Hand and Finger Injury

Prevention
DATE: March 2018
 Introduction

Hand injuries accounted for 28% of all injuries YTD with a total of
8 hand injuries having occurred within SANAD.

• First Aid - 4
• Medical Treatment - 2
• Restricted Work Case - 1
• Lost Time Incident - 1

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 Review of associated trends within the fleet have shown that most
injuries occur due to the following.
• Time over Money, either due to a real or perceived pressure to
complete the task in a timely manner resulting in short cuts being
taken.
• Homemade tools being used or not using the tools available for the
task. (push / pull rods, rollers, pin drivers and pin catchers)
• Lack of Stop Work Authority.
• Inadequate job planning or risk assessment being undertaken.

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 Hand placement and tool use
Brief Description of the Event:
At approximately 15:30 the task was completing installation of
the Draw works spear, The senior Mechanic had stopped the
crew from manually inserting the spear so he could install the
“O” ring seal on the spear end
While the Mechanic was installing the “O” ring, with his hands in
the line of fire, the crew pushed on the spear with the forklift,
causing the Mechanics fingers to become pinched, and
subsequently injured.
Immediate Action(s) Taken:
> SANAD and Saudi Aramco management were notified.
> The Mechanic received First Aid Treatment on site to stop the
bleeding and he was immediately transported to the nearest clinic
for further evaluation.
Direct and Root Causes:
> Pre-Job planning was inadequate - Job Safety Analysis, Tool box
talk and Permit to Work for the task were incomplete.
> Miscommunication - Forklift was used to push the spear in without
go ahead instruction from the Chief Mechanic. (Senior Mechanic
stopped the task and informed all that he would go inside the draw
works to put the O ring. The forklift Operator arrived at site as he
was called by the RMG and stated during the interviews that he
did not observed the Mechanic was not in his line of sight as he
was working inside the draw works)
> Failure of using Stop Work Authority by all personnel involved in
the job.
IP
position
Lessons Learned:
> Communication to be issued to all Maintenance personnel
by Maintenance Department. Seek advice and guidance
from Maintenance Department of how to proceed in case
of a similar situation where the spear gets stuck while
removing or inserting it in the Elmagco.. E.g. A lever can
be to be to release the spear.
> Task JSA for Changing the Elmagco to be updated and to
include all the specific job steps and specific tools to be
used .e.g. Crane / Slings etc.
> Refresher training to be held with all crews in house on
the Job Safety Analysis and Risk Assessments HSE- 04-
01- SND and documented.
> Accountability process will be applied for personnel not
following Risk assessment and PTW process. This applies
to supervisors and Permit Issuing authorities.
 Hand placement and tool use

INCIDENT:
At approx.14:00 the task was removing the pins to split the mast
for the rig move. 2 cranes were being used to support the “A”-
leg section with 3 of the 4 pins on the top section removed
without incident. The IP and his assisting crew member were
attempting to remove the last pin when it stopped in its pocket
2/3 of the way out. The driller who was standing on the ground
signaled to the rigger one to have the crane pick up slightly to
try and relieve any tension on the pin. Before the crane picked
up tension the IP used a smaller pin from a cross beam in the
hole and attempted to tap the stuck pin out. It was at this time
the other crew member used the sledge hammer and hit the
head of the smaller pin being held by the IP. The sledge
hammer glanced off the end of the pin striking the IP’s middle
finger of his right hand.

LEARNINGS:
• JSA procedure regarding the mast dis-assemble will
be updated to reflect proper tools needed to perform
the task safely.
• A rig move tool checklist will be put in place to ensure
that all necessary equipment remains on both
locations during the rig move. Additionally, the rig will
implement a rig move tool box that will contain this
equipment.
• Each supervisor will perform at least one SWA drill
with two crew members per week.

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 31-DEC-2017, SAN-701(1201), RWC, myHSE # 1337523
Operator: SAUDI ARAMCO Risk Score: 12
Brief Description of the Event:
One of the Roustabouts (IP) was attempting to center a 3 ½”
joint of drill pipe using the designated stiffy push/pull tool. At
that moment, the IP’s right hand slipped while simultaneously
the bottom-end of the drill pipe shifted towards him, eventually
falling off the ODS catwalk pinching his right hand little and
ring finger between the pipe and the edge of the catwalk.
Immediate Action(s) Taken:
> Operations were stopped and immediate medical care was
provided by the Rig Medic and IP was sent to the nearest
medical facility.
> Saudi Aramco and SANAD Line Management were
informed.
> Safety stand-down meeting was held with entire crew to
share the incident event and reinforce safe systems of work
controls.

Direct and Root Causes:

> JSA was not adequate. It did not identify all of the hazards /
risks, specific to the actual task and responsibilities of the
crew involved.
> Roustabouts involved in the task were working
unsupervised.
> Communication between the Winch Operator on the rig floor
and Roustabouts at the catwalk area was inadequate.
> Catwalk design does not provide for pipe rails, pipe stops or
central trough to assist in guiding tubulars.

Page HSE-F0028 (1)

Hand placement and tool use

Incorrect gloves and hand placement

can and will result in severe injury.

