Opioid fatalities are trending down but the crisis is still a reality, and it is critical to continue raising awareness and education.

During drilling activities in a deep well, a significantly damaged I-beam located below the drilling rig crown block was identified when a melted piece of metal fell to the rig floor. The drill line was spooled incorrectly and had cut almost completely through the I-beam, which was located below the crown block and water table. This could have led to a serious incident.

IRP 20 provides practical and efficient wellsite design to meet regulatory requirements and accommodates the services in a manner that allows for the protection of workers, the public and the environment.

A fatality occurred on July 7, 2022, shortly after 3 am at an oilsands shovel pad location. A team was lowering a pendant cable assembly from a crane when the pendant cable fell resulting in a fatal injury.

The driver of a tank truck was unloading fluid at a production facility. The driver was found unresponsive inside the pump box of their truck with their left arm sleeve entangled in the pump shaft. After an hour and 30 minutes of resuscitation efforts by workers and emergency response personnel, the worker was declared deceased from mechanical asphyxiation.

A rig crew was in the process of rigging out. One worker verified that the plug (“male”) end of a 240-volt power cord was not connected and placed the cord alongside the pipe rack. Like a household power cord, the plug is the end that would normally be inserted into the electrical outlet, or panel, for power. Unbeknownst to these workers, this electrical panel had the opposite configuration, and the socket (female) end of the cord was still attached to the power panel.

A well service crew was swabbing when the swab assembly reached the top of the well and parted the sand line. The rig manager was manually spooling the last six wraps of the sand line and became entangled in the parted line. The driller reacted, moving the throttle in the wrong direction and energized the line, which cinched on the rig manager’s leg. The rig manager was launched into the raising ram of the service rig and sustained a leg amputation and other serious injuries.

In response to a manufacturer’s notification, a midstream company conducted an exposure assessment of hexavalent chromium in a previously unidentified location. This assessment identified the need for controls to prevent overexposure.

New and inexperienced workers, or “greenhands”, are at significantly higher risk for injury and occupational illness. Use the resources on this page to level up your leadership skills and help support a safe start for greenhands.