Canadian Safety Regulator Reports Another Incident on Hebron Platform

ExxonMobil Canada has reported another potentially fatal incident on its Hebron Platform off the coast of Newfoundland. 

On Tuesday, during preparations for an upcoming lift, a hook fell off an auxiliary hoist on the platform's south intervention deck and dropped about 30 feet. The hook weighed about eight pounds.

There were no injuries. The hoist operator was the only person nearby and was located about 20 feet away from the point of impact. However, the incident had the potential for a fatality, based on standard industry safety calculations, according to the Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board.

ExxonMobil has stopped all auxiliary crane operations and initiated an investigation into the root cause of the incident. The C-NLOPB said that it will monitor Exxon's internal investigation. 

The near-miss was the second incident in a month that C-NLOPB has reported at Hebron. In August, a crewmember aboard the offshore supply vessel Avalon Sea was injured during a routine test of Hebron's evacuation systems.

On August 20, the Avalon Sea was supporting a series of lifeboat winch load tests for Hebron's lifeboat deck, a routine maintenance activity. The platform's #3 lifeboat had been lowered to the deck of the OSV in preparation for a test. 

When the crew began to hoist up a test weight on the lifeboat winch, they spotted a twist in the rigging and called "all stop" for safety. While they attempted to unhook the rigging and remove the twist, the line came under tension because of the Avalon Sea's movement relative to the platform. When the rigging released, it "made contact with a crew member’s face resulting in injuries requiring treatment," according to C-NLOPB. The injured seafarer was transferred over to the Hebron platform for medical attention, then airlifted off to a shoreside facility. The individual was treated and released, Exxon reported.