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    Rich Clingan

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    OMM Web Team

Gulf of Mexico Region

Fatalities - 1996

February 21, 1996 - Coastal Oil and Gas Corporation

Remarks: Three employees were working on an elevated work platform (Texas deck) positioned around the BOP stack 40' above the well deck when a scaffold board broke. Two employees grabbed the piping and BOP stack, the third fell to his death.

March 04, 1996 - Pennzoil Exploration and Production Co.

Remarks: The diver was conducting gauging readings when he reported low air pressure over the intercom line to the surface. A leak was detected at the hose connection to his helmet. The air hose was hung up and help could not get the diver free. The diver was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

April 30, 1996 - NCX Company, Inc

Remarks: The crew had just finished removing a section of grating on the cellar deck when sparks from the torch ignited the exhaust of the natural gas powered diaphragm pump on the +10 level (sea water pump). While the crew was shutting off the gas and activating the ESD and carrying hand-held fire extinguishers to the fire, an employee stepped through the hole in the grating falling to the boat landing, hitting the hand rail before falling into the Gulf.

June 04, 1996 - Samedan Oil Corporation

Remarks: The driller was in the process of breaking out the top drive at the rig floor. After having set the speed and rotation controls, the driller began to increase torque. As torque was increased, the elevator links, which were tilted out as a result of the position of the top drive unit, began to rotate counterclockwise. The driller, in attempting to stop the rotation of the elevator links, overcompensated by turning the rotation control knob past the neutral setting to the clockwise position. As a result, the elevator links and attached elevator reversed direction, struck the driller, and fatally pinned the driller as well as the drilling console against the draw works. See OCS Report MMS 97-0034 for more details.

September 24, 1996 - Exxon Corporation

Remarks: Floorhands were in the process of performing drill-pipe-to-drill-pipe makeup in preparation for a reverse circulation procedure following a casing perforation procedure. During, or at the conclusion of the makeup, a chicksan swivel joint, the armored hose to which it was connected at one end, and the pump-in sub connection to which the chicksan swivel was connected at the other end disconnected from the pump-in sub and fell to the rig floor. The chicksan swivel joint fatally struck a floorhand. See OCS Report MMS 98-0041 for more details.

November 28, 1996 - PHI

Remarks: A Eurocopter AS350B helicopter was destroyed during an emergency landing at the HI A20 platform. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The flight originated from HI 446 platform and was en route to HI 105 platform.

December 07, 1996 - W&T Offshore, Inc.

Remarks: A welder was cutting bolts on a flowline flange with his blow torch when fire flashed and caught his clothes on fire. The welder became engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished with a 5lb dry chemical fire extinguisher. He died later after evacuation.

December 09, 1996 - Shell Offshore Inc.

Remarks: Three employees of B & S Welding were replacing grating at the 12 level. Two of them noticed that the third was missing. A search was initiated to see if he could be located in the water around the platform. A diver found the body 18 days later under the platform. This accident is under investigation by MMS.