Canadian regulatory body issues warning to Exxon, drilling contractor over flying rod

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has issued a warning to ExxonMobil Canada and a drilling contractor over a potentially fatal incident on a drilling platform.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the C-NLOPB has handed ExxonMobil Canada a notice of non-compliance following a near miss incident involving a flying rod that could have killed workers on the Hebron platform last month.

The incident was reported May 28 following maintenance on a crane, CBC said. The work involved the use of a hydraulic pin puller that failed, which turned the puller rod into a projectile. The 6.8-kilogramme rod flew about 19 metres across the deck, struck a handrail, and fell 21 metres, landing on a walkway below.