Petroleum and gas safety alert no. 15 | 08 December 2003 | Version 1
Using cheater bars on hand tools
What happened?
Recently, an incident occurred on a drilling site where a stillson wrench broke off at the handle after a six foot long cheater bar was attached to dislodge a drill bit from a drill string. The incident resulted in a driller receiving injuries to his face as a result of a piece of metal from the handle of the stillson flying up and hitting him.
Key issues
- The use of cheater bars on hand tools, especially stillsons, appears to be a regular practice on some drilling sites.
- This overloads the tool and can result in breakage with attendant risks to safety.
Recommendations
The practice of using cheater bars on hand tools should be stopped immediately. There is always an alternate way of doing the job safely. Managers and supervisors should lead the way in outlawing this practice.
Investigations are ongoing and further information may be published as it becomes available. The information in this publication is what is known at the time of writing.
We issue Safety Notices to draw attention to the occurrence of a serious incident, raise awareness of risks, and prompt assessment of your existing controls.
Contact: Chief Inspector, Petroleum and Gas gassafe@dnrn.qld.gov.au
Issued by Queensland Department of Mines and Energy
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