Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309292209 - Haggard Well Services Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on October 29, 2008, Employees #1, #2, #3 and #4 were assisting the operating company of the well in plugging a wellbore for an oil and gas well. The operating company was attempting to clean out any additional oil from the wellbore prior to starting to pumping cement into the wellbore to plug the well. According to reports, the weather was calm and sunny. This company was using a pump to circulate water into the wellbore, which was constructed from various parts of scrapped machines. The circulating pump had an engine, which was taken from a Gleaner Combine, and was made up of parts from a Moto Pump (no serial numbers or model numbers could be identified on the unit). This was located approximately 10 feet from the wellbore. There were several other pieces of equipment and vehicles present within 100 feet of the wellbore which were allegedly not running at the time of the accident. The operating company started to pump water into the wellbore, which a dark colored liquid started to be ejected from the wellbore at the surface. All except one person were standing within 50 ft of the wellbore during this operation. One employee with a ready mix concrete truck was attempting to back up a concrete truck from the southwest prior to start of the pump. The representative with the operating company, and Employee #3, were standing next to the wellbore. Employees #1 and #2 were standing next to vehicles parked to the south of the wellbore, approximately 30 ft away from it. Employee #4 was standing next to a tank truck, which was located to the northwest of the wellbore. According to witness statements, the diesel engine on the water pump started to rev up. While the diesel engine revved up, the amount of material being ejected from the well increased. Several witnesses stated that Employee #4 was told to shut down the pump. Employee #4 allegedly turned off the fuel pump for the diesel motor for the circulating pump; however the motor continued to rev. The time from the start of the pump to the explosion was approximately 10 minutes. The diesel motor did not have any type of emergency shut off present for the engine, and the motor allegedly did not have safety devices such as spark arrestors, or similar devices installing on the unit. Shortly after Employee #4 attempted to shut off the machine, an explosion happened. Employee #1 and #2, and #4 sustained burns and were transported to various hospitals. Employee #3 and a representative with the operating company sustained burns and died from the burns the scene. (See accident 200841708.) There was also a representative from a state agency over looking the process. This person also received burns and was also transported to a hospital.

Keywords: BURN, NATURAL GAS, EXPLOSION, SHUT-OFF VALVE, OIL WELL SERVICING