Keep hands off the stump of pipe in the rotary or mouse hole. Only place hands on tong handles. Keep hands off of the tong latch except to open the tongs. Keep an eye on swinging tongs at all times. Stand clear of the spinning chain. Never put your hand on top of the drill pipe or collar box at any time.
[pdf] Many accidents on the drill floorwhile pipe tripping involve using tongs. Injuries result from being caught between tongs and being struck by swinging tongs. All tongs should be securely attached and anchored. When pulling the pipe, the hole shall be kept full from the trip tank. The hole shall be checked regularly to ensure that it is taking the correct amount of fluid. The volume required to fill the hole every 3-5 stands shall be recorded in the Trip Sheet until the bit is out of the hole.
[pdf] Drill stems must be designed to transfer drilling torque for combined lengths that often exceed several miles down into the , and also must be able to resist pressure differentials between inside and outside (or vice versa), and have sufficient strength to suspend the total weight of deeper components. For deep wells this requires tempered steel tubes that are expensive, and owners spend considerable efforts to reuse them after finishing a well.
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