Case Studies

Litigation support in the drilling sector of the oil and gas industry

Accumyn Consulting was hired to provide drilling and safety management expertise for the legal team of a defendant in a case involving a personal injury claim arising from a drilling rig accident in Texas. Accumyn was asked to review documents related to the incident, and the plaintiff’s expert reports, and render opinions, including relevant oil and gas industry best practice for safety management and also concerning applicable OSHA regulations.

In the area of safety management, an expert report was written providing opinions that rebutted the plaintiff’s expert report. Mr. Threadgold’s report identified that the opposing expert had cited OSHA regulations that specifically did not apply to oil and gas well drilling operations.

With his extensive knowledge of industry guidance documents and best practice, Mr. Threadgold was able to identify numerous industry best practices that were not followed by the injured party’s employer, along with the employers own company procedures and policies. He also utilized a commonly used oil and gas industry accident causation concept called the “swiss cheese model” to help communicate the overall system failures and causes found. The case was eventually settled out of court.

Geophysical Operations Manager for a Seismic Survey Utilizing New Technology

This project involved the role of geophysical operations manager for a major international operator during a wide azimuth towed streamer marine seismic acquisition survey.
This application of new technology was an industry changing event for the seismic industry. Co-inventor for the US patent awarded for this method.

Corporate HSE Management System Auditing

Utilizing the same forensic examination methods, numerous geophysical contractor and sub-contractor corporate Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Management Systems have been audited to oil and gas industry and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards.