WorldWide Drilling Resource

Stay Safe in the Exit Pit! Adapted from Information by The Charles Machine Works, Inc. Using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to drill under roads and waterways is being done more and more every day. This makes it even more important to be safe on the job. One of the dangers associated with HDD drilling involves the exit pit. Here are a few tips for exit pit safety: Employees should always maintain communication with the drill operator whenever anyone is near the exit pit. On one drill site, the drill operator was having trouble advancing the drill string. An observation pit had been dug previously, and a crew member was in the pit removing a piece of metal wrapped around the drill string. The drill operator started drilling before the crew member was out of the pit. The next pipe was bent and it struck the crew member as he climbed out of the pit. It broke his leg and damaged his knee. Always use appropriate breakout devices to add or remove down hole tools from drill string. Never use pipe wrenches, machine power, or backhoes to loosen or tighten down hole tools. There was a crew using pipe wrenches and a backhoe to loosen a tool joint. The pipe wrench slipped from under the backhoe bucket, flew through the air, and struck a crew member in the head. Unfortunately, he died several hours later from massive brain damage. Remember, rotating drill string can grab clothing, jewelry, and hair which can lead to a crush injury or even death. Tragically, a crew drilling under a highway learned this lesson the hard way. The drill operator did not have visi- bility to the exit pit and he thought he received a signal to begin back reaming. The exit pit crewman was still near the end of the drill string and the back ream- er grabbed his coat and pulled him into the borehole, killing him. The operator was not aware the crew member was caught until he didn’t reappear. Here are some additional tips for keeping your HDD crew safe: a Drill operators should not restart thrust or rotation until given the “all clear” and they should not rotate the dri l l string after the bit/tool has cleared the borehole. a Only thrust, at minimum speed, should be used to advance or retract the drill string. a Do not stand to the side of, or on, exposed drill string. a Do not stand in or near the edge of an observation pit with a rotating drill string. The trench/pit sides can cave in up to a distance of ¾ the depth of the pit. For example, a 4- foot pit can cave off up to 3 feet from the edge of the pit. So, be sure to follow OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or local guidelines for trenching and excava- tion. a Pressurized drilling fluid can cause serious injury, so stay clear and be sure to wear eye protection. Keep safe and drill on! DIR 35 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MAY 2018