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NSTAR GAS COMPANY

gas_distribution Incident — SHREWSBURY, MA

Incident Information

Report Date—
OperatorNSTAR GAS COMPANY
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_distribution

Location

CitySHREWSBURY
StateMA
CountyWORCESTER
Coordinates42.32564, -71.71673

Cause

CauseINCORRECT OPERATION
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage—
Lost Commodity—
Public/Private Damage—
Emergency Response—
Environmental Remediation—
Other Costs—

Location Map

Incident Narrative

ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 AT 1:00 PM NSTAR GAS HAD AN IGNITION AND FIRE IN AN EXCAVATION AT 15 COLONIAL DR. IN SHREWSBURY WHILE PERFORMING A MAIN CUT OUT. THE CREW WAS CUTTING OUT A SECTION OF 4 INCH IP PLASTIC MAIN THAT WAS LEAKING. THE CREW HAD INSTALLED A 2 INCH PLASTIC BYPASS AROUND THE LEAK AND HAD SQUEEZED OFF THE 4 INCH MAIN TO STOP OFF THE GAS. WHILE PREPARING FOR THE MAIN CUT OUT OF 4 INCH PLASTIC, A SUDDEN RUSH OF GAS OCCURRED AND THEN THE GAS IGNITED CAUSING A FIRE TO OCCUR IN THE EXCAVATION. THERE WERE 2 EMPLOYEES IN THE EXCAVATION WHO WERE ABLE TO GET THEMSELVES OUT OF THE HOLE JUST BEFORE THE IGNITION OCCURRED. ONE OF THESE EMPLOYEES DID RECEIVE SOME BURNS AND WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM A HOSPITAL. THE RESULTING FIRE ALSO SPREAD TO AN NSTAR BACKHOE PARKED AT THE EXCAVATION. THE SHREWSBURY FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO CONTROL THE GAS FIRE. AT 1:50 PM A MAIN VALVE ON COLONIAL DR. WAS SHUT TO STOP THE LEAKING GAS AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THIS RESULTED IN AN OUTAGE TO 135 CUSTOMERS. NSTAR HAD TO REPLACE ABOUT 20 FEET OF 4 INCH PLASTIC MAIN DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE. AFTER THE SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE WAS COMPLETED FOR ALL CUSTOMERS, THE GAS MAINS WERE PURGED AND THE GAS WAS TURNED BACK ON AT 8:15 PM. THE FIRST CUSTOMER WAS RE-LIT AT 8:30 PM AND A FIRST PASS TO RE-LITE ALL 135 CUSTOMERS WAS COMPLETED AT 11:45 PM. NSTAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING WAS CAUSED THE SUDDEN LEAKAGE OF GAS AND ALSO WHAT CAUSED THE IGNITION TO OCCUR. SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE - UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT A COMPLETE SQUEEZE WAS NOT ACHIEVED WITH A MUSTANG SQUEEZE TOOL USED ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF THE REPAIR. THIS RESULTED IN LIVE GAS IN WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE AN ISOLATED SECTION OF MAIN. THIS WAS NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE CREW, WHO THEN BEGAN TO REMOVE A STEEL FULL ENCIRCLEMENT CLAMP THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED 3 DAYS PRIOR AS A TEMPORARY REPAIR, WHICH LED TO A RELEASE OF GAS. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT STATIC ELECTRICITY IGNITED THIS GAS. OM PROCEDURES WERE FOLLOWED FOR THE REPAIR AND HAVE SINCE BEEN REVISED TO INCLUDE ADDED SAFETY MEASURES.

About This Pipeline Incident

Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.

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