Alberta Province-wide Fire Ban

Description: There is a province-wide fire ban in effect. The fire ban expands the fire restriction that was enacted on May 3 in the Forest Protection Area. All open fires, including campfires and charcoal briquettes, are prohibited. The use of incendiary targets is also banned. Portable propane fire pits and gas or propane stoves and barbeques designed for cooking or heating are allowed. The fire ban applies to Alberta’s Forest Protection Area and all counties, municipal districts and special areas, and provincial parks and recreation areas. The fire ban does not apply to cities, towns, villages, summer villages, or federal lands, such as national parks. Many of the jurisdictions that are not covered by the provincial fire ban have already put complementary fire bans in place and we encourage those that have not to do so. Recreational users of OHVs are encouraged to discontinue use until the wildfire hazard subsides. If use of these vehicles is required for industry personnel only, please take extra precautions and clean debris from hot spots regularly. The fire ban will remain in place until further notice. Every precaution is being taken to ensure no new preventable fires are started in the coming days that will put additional strain on the province’s firefighting resources.

Pipe Handling Operations Result in Fatality

Recently a fatality occurred during pipe handling operations on a deepwater drilling unit. A rig employee’s head was caught between the pipe handler’s lower travel assembly and a vertical support stanchion (pinch/crush point of 4 inches) as the pipe handler was being traversed across the pipe bay to the catwalk to retrieve a joint of pipe. The deceased was acting as a spotter for the pipe handler operator at the time of the incident and the pipe handler operator did not observe the incident due to his obstructed view of the spotter. The BOEM (formerly MMS) investigation revealed that unidentified crush points existed between the lower travel assembly and the vertical support stanchions of the trolley system. It was concluded in part, from the investigation that the pipe handler operator failed to confirm an “all clear” with the spotter and failed to exercise his Stop Work authority when he lost site of the spotter. The Lessee/Operator failed to provide the necessary additional oversight to ensure that the pipe handler operation was conducted in accordance with their lifting policy. The drilling company’s line management also failed to:

• Provide a more formalized training program to include the hazards associated with the operation of the pipe handler.

• Identify the specific pipe handler operational tasks, hazards and respective mitigations in order to develop and implement guidelines for personnel working around the strong-back area.

• Provide additional onsite supervision to both the Operator and Spotter during the pipe handler operation.

• Properly implement their Management of Change policy with respect to new personnel in new positions. The company’s Management of Change policy was also identified as being too complex to implement. Therefore, BOEM recommends the following to Lessees/Operators and their Drilling Contractors for any type of overhead trolley beam mounted crane (trolley crane) operation, including but not limited to a pipe handler:

• Inspect trolley crane operations with the intent to identify all potential hazards and mitigations (including pinch/crush points), and communicate these findings with all necessary personnel.

• Review Stop Work authority programs with their personnel, while stressing the importance of the individual’s responsibilities and authority to exercise Stop Work as necessary.

• Review trolley crane training programs to ensure that the program covers not only the proper operation of the equipment, but also includes the limitations, capabilities and potential hazards. If the training includes onsite hands-on training, the verification/certification should be done by senior facility management.

• Review the Management of Change policy for clarity and to ensure the program recognizes and manages changes, conditions and inactions in a given situation or unexpected events.

• Install and maintain safety barriers (signage, red zones, tiger striping, temporary barrier tape, handrails, etc.) to prevent access to the trolley crane’s traversing path.

• Clear the trolley crane’s path of general storage. Telephone, intercoms or stored items located under the trolley crane should be removed and relocated to a safer area.

• Consider the feasibility of installing cameras or mirrors in areas where the trolley crane operator’s view is obstructed.

• Consider the feasibility of re-engineering the trolley crane to possibly eliminate any additional Spotter involvement.

• Conduct pre-tour meetings for all tours, including short change crews. The short change crew involves multiple employees filling new roles and/or not working on their normal crew shift.

Workplace Fatalities- Pembina

A man is dead after a workplace incident near Redwater, Alta. on Wednesday.

The man was working in a tower at the Pembina pipeline plant, using a breathing mask with supplied oxygen when he became distressed, an Occupational Health and Safety spokeswoman said.

A safety watch employee attempted CPR but was unable to revive the worker, who died on scene.

Occupational Health and Safety is investigating.

Day of Mourning

On April 28, people across Canada stop to remember workers killed, injured or disabled on the job.

With deep sadness, we confirm Alberta lost 125 men and women to workplace injury or illness in 2015. Take time to remember them on April 28. 

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Safety Alert: Misuse of Beam Clamps as Ground

Misuse of Beam Clamps as Ground
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has identified a potential safety issue in regard to the use of beam clamps on many Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) facilities. It is determined that the use of beam clamps as grounding conductors could potentially cause fires
and present electrical hazards to personnel.
Many OCS facilities are utilizing beam clamps as current carrying external ground to meet the requirements in the API RP 14F. The beam clamps are approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FM) to mount and support conduit and cable from structural beams, not as temporary or permanent external equipment grounding conductors. Example below:

clamp 1

API RP 14F & 14FZ § 6.10.3.1 states: “Grounding of electrical equipment on fixed and floating offshore petroleum facilities in a positive manner is of particular importance because personnel standing on steel decks or in contact with steel framing present a low impedance path to ground, effectively grounded. In addition, the dampness and salt spray contribute to the breakdown of insulation and to the possibility of leakage on the surface of insulators and similar devices. On platforms with wooden or concrete decks, equipment-grounding conductors should be installed between electrical equipment and a grounding network. It is recommended that all metal equipment, such as buildings, skids, and vessels be grounded to the steel structure or grounding network. Exposed, noncurrent-carrying metal parts of fixed equipment that may become energized because of any condition shall be grounded. Equipment that is welded to the structure or deck is considered to be adequately grounded. The physical contact obtained when equipment is bolted to a steel structure is not necessarily an adequate effective ground because of paint and possible corrosion. Exposed, noncurrent-carrying metal parts of portable electrical equipment shall be grounded through a conductor in the supply cable to the grounding pole in the receptacle.”
clamp 2
API RP 14F & 14FZ both make a clear requirement that any equipment that has exposed, noncurrent-carrying metal parts that may become energized because of any condition shall be grounded. In this requirement, it is clear that during a fault condition this grounding means must be capable of reliably conducting the ground fault current back to the source of electrical power to activate or trip the electrical circuit protective device. To further clarify, if the equipment is not electrically powered and the metal parts associated with that equipment become energized
due to no association with electrically operated equipment, controls, devices, or lighting, then the requirement for approved current carrying conductors, lugs, terminals, etc. should not apply.
clamp3
Operators, as well as contractors, are advised to review your facilities in comparison with these best practices and guidelines.

A Safety Alert is a tool to inform the offshore oil and gas industry of the circumstances surrounding an accident or a near miss. It also contains recommendations that should help prevent the recurrence of such an incident.

To Acknowledge reading please leave a comment about Grounding, or incidents or circumstances that you have heard of.

Incident Awareness – Drilling metal

Injury Type: Crush injury to leg

Core Activity: Heavy equipment, machinery, or parts sales, rental, service, or repair (greater than 500 pounds)

Location: Northern B.C.

Date of Incident: 2016-Mar

ID Number: 2016136020002

A young worker was drilling a metal plate when the drill bit snagged the plate. The plate rotated and struck the worker’s leg.