Rescue from Height

Scope

Current procedure is aimed for Land rigs & Workover Units.

Roles & Responsibilities

Rescue operation will take place under direct supervision of the Unit Manager or his deputy at night time.
First Aider will lead the rescue party.
The rest of the crew will assist as per Unit Manager’s instructions.

Introduction

When a worker falls and is suspended in a harness, it’s important to rescue him as quickly as possible because of the following reasons.

• The worker may have suffered injuries during the fall and may need medical attention.

• Suspension trauma can develop.

• Suspended workers may panic if they are not rescued quickly.

• The event that led to the fall may create additional risks that need to be addressed.

Ideally Rescue from height will be done by means of RIDE – Derrickman Escape System, which permits to descend the stretcher to the ground without crane support.

Resources

1.      Human

• Man in Charge (1 man)

• Rescue party (2 men – 1 Rescuer, 1 First Aider)

• Tag liners (2 men)

• Crane Operator (1 man) – If RIDE – Derrickman Escape system is not available

• Ambulance crew (2 men – 1 Driver, 1 First Aider)

2.      Equipment
Minimum Equipment requirement for rescue operation

• Full body harnesses (2 pcs). Preferably foot loop equipped

• Basket stretcher (1 pc)

• First Aid box (1 pc)

• Tag lines of the length equal to Monkey board height (2pcs)

• RIDE – Derrickman Escape System

• Crane – if RIDE system is not available

Procedure

1. Resue Party
Number of rescuers will depend on the availability of the Fall Arresting equipment on Moneky board. If 2 crew members are used, one of them must be a First Aider.
2. Lifting Equipment
The Lifting device for lifting and descending the casualty and the stretcher, should be chosen, giving prioritizing in accordance with the list below:

1. RIDE – Derrcikman Escape System

2. Manriding winch is the first priority due to numerous inbuilt safety features to prevent undesirable outcome of the operation.

3. Crane, if available, should be the 2nd priority, due to:

• Safety, as Crane can be shut down, if inadvertent operation is suspected.

• Crane can swing the stretcher closer to the Ambulance, by this reducing need for manpower, and risk of dropping the stretcher while carrying.

1. Utility winch must be considered as the last resort as by nature, the winch is not designed for manriding operations. Therefore it is usually not equipped with any safety devices to prevent pulling through sheave, lo lower the load without primary power lost, etc.

3. Sequence of Actions

1. Raise alarm – It is left to the discretion of the Unit Manager whether the Unit general should be sounded for particular emergency.

2. Rescue Party is formed and sent to the Monkeyboard

3. Rest of the crew prepare:
   

   1. Crane (if applicable)

   2. Stretcher

   3. Ambulance

   4. Tag Lines

4. Rescue Party lifts the person to Monkyboard, administers First Aid and lays into stretcher

5. Crane/Winch Operator descend the IP to the ground

6. IP is transported to the clinic;

Considerations
Keep First Aid Box in the stretcher. But it must be tied down to prevent a dropped object.

1. Using Crane

• Crane needs to avoid swinging to reduce the descend timing. As long as the stretcher can be lowered anywhere on the even ground, it should be done so.

1. Using Utility Winch 

•   While lifting casualty to Monekyboard be extremely casualty careful to keep him free from obstructions and avoid catching up.

1.  Controlled lowering of Stretcher

• Careful lowering, PIC – Driller;

• Use tag lines to prevent the swinging;

• Casualty is fixed to a Fall Arrestor line at all times (provided Fall Arrestor has sufficient length to reach the group);

1. Dropped Objects

• Rig Floor and No Go Zone to be cleared at all times when lifting and lowering the Stretcher;