ATLANTA GAS LIGHT CO

Incident Narrative

A THIRD-PARTY PARTY EXCAVATOR (FOREVER PACHECO UNDERGROUND, LLC) STRUCK AND DAMAGED AN ATLANTA GAS LIGHT COMPANY (AGLC) 6-INCH STEEL GAS MAIN WHILE DIRECTIONALLY BORING TO INSTALL TELECOMMUNICATION FIBER MAIN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF WELCOME ALL ROAD AT FAIRBURN ROAD SW, ATLANTA. THE DAMAGE OCCURRED WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF A CSX RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY, AND THE RAILROAD COMPANY WAS CONTACTED TO STOP ANY TRAINS SCHEDULED TO COME THROUGH AT 12:10 HOURS. AT 13:10 HOURS, IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT A COMPANY-ESTABLISHED THRESHOLD FOR A SIGNIFICANT EVENT HAD BEEN MET BECAUSE THE RAILROAD HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR ONE HOUR. UPON ARRIVAL, AGLC PERSONNEL WORKED WITH EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO SECURE THE AREA AND MONITOR THE SURROUNDING AREA FOR GAS. GAS WAS SHUT-OFF TO THE DAMAGED AREA BY INSTALLING A REPAIR SLEEVE AND WELD-OVER. A LARGE PROJECT MARKING ' UTILITY FACILITY LOCATING AGREEMENT ('LARGE PROJECT AGREEMENT') WAS SIGNED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2023, WITH NEXTIER INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS TO LOCATE THE AREA AS A LARGE PROJECT EXCAVATION. AGL'S CONTRACT LOCATOR MARKED AGL'S FACILITIES LOCATED WITHIN THIS SPECIFIC WORK SITE ON MARCH 1, 2024, AS SET FORTH IN THE LARGE PROJECT AGREEMENT. AS TO THE DATE AND LOCATION OF THIS INCIDENT, THE SUBCONTRACTOR FOR NEXTIER WHO WAS PERFORMING THE EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES DID NOT NOTIFY AGL'S CONTRACT LOCATOR PRIOR TO COMMENCING EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE THE SPECIFIC WORK SITE WAS MARKED OR RE-MARKED AS WAS REQUIRED BY THE LARGE PROJECT AGREEMENT. AGLC INITIALLY NOTIFIED THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (NRC) UNDER NRC REPORT NUMBER 1406960. ADDITIONAL NRC REPORT NUMBER 1407043 WAS CREATED FOR THE SAME EVENT AFTER A SUPPLEMENTAL CALL WAS PLACED WITH THE NRC TO UPDATE THE INITIAL TELEPHONIC NOTICE.