WorldWide Drilling Resource

Dropped Objects Lead to Industry Review Adapted from Information by STANLEY Engineered Fastening courtesy of Power PR Dropped objects, equipment, and tools which fall from hundreds of feet above a work area due to improper fastening and unreliable securing, present a significant danger at jobsites and a growing number of advocates have pushed for better safety hazard management practices. In the late 1990s, an increase in reportable incidents (including injuries, near misses, and deaths) related to the unintended falling of overhead objects led to the creation of DROPS (Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme). The independent workgroup started with a small booklet which caught on within the industry, and many companies wanted to implement the life-saving strategies. DROPS has since expanded its guidebook into a 130-pa ge PDF which addresses safety practices for all operational activities (a free edition is available at www.dropsonline.org ) . One volume, Reliable Securing , or secondary retention, discusses every form of fastening, including rope, wire, welding, and soldering. About 90% of the world of fastening recognizes secondary retention as a backup plan for the fasteners to make sure they will not come loose and create another dropped object incident. Primary retention on a nut, bolt, or tapped hole typically refers to torque. If you put a nut and bolt together and you torque them to a specification, you achieve primary retention. Secondary retentions refers to the backup plan. Fasteners can also loosen as a result of vibration and heat (when adhesives are used) in confined spaces, offshore and onshore. For many years, the conventional method of secondary retention was standard locknuts, bonding agents, or safety wire. They all are reliable and accepted, but are not reusable. Spiralock ® , a product of STANLEY Engineered Fastening, intro- duced the first reusable locknut in the world and was added as an acceptable secondary retention device to the DROPS book. Spiralock also introduced the first thread innovation for fasteners since World War II. The reengineered thread form adds a unique 30-degree wedge ramp at the root of the thread which mates with standard 60-degree male thread fasteners. The wedge ramp allows the bolt to spin freely relative to female threads until clamp load is applied. According to STANLEY Engneered Fastening Technical Sales Representative Ryan Bostick, “The free spinning function is important when you are 40 feet aboveground attempting to torque down a fastener without falling.” The crests of the standard male thread form are drawn tightly against the wedge ramp, eliminating radial clear- ances and creating a continuous spiral line contact along the entire length of the thread engagement. This continuous line contact spreads the clamp force more evenly over all engaged threads, improv- ing resistance to vibrational loosening, axial-torsional loading, joint fatigue, and temperature extremes. Enter taining, thought -provoking methods, practical and relevant ideas and techniques is what you will receive. Tim Connor’s vast experience as the motivational sales and management/ leadership speaker in over 4000 presentations / 25 countries plus, will keep your audience / employees totally engaged. Contact him today 704-875-1230 Timspeaks4u@gmail.com Timconnor.com Deadline for the May! Space Reservation: March 25 th Display & Classified Ad Copy: April 1 st 59 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2017