Message-ID: <1172754.1075844086147.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 20:46:00 -0700 (PDT) From: gpg.announcement@enron.com To: gas.operations@enron.com Subject: DRAFT - SAFETY ADVISORY BULLETIN No. 6 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: GPG General Announcement X-To: Gas Pipeline Group Operations X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Michelle_Lokay_Dec2000_June2001_1\Notes Folders\Enron t&s X-Origin: LOKAY-M X-FileName: mlokay.nsf The GPG Safety Declaration of Interdependence signed by all GPG pipeline=20 operations staff is our promise to each other that safety on the job is fir= st=20 before all other concerns, that we will positively act to assure safe=20 practices. This Safety Advisory Bulletin No. 6 is issued to reinforce the= =20 need for personal safety at all times and in all circumstances. On April 12, a One-Call ticket was issued for the work being done adjacent = to=20 one of GPG=01,s pipelines. The ticket did not identify GPG as having facili= ties=20 in the area so GPG was not notified.=20 Sometime after April 12, a GPG employee observed a contractor working in th= e=20 vicinity of an active pipeline. The employee located and marked the pipelin= e=20 in the area where the contractor was working. On May 8, the contractor was= =20 excavating approximately 75 to 100 feet downstream of the marked pipeline,= =20 routing a water line, and uncovered a 12-inch pipeline that was assumed to = be=20 abandoned. The contractor was willing to incur the cost of removing a secti= on=20 of the abandoned pipeline if the facility owner would ensure it was=20 abandoned.=20 The contractor requested a One-Call ticket to mark all underground faciliti= es=20 in the area of the excavated 12-inch pipeline. GPG was notified, via fax, o= f=20 the line locate request. The GPG employee who previously had located and=20 marked the pipeline informed the contractor that he was unaware of any=20 abandoned pipelines in the area, but that he would investigate further. Th= e=20 employee checked his pipeline drawings and consulted with other team member= s=20 and learned that there was an abandoned pipeline in the area. Team members= =20 also informed him that the accepted practice for checking abandoned pipelin= es=20 was to drill into the pipe. =20 On May 9, the GPG employee entered the contractor's excavation and drilled= =20 into what he assumed was the abandoned pipeline. The employee, believing th= e=20 escaping medium was air, decided to let the pipe vent until the pressure=20 relieved. After two hours of venting and no noticeable reduction in pressur= e,=20 the employee re-entered the excavation to check cathodic protection reading= s.=20 At this point the employee determined that the drilled pipeline was venting= =20 gas. Gas Control was informed of the situation and steps to shut-in, blow= =20 down and repair the pipeline were implemented. =20 After a thorough inquiry by the GPG Incident Investigation Team, the Senior= =20 O&M Tech involved in the incident was disciplined as a result of his failur= e=20 to follow the procedures listed below, and to reinforce the importance of= =20 safety interdependency.=20 GPG Operating Procedures, 110.310, Gas Testing; 110.170 Confined Space Entr= y;=20 110.260 Excavation; and 110.570 Work Permits : No gas testing was done by the GPG employee to identify escaping medium. No gas testing was done before the GPG employee entered the excavation=20 considered to be a permit entry confined space. No gas testing was done before an ignition source was introduced into a=20 possibly hazardous atmosphere in the excavation. No Confined Space Entry permit was issued when the employee re-entered the= =20 excavation to take cathodic protection readings. The employee entered an excavation with inadequate means of egress. No hot work permits were issued by the employee. GPG Operating Procedure, Blowdown and Purging 80.409 : The employee did not communicate, in a timely manner, the planned blowdown = to=20 residents of the adjacent neighborhood. GPG Operating Procedure, Event Notification Sequence 10.101A : Gas Control did not notify the GPG environmental specialist of the release = of=20 natural gas. GPG Environmental Procedure, Spills and Releases 2.1.10 : The release of natural gas was not reported to the GPG Division Environment= al=20 Specialist. GPG Operating Procedure, Damage Prevention 80.102 : =20 The employee did not properly use maps when marking the pipeline. The employee did not mark bends or other changes in the direction of the=20 pipeline. PLEASE NOTE THE PRACTICE OF DRILLING INTO A PIPELINE TO DETERMINE IF IT IS= =20 ABANDONED IS UNACCEPTABLE AND SHALL NOT BE UTILIZED. Pre-existing abandoned pipe removal practice shall be as follows : GPG employees shall contact local management when a pre-existing abandoned= =20 pipeline must be removed to allow routing of other facilities. Local=20 management will contact the Engineering Department to evaluate the facility= =20 and provide guidance to the team on how to proceed with pipeline=20 identification and the ensuing removal of the facility.=20 Abandoned pipelines that will not be removed shall be treated as an active= =20 pipeline and marked in accordance with GPG operating procedure 80.102 Moving Forward The Pipeline Safety Department will review and revise GPG Operating Procedu= re=20 80.102 to ensure that team members use all available resources to clearly= =20 identify an existing pipeline as active or abandoned. The GPG Pipeline Safety Department is investigating why the GPG facility wa= s=20 not identified on the April 12 One-Call ticket.=20 Near Misses There was potential for the contractor's backhoe operator to rupture and= =20 ignite an active pipeline. There was potential for natural gas to ignite under traffic plates coveri= ng=20 the excavation in the area of a public road prior to=20 the team diverting traffic from the area. There was potential for a flash fire in the excavation site due to the hot= =20 work occurring in the area of the natural gas leak.