The rig site, like any industrial environment, contains several areas and processes that can prove dangerous without the proper amount of caution and the right equipment. Anyone that has spent any amount of time on oil rigs knows that a majority of the hazards can be described as “slips, trips, and falls” and “pinch points.”
Slips, trips, and falls
Oil rigs are designed to be space and layout efficient, making the rig floor feel congested with personnel, equipment, supplies, and drill pipe stands. It’s a fact of the job that at times the floor will be slippery, hoses will be spread out, and downhole tools will be staged on the rig floor. All of which lead to the possibility of someone tripping or falling over something. On land rigs the drilling platform can be as much as 30 feet from the ground, increasing the danger for personnel that may be operating near the edge of the platform.
Pinch points
A number of pinch points exist on oil rigs, including anything from rolling pipe on the ground stands to stabbing pipe for connections, and even throwing slips on the rig floor. Pinch points exist anywhere that two objects can come together with no guard and catch an operator’s fingers, hands, or legs. Major pinch points are created when connections are being made between the box and pin end of tubular products (casing or drill pipe) on the rig floor. As the pin end is dropped down to be placed into the box of the stump, or “stabbed”, any appendage caught between the two pieces of pipe will likely be lost.
Increasing rig safety
Combatting accidents on the rig site is first and foremost done through safety monitoring and awareness of personnel operating on the floor. Optimizing personnel safety in all operations is key to ongoing site safety. Job Safety Analyses and pre-job safety meetings help increase the overall awareness of safety hazards on the rig site. However, in the 24/7 production environment that exists on oil rigs, additional precautions in the way of safety equipment and guards can further decrease the number of injuries and help safeguard inexperienced employees from danger.
A quick guide to our safety equipment
Keystone Energy Tools offers a wide variety of safety tools to make your oil rig a safer environment. We offer high quality safety tools and add-ons to ensure that all of your personnel go home in one piece at the end of the day.Since much of the imminent danger on a rig site is involved with the moving parts during connection makeup, most safety equipment is targeted during this time of heightened personnel movement and equipment use.
Protecting the Well Bore and Equipment
Some equipment is designed to not only keep personnel safe, but reduce lost production time due to lost or damaged tools. Safety clamps are installed on flush joint tubulars by hanging the clamps into the hole from the slips to prevent accidental loss. Safety makeup stands can be used to guard against galled threads or cross-threading during the makeup and breakout of subs, stabilizers, and other bottom hole components.
Personnel Protection: Ergonomics
Throwing slips is a time honored tradition in the oilfield; however, this practice can lead to back injuries and increased fatigue during connections. It can also lead to lost time if an inexperienced employee throws the slips in too soon or too late, changing the height of the stump in the rig floor. Hydraulic or pneumatic slip lifting devices combat these issues by allowing the driller to control the entire operation from the control panel.
Hand Protection
A major area of concern on an oil rig is hand protection. High quality safety handles can be installed on slips to improve ergonomics and protect thumbs from pinch points. Tong die drivers help personnel change out tong dies while protecting against smashed fingers during die removal. Tong safety handles can be installed on a variety of equipment, including mud buckets, tongs, and the ST-80 to protect the hands of personnel during use.Keystone Energy Tools offers a wide variety of safety products to help ensure a safer work environment. Contact us to learn more about these and the other oil and gas industry products we offer.
