This incident on the Norwegian Sea field, where Equinor is the operator, occurred in connection with completing a crane operation.

A roustabout on a catwalk who was serving as slinger received a blow to the head from the crane’s pennant/hook. This person then fell about 80-100 centimetres from the catwalk to the gangway below.

Actual and potential consequences

The injured person suffered injuries to their face area when the pennant/hook struck, and additional head injuries when they fell to the gangway.

Under slightly different circumstances, the incident had the potential to cause further serious personal injury to the roustabout, or their death.

Causes

The investigation has found the direct causes of the incident to be that the pennant/hook became snagged, and that the slinger was standing very close when the pennant/hook came free again.

Observations

The PSA has not identified any nonconformities from the regulations in this investigation, but has observed one condition which is categorised as an improvement point. That concerns compliance with governing documentation for crane operations.

What happens now

The investigation has been completed. Equinor has been asked to provide the PSA with its assessment of the improvement point observed. The deadline for this response has been set at 6 September 2021.