Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) announced on June 30 it had issued a pair of notices of non-compliance regarding a near-miss on the Hebron Platform.

On May 28, maintenance on a knuckle boom crane on the Hebron Platform using a hydraulic pin puller resulted in a near-miss projectile and dropped object when the hydraulic pin puller failed after being exposed to loads beyond rated capacities. No one was injured. 

C-NLOPB’s notice of non-compliance to KCA Deutag said: 

  • The company’s procedure for pulling the pin did not have enough information about how to do the work safely, 
  • The original equipment manufacturer’s procedure for the work was not made available to employees,
  • A job safety analysis failed to reference that exceeding yield load was a hazard to consider,
  • The 30-ton and 60-ton hydraulic jacks were exposed to loads beyond their rated capacities and
  • The puller rod was exposed to loads in excess of yield three times.

C-NLOPB’s notice of non-compliance to Exxon Mobil said the operator had “failed to take all reasonable measures to ensure the health and safety” of all employees, that it had failed to ensure the relevant information for the operation was communicated to workers, and that it had failed to ensure a copy of all operating manuals and other procedures and documents were readily accessible on-site.

C-NLOPB instructed both companies to conduct an audit by Sept. 30 to determine what contributed to the non-compliance and ensure people are trained appropriately. Exxon Mobil is also to issue an incident bulletin to the local offshore industry.

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