AREA |
LAST COUNT DATE |
COUNT |
CHANGE FROM PRIOR COUNT |
DATE OF PRIOR COUNT |
CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
DATE OF LAST YEARS COUNT |
UNITED STATES |
5/10/13 |
1769 |
+5 |
5/3/13 |
-205 |
5/11/12 |
CANADA |
5/10/13 |
118 |
-3 |
5/3/13 |
-2 |
5/11/12 |
USA OFFSHORE |
5/10/13 |
50 |
-1 |
5/3/13 |
+5 |
5/11/12 |
INTERNATIONAL |
04/2013 |
1301 |
+33 |
3/2013 |
+123 |
4/2012 |
World Oilfield Forum
Stiff arms on tongs should have a secondary restraint, like a whip-check. It should be as short as possible. Recently, a 22-year-old rig hand in North Dakota was killed when the stiff arm on a set of casing tongs failed, and the tongs spun around, striking him in the chest. Had there been a secondary restraint in place, he would be alive right now.
The restraint must be as short as possible, so that if the stiff arm does fail, it stops the tongs before they can spin far enough to impact a floor hand.
It is the responsibility of the tool pusher and the driller to inspect the tongs and stiff arm at every shift change, and the responsibility of the floor hands to inspect them from time to time during the shift.
This incident occurred on Pioneer Drilling rig number 74.
Views: 1817
Permalink Reply by Steve Hougland on Safety is important but if a hand is going to put his life in another's hands. Then they can expect to get hurt! I myself made it a habit to inspect my tools as well as the other hands for my own peace of mind! I've seen three or four guys get bounced off the drawworks. My drillers always hated that I would push my tongs back and stand by the dp! A one handed bite! Thought I was being cocky.. I've seen snublines break break off cables tongs come unlatched!! Teach these guy about line of fire.
Permalink Reply by Makin Hole on Lot of finger pointing about "responsibility" when the "casing tongs" in question are probably a third party casing crews. Unless i am missing something, there is no reason for a rig floor hand to be near the casing tongs. This is a job for the casing crew when running casing. It is common policy to have a double snub line on rig tongs and the casing crew tong operator should at least have a chain backup on his if using a stiff arm.
Permalink Reply by Derrick Jackson on Good Advice but please take this one step further, I have seen many a tong with the secondary sling (snub line or whip line) connected to the same connection point as the stiff arm. Try to have them on separate connection points, that way if that one connection point fails you do not lose both of your constraints. Remember it is best to install it so it works for your SAFETY versus just having it in place to "comply" with a requirement.
Permalink Reply by phillip peters on its been a while, but what the hell is a stiff arm
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