Electric shock from live cable while walking the rig

What happened?

A work crew was in the process of walking the rig over to the next well.

During the move, a worker was instructed to reposition and secure an electrical cable located near the sealing gaskets.

As the worker reached down to move the cable, they felt a shock in their right hand.

The electric cable the worker had touched was damaged – 2inches (5cm) of insulation and wiring inside was exposed.

Why did it happen?

The worker was left by their mentor and was not directly supervised.

The cable was not adequately protected, and the damage was not detected by the ground fault system.

The gaskets were not installed correctly (misaligned).

Grounding equipment was not installed and/or maintained by a qualified person.

The job safety analysis (JSA) did not contain any information about electrical hazards associated with the move.

Workers’ training did not include the expectation of handling live electrical cables.

What did they learn?

Update the job safety analysis (JSA) to include electrical hazards. Include that workers are not expected to come into contact and/or handle energised power lines.

Review electrical inspection criteria.

Conduct on-site field verifications of electrical procedures and inspection checklists.

Provide a recommended procedure on the installation of linebackers. Investigate a suitable alternative for high traffic areas.

Create a bulletin to specifically address electrical awareness.

Ask yourself or your crew

Have you ever come into contact with live electrical equipment when you weren’t expecting to? What happened?

What checks should you do before starting work in areas that might have live electrical cables?

What is the procedure on our site if somebody identifies live cables?

Does your JSA contain all the information you need for your task? What should you do if it doesn’t?

What happened?

A work crew was in the process of walking the rig over to the next well.
During the move, a worker was instructed to reposition and secure an electrical cable located near the sealing gaskets.
As the worker reached down to move the cable, they felt a shock in their right hand.
The electric cable the worker had touched was damaged – 2inches (5cm) of insulation and wiring inside was exposed.
Why did it happen?

The worker was left by their mentor and was not directly supervised.
The cable was not adequately protected, and the damage was not detected by the ground fault system.
The gaskets were not installed correctly (misaligned).
Grounding equipment was not installed and/or maintained by a qualified person.
The job safety analysis (JSA) did not contain any information about electrical hazards associated with the move.
Workers’ training did not include the expectation of handling live electrical cables.
What did they learn?

Update the job safety analysis (JSA) to include electrical hazards. Include that workers are not expected to come into contact and/or handle energised power lines.
Review electrical inspection criteria.
Conduct on-site field verifications of electrical procedures and inspection checklists.
Provide a recommended procedure on the installation of linebackers. Investigate a suitable alternative for high traffic areas.
Create a bulletin to specifically address electrical awareness.
Ask yourself or your crew

Have you ever come into contact with live electrical equipment when you weren’t expecting to? What happened?
What checks should you do before starting work in areas that might have live electrical cables?
What is the procedure on our site if somebody identifies live cables?
Does your JSA contain all the information you need for your task? What should you do if it doesn’t?