Conductor slipped from spear whilst suspended

Cause & Consequence

• Moving, flying or falling object

Other Cause & Consequence

Risk Assessment, Barrier Management

Contributing Factor

• Change management

Description of Incident

During recovery of a section of 30” conductor, the conductor – which had not yet been secured at the rotary table per the well programme and work instruction - slipped from the spear being used to recover it.

The conductor dropped from height, back through the well slot it was being recovered from.

There were no injuries resulting from the incident however equipment was damaged by the drop.

There was no evidence of the spear failing; the internals of the conductor were old and corroded which likely impacted how well the spear gripped the conductor, leading to it scraping internally until it detached.

Good Practice Guidance

What can we learn:

The hazard of a conductor dropping during recovery until further securing is applied must be identified as a potential drop risk, appropriately risk assessed, and the duration kept to a minimum.Any changes to the job steps must be understood and assessed promptly.Controls and mitigations must be identified and communicated to ensure persons are kept out of harms way for the entire duration of the load suspension until the conductor is secured such that it cannot drop are applied.