Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 113277.015 - Employee is struck by drilling rig tong and disemboweled
| Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1332875.015 | 07/25/2018 | 237110 | Southwest Pump & Drilling, Inc |
Abstract: At 7:30 p.m. on July 21, 2018, Employee #1 and a coworker, employed by a drilling company, were drilling a water well. They were using a Speedstar Model SS25SD drill rig, a breakout rig tong, slips, and a breaker bar. Employee #1 was the helper for the coworker, who was operating the drill. In order to save time while breaking pipe from 40 foot sections to 20 foot sections, the drill operator and Employee #1 used a single rig tong (upper tong) and the turn table (rotary table) instead of using both upper and lower tongs to break the pipe section according to the engineered design. During this process of pipe breaking, the cable pulling the rig tong broke. The rig tong swung forward and struck Employee #1, who was standing within the rig tong's swing radius. Employee #1 was thrown onto the breaker bar. When he attempted to pull himself off the breaker bar, he was disemboweled. Emergency services transported the employee to the hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries to repair internal organs.
| End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other heavy construction | New project or new addition | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1332875.015 | 29 | M | Hospitalized injury | Drilling and boring machine operators | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Installing underground plumbing conduit Fatality Cause: |
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