failed, which turned the puller rod into a projectile. The 6.8-kilogramme rod flew about 19 metres across the deck, struck a handrail, and fell 21 metres, landing on a walkway below.
At the time, the C-NLOPB said the incident could have killed someone. At the time, ExxonMobil said that the incident “had the potential for a fatality.”
The board released the findings of their review on Friday, June 30 finding the puller rod faced loads above its yield rating. Four attempts to pull the pin also exceeded the rated capacity of the hydraulic jack, which resulted in the pin fracturing, the CBC report stated.
The review found the procedure for pulling the pin was done without necessary information to ensure it could be done safely, like not including the capacity limits for equipment or understanding the maximum safe operating pressure . It also found that step-by step instructions weren’t provided.
A non-compliance order was also issued to KCA Deutag, which handles drilling operations and platform maintenance.
Both sides are required to perform an audit to find failures and gaps in management and a review of all equipment and training protocols, which must be submitted by Sept. 30. ExxonMobil must also issue an incident bulletin to the local offshore industry.
