Skip to content

Fatality: swinging load incident

A member has reported the following fatality which occurred during movement of drill pipes. Personnel were engaged in the task of lifting bundles of 12cm drill pipe by crane from the pipe rack to the adjacent catwalk, for eventual placement on the rig floor. During one lift, a bundle (comprising nine joints) weighing over 2,600kg began to swing horizontally. One individual attempted to manually stop the horizontal movement of the bundle but was pushed backward by its momentum to a pipe rack post which prevented any further backward movement. Trapped between the swinging bundle and the pipe rack post, the employee was struck in the chest by the load. The resulting injuries were fatal.

The resulting investigation identified the following:

  • No job safety analysis (JSA) had been performed for the task;
  • The employee had only four days of experience offshore and had not been formally trained for the task;
  • The immediate supervisor had not been made aware of this lack of training;
  • Previous performance problems exhibited by the employee had not been properly handled;
  • The contractor had no policy against participation in rigging operations without formal rigger training;
  • The operator’s contractor selection procedure had not included review of the contractor’s safety policy, and the operator had given no clear safety directives for company representatives on site.

IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of all. The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on Members sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Please consider adding [email protected] to your internal distribution list for safety alerts or manually submitting information on incidents you consider may be relevant. All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate.

IMCA’s store terms and conditions (https://www.imca-int.com/legal-notices/terms/) apply to all downloads from IMCA’s website, including this document.

IMCA makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in the documents it publishes, but IMCA shall not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained. The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual’s or Member's legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.