Handling Spinner

Handling Tong

Handling Pipe
Incorrect hand placement and tool use

All hands and fingers Injuries

are Preventable

Handling Spinner
Incorrect hand placement and tool use

Think before you act. It

does not cost anything to
“Think safety” at all times
A Picture Is
Worth a Thousand Words

Group Participation:

We will now address four different scenarios depicting a number of

safety infringements relating to the following:

Working with Chemicals

Welding & Grinding
Saws & Knives
Punctures & Repetition
What’s Wrong or Right?
Points to Consider

2 1
3
Corrected Situation
What Have We Learned?

Know the hazards

Select appropriate gloves for all hazards
Inspect gloves
Store gloves properly
What’s Wrong or Right?
Points to Consider

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6
1

5
Corrected Situation
What Have We Learned?

Wear gloves whenever handling metal

Gloves must fit properly
Be aware of vibration hazards
Stretch your hands, fingers, and wrists
What’s Wrong or Right?
Points to Consider

2
Corrected Situation
What Have We Learned?

Keep hands away from the point of operation

Make sure equipment is properly guarded
Wear cut-resistant gloves
Cut away from the body
What’s Wrong or Right?
Points to Consider

3 2
Corrected Situation
What Have We Learned?

Beaware of puncture hazards

Repetition can cause long-term damage
Wear gloves when handling wood
Quiz

1.Name one of the ergonomic hand hazards that workers might face:

2. Proper gloves used with chemicals will protect against all chemicals.
True or False ?
3.What type of gloves do welders commonly wear?
4.When inspecting your gloves, name one thing to look for:
5.What kind of glove should a person wear when cutting up frozen fish with
a handheld knife?
6.What is the most hazardous area on a typical machine?
7.What type of glove is used to improve a worker’s grip?
8.Describe how you should care for and store your gloves:
9.When are gloves hazardous to wear?
10.In addition to gloves, describe other things used to protect hands:
Quiz Answers

1.Vibration, pinch or grip force, repetition.

2.False; select a glove material that has been tested to protect against your
chemicals.
3.Terry cloth or lined leather gloves.
4.Inspect for cuts, tears, abrasions, or any other damage that reduces the
glove’s protection.
5.Metal mesh gloves to protect against the cut hazard, with thick cotton
gloves to protect against the cold of handling the frozen fish.
6.Point of operation—cut, drill, form, press, shear.
7.A glove with nonslip texture.
8.Gloves should be kept clean and dry, and stored so they maintain their
natural shape.
9.Around rotation equipment that might grab the glove and pull your hand
into a machine.
10.Machine guards, engineering controls,
administrative controls.
 Exercise

One volunteer to demonstrate the difficulties with reduced mobility due to a

hand injury.

Exercise: Wrap one crew members hand in duct tape and allow him to
perform basic functions either on the work site in a controlled environment or
in the meeting room.

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 Conclusion
RISK ASSESSMENT:
Carrying out a proper Risk Assessment and communicating the results is the priority to
minimizing employees’ exposure to unnecessary risks.
Identification of hazards such as pinch points, impact, puncture and chemical
exposure risks will lead to the implementation of engineering controls or other control
measures.

ENFORCEMENT OF HANDS FREE SYSTEM:

The handling and positioning of heavy equipment often results in trapped or crushed hands
and fingers. These include the use of taglines and push poles for loads on rigs during lifting
operations.

HIGHLIGHTING DANGER:
Clearly identifying hazard areas such as pinch points and frequently used equipment by color-
coding and displaying warning paint and stickers. Factors such as weather conditions may
cause paint and stickers to fade, so their visibility should be checked at regular intervals and
renewed as appropriate.

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 Conclusion

SELECTION OF RIGHT TOOLS:

Selection of proper hand tools is crucial. Using the wrong tools for the job or using the
right tools in the wrong way can result in serious injuries.

Regular hand tools inspections and the use of protective tools such as ‘finger
savers’ in combination with hand tools where practicable can play a significant role in
injury prevention.

Manual tongs Green handling straps Pin Driver (ES-025 (74)

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 SELECTION OF RIGHT TOOLS (Cont.)

Finger Saver Push / Pull Bar

(ES-021 (74) (ES-021 (74)

Hold –It Tool Pipe Roller

(ES-021 (74) (ES-031(74)

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 Conclusion

INSTALLATION OF PROPER GUARDS FOR MACHINERY:

Many machines have built-in safeguards to protect employees.
Proper guards and regular inspections to ensure they are not compromised are
fundamental to the bodily protection of employees.
PROTECTIVE GLOVES
There is no doubt that gloves play a significant role in protecting workers' hands and
fingers. According to the
US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), around 30% of hand injuries
occurred because hand protection was inadequate, damaged or misapplied.
The use of protective gloves should be considered as the last mitigation option in any
hierarchy of measures.
Most of the time, protective gloves will only lessen the severity of an injury rather than
remove the risk completely.
CONCLUSION
As indicated there is no single solution to eliminate hand hazards, but implementing all
mitigation measures, as part of a comprehensive hand and finger injury prevention
strategy. Most important of all, the involvement of employees is crucial to the success of
any injury prevention program.
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 Is that short cut time worth
the pain and money?

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