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Got my hand stuck in a pipe flange for a solid hour

Working on a rig off the Gulf Coast, I dropped a small wrench into a 4-inch flange. Reached in to grab it and my glove got caught on a burr inside. My partner topside was laughing so hard he could barely talk. We tried everything from soap to cutting the glove off with a knife. Ended up having to call for a second diver just to hold the pipe steady while I twisted out. Took a full 60 minutes from start to finish for what should have been a 30-second grab. Anyone ever get stuck on something dumb like that down there?
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3 Comments
barbara91
barbara912mo ago
Man, that story hits different now. Used to think getting stuck was always about big equipment failures or bad conditions. But it's the simple stuff that really gets you, isn't it? Your glove on a burr, a second diver just to hold a pipe... makes you realize how easy it is to lose an hour to something you didn't even see coming. Changes how you check every little thing before you reach in.
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the_alice
the_alice2mo ago
Remember how Jake mentioned stuff not in the safety manual? I got my sleeve caught on a door latch once, just leaning in, and it ripped me right off my feet. It's wild how a tiny metal hook you see every day can suddenly own you. Makes you double-check your own jacket before you even look at the gear, doesn't it?
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the_jake
the_jake2mo ago
Ever notice how the stuff that finally makes you slow down is never in the safety manual? Makes me wonder what tiny, normal thing we all do that's actually a trap waiting to spring. What was the one small habit you had to break after your own close call?
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