MARCH 10, 2015
UPTON COUNTY, TEXAS
Three people were killed Tuesday morning following an
explosion at an oil rig in northern Upton County. According to the Upton County
Sheriff's Office, the rig explosion happened on Farm-to-Market Road 2401, east
of Texas State Highway 349, about four miles inside Texas 49. Three workers were killed in the explosion.
Authorities have not released the identity of the victims. Additional
information was not available on the accident at this time.
Although
officials have not released the names, family members told NewsWest 9
Rojelio Salgado, Arturo Martinez Sr. and Arturo Martinez Jr. were killed. Salgado, 19, had two children and had just
started with the company two months ago.
The victims are all from Andrews, Texas. We're told all three men were related.
Officials say there was a fourth man on site but he was not transported. They
were all working for Mason, a pulling unit company, that was contracted by
Parsley Energy.
"Right now everything is in the preliminary stages. We
don't know exactly what happened. We don't know what caused the
explosion," Dusty Kilgore, Investigator with the Upton County Sheriff's
Office, said.
OSHA is expected to arrive but the investigation will be at
stand still until it's safe for officials to be on site.
"Right now, the scene is unsafe for anyone to be on there besides fire department crew. As soon as some safety crews from another oilfield company get here to make sure it's safe to get on location then we'll finish the investigation," Kilgore said.
"Right now, the scene is unsafe for anyone to be on there besides fire department crew. As soon as some safety crews from another oilfield company get here to make sure it's safe to get on location then we'll finish the investigation," Kilgore said.
Kilgore said he did not have exact statistics for oil field
fatalities in Upton County.
“I think the last fatality was the middle of last year, off
the top of my head,” Kilgore said.
What is a Pulling
Unit
A pulling unit is one of the mechanical oilfield
applications used to remove the casing and other tubing apparatuses inside a
well bar. It is also used to remove drilling rods inside a wellbore. A pulling
unit is called in when a wellbore shows signs of internal damage, such as an
obvious leak or a sudden drop in pressure of the drilling fluid at the surface.
When a wellbore is displaying production problems that cannot be repaired
through more simple means, the pulling unit is charged with physically lifting
the casing and any of the drilling equipment that appears to be damaged out of
the wellbore to be examined and repaired in a timely manner.
There have been explosions of pulling units because these workers are not very familiar with the well that is being drilled, or the units are used when there is a problem with the well, or gas are released during the pulling of the casing or other tubing.
The construction of a pulling unit apparatus is different
among different brands and manufacturers. The construction method may also
differ depending on the intended use of the unit. Some pulling units are
vertical in form and telescope upward after being connected to the instruments
in the wellbore; others are shaped into the form of a wheel, with the pump
system attached to the wheel’s axis and cranked around the wheel axle in a winch
formation. No matter the shape or form of function, the purpose of the pulling
unit is to remove an underground well or pumping system without being required
to dig or destroy the surface the system is located under.
Most pulling units are portable to be easily moved from pump
system to pump system, or from wellbore to wellbore in oilfields. The unit
itself is typically mounted onto the back of a heavy duty truck or vehicle,
making it easy to move. Most pulling unit operators are independent contractors
who travel to the oilfield or tract of land that they’ve been hired to remove a
system from.