Installation of Elevator Links (Bails)
Effective Date: 12/16/1994
 | Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region |
Notice No. 163
December 16, 1994
Installation of Elevator Links (Bails)
A fatality recently occurred on a drill ship while elevator links were being rigged to pull and handle a 21-inch marine riser. The drill ship was equipped with a top drive, and the change-out of elevator links is a normal operation routinely performed during the course of drilling a well with this type of rig.
The pipe-handling elevator links (capacity 350 tons) were removed from the top drive link adapter, and the riser handling links (capacity 750 tons) were moved to the rig floor. The two-riser-handling links (15-feet long and weighing some 1,200 lbs each) were placed on the rig floor. The first link was lifted by air hoist to its resting position in the ear of the top link adapter with the lower end of the first link resting on the rig floor. The first link was at a 45-degree angle with vertical. Due to misalignment, difficulties were encountered in closing the latch and installing the pin to secure the link. However, while an attempt was being made to latch the first link, the air hoist line was removed from it and used to lift the second link to orient it properly for installation. As the second link was being lifted by the air hoist, it struck and caused the first link to roll off the adapter ear and fall. The falling link struck one man, landed on his back, and resulted in a fatality.
It is recommended that the hoisting line that is used for the installation of the elevator link remain attached until the link retainer on the link adapter is completely installed (with the pin through the latch hole and the locknut made up on the pin where applicable). Risk of accidents associated with handling of the heavy links will be further reduced if the links are loaded onto the rig floor in the proper orientation for installation.