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Slimhole Elevator

What happened?

Workers pulled 73 mm production tubing from the well. After changing the rams, slip dies and elevators, the rams were pressure tested. Rental slimhole elevators were used to remove the tubing hanger and pup joint for a sizing check. After tallying the pipes and inspecting the work spool, they began running 60.3 mm tubing with slimhole collars back into the well.

During this process, the Rig Manager (Push) was on the rig floor and made the first latch on the slimhole tubing string. When the driller lifted the joint from the pipe trailer, it slipped through the elevator, fell to the rig floor and struck the Push on the head and back, resulting in serious injuries.

Multiple factors contributed to this incident. Despite the Well Site Supervisor’s (WSS) request for correctly-sized elevators, the wrong size was delivered. The following gaps identified during the investigation help explain why this hazard went unnoticed:

  • Delivery paperwork confirmed the correct elevators; however, Floor Hands placed them on the skate without further verification.
  • The Push instructed the Lease Hand to retrieve the pup joint (6 feet) and tubing hanger for the function test. The lease hand mistakenly selected a pup joint with a regular collar (3.1") instead of a slimhole collar (2.9").
  • The rig crew conducted the function test using the incorrect collar size. The test was deemed successful but did not reflect actual operating conditions.

 

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Life Saving Rules

Line of Fire
  • Position yourself to avoid moving objects, vehicles, pressure releases and dropped objects.
  • Establish and obey barriers and exclusion zones. 
  • Take action to secure loose objects and report potential dropped objects.

Industry resources

Programs

Dropped Objects | Program

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