INT_Crane Incident During Well Abandonment Operations Injures Worker_09.2026

What Happened?

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement investigated a crane incident that caused a worker injury during well abandonment operations. A crew was using a lift boat crane and rigging to pull a seven-inch casing from the well. They drilled holes in the casing, inserted a lifting pin, and attached it to the crane’s auxiliary hoist line with a two-part sling and D-rings. The crane lifted the casing until it got stuck. After setting the slips, the crew cut and removed a section, drilled new holes, and reinserted the lifting pin for another lift. They then used the crane’s main hoist to try to pull the stuck casing. The lifting pin was attached to the main block, and two workers stood next to the casing, ready to remove the slips when the casing moved upward. When the crane operator raised the casing, the lifting pin failed, bent upward, and struck one worker in the face, causing him to fall. He suffered a subdural hematoma, facial trauma, an open skull fracture, and several facial bone fractures.