Shiv Vani rig death
Delhi-based driller Shiv Vani has been sternly admonished by the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) for its poor safety record.
On February 7, a tragic accident led to the death of a Shiv Vani worker at ONGC’s 1465-sq km Sibsagar block in north-east Assam. Shiv Vani was drilling a well with its 2000-hp Rig 31, when a heavy ‘drill pipe’ fell onto 24-year-old unskilled labourer Vidyut Barua, killing him instantly with a blow to the head.
Shiv Vani reported the incident immediately to the OISD which responded with a detailed ‘caution note.’ “We’ve asked Shiv Vani to pay attention to safety practices to avoid such unfortunate mishaps,” confirms an OISD source.
Shiv Vani, we hear, has paid compensation to the worker’s bereaved family. In early 2009, a Shiv Vani rig’s 10-tonne ‘travelling block’ crashed onto the ‘drilling pipe’ while at ONGC’s Ankleshwar asset.
Miraculously, five people narrowly avoided injury or death. Calls made to Shiv Vani by PETROWATCH were not returned.