After a cleaning pig run of an oil pipeline, the pig (pipeline inspection gauge) was cleaned, dismantled, checked and reassembled. A cotter pin was required to complete the job. A worker involved in...

At the beginning of a work-over operation on an oil well, a mobile lighting tower was erected to provide light during night activities. A few days later, the tower fell onto the lighting plant...

A new member of a drilling crew was asked to clear excess drill cuttings around a “possum belly”. Also known as a distribution box or flowline trap, this part of a drilling rig slows the velocity of...

During a mechanical inspection of the crown block on top of a drilling derrick, one of the turnbuckles on the side brake was found to be fractured. A decision was made to repair weld the turnbuckle...

A hydraulic cylinder used to lower and raise a rig’s derrick was found to be faulty and was replaced with a substituted part, rather than that supplied by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)...

During a tong jaw change-out operation on a rig floor, a crew member tapped the tong jaw into position using a rubber mallet to insert the pin while two other crew members held the tong to stabilise...

In late 2010 when a well site was being demobilised, a handrail fell from the sub-base walkway of a draw works skid being moved and struck a worker walking below at ground level. The initial contact...

A gas leak occurred at a compressor station when small bore pipework fractured. The incident resulted in a small natural gas release that was successfully resolved without harm, although the licensee...

Excavation of a pipeline within a compressor station for the purpose of inspecting the coating integrity resulted in an excavator damaging the pipeline coating. The incident was exacerbated by a lack...

During works at a compressor station, an excavator struck and fractured a 2 inch diameter utility line. Fortunately, no ignition occurred nor were there any injuries. However, the compressor station...