C-NLOPB issues findings from rig crane incident offshore eastern Canada
Offshore staff
ST JOHN’S, Canada – The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has issued a Notice of Non-Compliance to Odfjell Drilling related to an incident onboard the semisub Hercules on July 23.
The rig has been operating for ExxonMobil Canada offshore Newfoundland. During lifting operations using the port deck pipe handling crane, the assistant crane operator was completing a lift of an empty water bag from the port pipe deck to the starboard fan house for storage.
As the crane was preparing to lower the load onto the starboard aft fan house roof, the crane’s gripper head struck the walkway section of the starboard deck crane walkway railing. The starboard deck was not in use at the time and the banksman was not at the location to guide the load down to the starboard fan house.
The crane operator and deck pusher were both walking from the port pipe deck to the starboard fan house at the time of the incident.
C-NLOPB’s investigators determined various instances of non-compliance. Among these were the failure to put in place a lift plan and to complete a documented pre-job safety meeting or risk assessment, in line with requirements.
In addition, the dedicated roles for safe lifting operations were not established and the starboard crane had not been identified as a potential hazard or structure that could be struck during the lift.
C-NLOPB’s chief safety officer found that Odfjell Drilling had not ensured that all reasonable measures were taken to ensure the health and safety of its employees and other individuals at a workplace under its control during the lifting operation, and had failed to ensure that the employees executing the lifting operations were made aware of known or foreseeable safety hazards.
However, the Board acknowledges that the company has initiated implementation of corrective measures to prevent recurrence. In addition, Odfjell must perform an audit to determine all of the failures and gaps in the occupational health and safety program that contributed to these non-compliances and provide a report prior to conducting any work activity in C-NLOPB’s jurisdiction.
09.15.2023
