While skidding the derrick on this facility, a 480-kilogram side plate on the gripper system for the derrick skidding system came loose and dropped from a height of about three metres.
Two people were in the area where the panel dropped. Neither was struck, but one was injured when he took avoiding action and fell to another deck about 1.5 metres below.
Repsol Norge is the operator for the Gyda field.
Consequences
One person was injured as a consequence of the incident.
The PSA’s investigation has determined that, under slightly different circumstances, this incident could have resulted in the loss of human life.
Causes
The direct cause of the incident was heavy wear on parts of the skidding system, which in turn overloaded the mounting bolts which held the side plate in place.
Nonconformities and improvement points
The investigation has identified nonconformities in the following areas:
- maintenance of the skidding systems and skid beams
- information acquisition related to operation and maintenance of the skidding system.
In addition, the PSA has observed improvement points in relation to:
- information on operational conditions
- personnel training
- risk assessment for positioning the control panel.
What happens now
The PSA has asked Repsol to explain how the nonconformities will be dealt with. It has also asked the company to give its assessment of the improvement points observed. The deadline for these responses has been set for 7 October 2019.