BEWARE OF THE FROZEN PIPES AND HOSES
IN THE NORTHERN OILFIELDS AND GAS FIELDS – BURSTING FROZEN PIPES KILL OR INJURE WORKERS
One
dead, two hurt at Anadarko Colorado fracking site
November 14, 2014
One worker died and two others were seriously injured after a
waterline exploded at an Anadarko operated fracking site in Colorado Thursday.
All three men were working for Texas-based Halliburton.
The name of the deceased worker has not been released.
The injured workers — Thomas Sedlmayr, 48, and Grant Casey,
28 — were taken to separate hospitals.
The nature and extent of their injuries hasn’t been disclosed.
A high-pressure waterline that froze overnight burst Thursday
morning around 9:30 a.m. as workers tried to thaw it out at a site in Fort
Lupton, the Denver Post said.
The water shot out at an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 pounds per
square inch.
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the
accident and confirmed that a high-pressure valve rupture was the likely
cause.
Two OSHA officials are currently investigating the incident.
Halliburton said it is also looking into the cause of the
rupture.
Texas-based Anadarko has suspended all fracking operations at
the site during the investigation and did not disclose an expected restart
schedule for drilling.
“This tragic accident, associated injuries and contractor’s
loss of life has left us all shaken and heartbroken,” Anadarko said.
http://petroglobalnews.com/2014/11/one-dead-two-hurt-at-anadarko-colorado-fracking-site/
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Victims of rig accident near Mead are Halliburton employees
One man is confirmed dead and two more sustained serious
injuries Thursday morning in an accident involving a high-pressure water line
at a well site in southwestern Weld County.
The fatal victim was identified as Matthew Smith, 36, of
Brighton. The two injured men were both flown to nearby hospitals with serious
injuries. Thomas Sedlmayr, 48, was airlifted to Denver Health, and Grant Casey,
28, was taken by ambulance to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland,
according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
The men all work for Halliburton, which was contracted by
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to conduct fracking operations there, said Sean
Standridge, spokesman for the sheriff’s office. Fracking operations had not yet
begun at the site, officials said.
The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the well site
located off of Weld County Road 9 1/2 just north of Colo. 66 near Mead.
The three men were trying to heat a frozen high-pressure water
line, Standridge said. Something went wrong, causing the line to rupture.
Smith was struck by a stream of fresh water with an estimated
pressure of 3,500 to 4,500 psi, Standridge said. For comparison, the typical
working pressure of a fire hose is 50 to 100 psi, said Greeley Fire Department
Chief Duane McDonald. There was no fracking fluid in the pipe; it was a
pre-fracking operation.
An official cause of death is still under investigation, but it
appears Smith died from the water’s impact. He was pronounced dead at the
scene.
“This is a very difficult time for all of us at Halliburton,
and we are working with local authorities as they look into the details of this
incident,” said Chevalier Mayes, spokeswoman for Halliburton, in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our employees’ loved ones.”
Halliburton does not intend to release more information at this
time out of respect for the families, according to the statement.
The last confirmed fatality at a drilling site in Weld County
occurred in August 2012, when a BGH Gas Test Operating Inc. employee was killed
in an accident at an Encana Corp. well site near Fort Lupton, said Herb Gibson,
Denver Area Director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Gibson’s office oversees and enforces workplace safety standards for the
northern half of Colorado, including Weld, and investigated the 2012 incident
in Fort Lupton. There were three OSHA investigators at the scene near Mead.
“We want to make sure all oil and gas sites have comprehensive
safety and health programs in place to address all potential health hazards,”
Gibson said. “The most common at a well site are struck-by hazards, fires,
explosions and exposure to chemicals, such as hydrocarbons.”
