A near miss incident from dropped object was reported onboard the ‘Noble Regina Allen’ jack-up rig, offshore Nova Scotia, when a 52 foot chain fell onboard on 5 November. There were five workers in the area at the time of the incident, but no one was injured.
The Canada- Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) deployed a safety officer early the following day onboard the rig, which is operated by ExxonMobil Canada and owned by Noble Corporation.
The safety officer confirmed that a 52 foot chain, along with a swivel and shackle (a segment of lifting gear arrangement) with a combined weight of 225 pounds, fell to the deck in the derrick area.
Although there were no injuries associated with this incident, it was determined that it had the potential for fatality, and has thus been classified as a high potential near miss. Ongoing work was immediately stopped, and the area was secured. A safety stand down was held with all involved personnel. Well operations remain suspended as of this time,
…CNSOPB noted.
The rig is located by the Venture platform carrying out the plugging of development wells as part of ExxonMobil’s decommissioning of the Sable Offshore Energy Project.
