NewsOK.com
July 08, 2006
OSHA investigating death at oil rig
By Ron Jackson • Published: July 8, 2006
HINTON - A Texas-based drilling company was the focus Friday of its second federal investigation in as many years after another rig-related fatality in Oklahoma.Andrew Lee Scott, 22, of Weatherford died Thursday when a heavy section of a Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. drilling rig collapsed outside Hinton in Caddo County. The fallen equipment pinned Scott, who died from "blunt trauma to his lower extremities," according to spokesman Robert Deaton of the state medical examiner's office.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration now wants to know why Scott died.
"We have investigators on site now," said Jim Brown, the federal agency's regional director. "The purpose is to find out what happened, and to find out if there were any violation of regulations."
Another Patterson-UTI oil-field worker -- Ewell Dewayne Parham, 39, of Chickasha -- died Aug. 11, 2004, when a "manbasket" toppled from a forklift 17 feet in the air. OSHA cited the company for failure to remove a defective forklift from service, failure to provide proper training to operate a forklift and for not retraining employees when workplace conditions changed.
In all, OSHA issued $187,000 in penalties for safety violations that led to Parham's death. Brown noted that Patterson-UTI later settled the citation for $91,000.
At the time, Parham's death marked the 11th fatality in three years for workers at Patterson-UTI drilling rigs in Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
"Historically, in the '70s and '80s, we were averaging about one fatality every other week in the oil field," Brown said. "Safety conditions have gotten a lot better since then. ... We haven't really had contact with Patterson since the last fatality, save for a couple follow-up inspections. Truth is, we haven't really had any problems with them.
"I think one thing to consider with the fatalities is the fact that Patterson is one of the larger operators in the southwest."
Messages left by The Oklahoman for Patterson-UTI Vice President Mark Cullifer were not returned.
In February, Patterson-UTI reported it employed about 5,800 workers and had an average of 299 rigs in operation in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada. In April, the company reported first-quarter revenue of $598 million, compared to the $351 million in revenue the first quarter of 2005.
Overall, federal records show five workers have died since Oct. 1, 2005, on Oklahoma drilling rig sites. Three of those fatalities -- including Scott's -- were on a rig. Brown attributed one death to a heart attack.
The third rig fatality occurred March 2, 2006, when John Samuel Rolan Jr., 35, of Burns Flat died at a Goober Drilling Corp. drilling rig in Anadarko.
"That fatality was very similar," Brown said. "A piece of heavy equipment fell to the derrick below."
http://newsok.com/osha-investigating-death-at-oil-rig/article/1907603/?page=2
By Ron Jackson • Published: July 8, 2006
HINTON - A Texas-based drilling company was the focus Friday of its second federal investigation in as many years after another rig-related fatality in Oklahoma.Andrew Lee Scott, 22, of Weatherford died Thursday when a heavy section of a Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. drilling rig collapsed outside Hinton in Caddo County. The fallen equipment pinned Scott, who died from "blunt trauma to his lower extremities," according to spokesman Robert Deaton of the state medical examiner's office.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration now wants to know why Scott died.
"We have investigators on site now," said Jim Brown, the federal agency's regional director. "The purpose is to find out what happened, and to find out if there were any violation of regulations."
Another Patterson-UTI oil-field worker -- Ewell Dewayne Parham, 39, of Chickasha -- died Aug. 11, 2004, when a "manbasket" toppled from a forklift 17 feet in the air. OSHA cited the company for failure to remove a defective forklift from service, failure to provide proper training to operate a forklift and for not retraining employees when workplace conditions changed.
In all, OSHA issued $187,000 in penalties for safety violations that led to Parham's death. Brown noted that Patterson-UTI later settled the citation for $91,000.
At the time, Parham's death marked the 11th fatality in three years for workers at Patterson-UTI drilling rigs in Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
"Historically, in the '70s and '80s, we were averaging about one fatality every other week in the oil field," Brown said. "Safety conditions have gotten a lot better since then. ... We haven't really had contact with Patterson since the last fatality, save for a couple follow-up inspections. Truth is, we haven't really had any problems with them.
"I think one thing to consider with the fatalities is the fact that Patterson is one of the larger operators in the southwest."
Messages left by The Oklahoman for Patterson-UTI Vice President Mark Cullifer were not returned.
In February, Patterson-UTI reported it employed about 5,800 workers and had an average of 299 rigs in operation in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada. In April, the company reported first-quarter revenue of $598 million, compared to the $351 million in revenue the first quarter of 2005.
Overall, federal records show five workers have died since Oct. 1, 2005, on Oklahoma drilling rig sites. Three of those fatalities -- including Scott's -- were on a rig. Brown attributed one death to a heart attack.
The third rig fatality occurred March 2, 2006, when John Samuel Rolan Jr., 35, of Burns Flat died at a Goober Drilling Corp. drilling rig in Anadarko.
"That fatality was very similar," Brown said. "A piece of heavy equipment fell to the derrick below."
http://newsok.com/osha-investigating-death-at-oil-rig/article/1907603/?page=2
