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Fatalities – pipe fell from skids

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) has published the following safety alert regarding an incident in which two persons were killed when they were crushed under a pipe that fell approximately 60cm from wooden support skids.

Position of pipe before falling from the two supports pictured (of eight total)
Position of pipe before falling from the two supports pictured (of eight total)

A section of 36-inch gas export line they were working under or near fell off the approximately 60cm high temporary wooden supports (skid stacks) and crushed them. The two employees, a grinder and a welder, were completing a construction weld repair at the north-eastern-most weld joint of an approximately 120m curved section of the export pipeline.

The IOGP report notes the following:

  • The work permit system in place was rigorously applied to the known risks, but there was a lack of awareness of:
    • The hazard presented by temporarily suspended pipes, which constituted a dynamic load/dropped object hazard
    • The hazard of thermal expansion, differential heating, and residual pre-stress forces contributing to the lateral movement of curved pipe segments.

The full report can be found at safetyzone.iogp.org/SafetyAlerts/alerts/Detail.asp?alert_id=277.

Members may wish to refer to the following incident (search word: pipe):

Safety Event

Published: 6 December 2016
Download: IMCA SF 33/16

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