CLARKE - MOBILE COUNTIES GAS DIST

Incident Narrative

REPORTABLE INCIDENT NARRATIVE ON 1 DECEMBER 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:23 HOURS, A CMC GAS CREW COMMISSIONING A NEW 2-INCH MDPE MAIN OF APPROXIMATELY 6,100 LF EXPERIENCED AN UNEXPECTED INCIDENT WHERE THE VENTING GAS IGNITED, INJURING ONE EMPLOYEE. INJURIES CONSISTED OF NON-LIFE-THREATENING BURNS ON HIS UPPER BODY. A 2.0 X 0.75-INCH, HIGH-VOLUME TAP WAS INSTALLED ON THE OUTLET END OF THE PIPELINE SEGMENT. NATURAL GAS WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE PIPELINE SEGMENT FROM THE SUPPLY END OF THE PIPELINE FROM A ""FARM TAP"" REGULATOR STATION. GAS FLOWED, PUSHING THE AIR OUT OF THE PIPELINE FOR APPROXIMATELY 8 MINUTES. AT APPROXIMATELY THE 8-MINUTE MARK OF THE PURGE, THE PURGE TECHNICIAN (TECH 1) ON THE SITE APPROACHED THE TAP TEE WHERE GAS WAS VENTING. AS TECH 1 REACHED FOR THE TAP, AN UNEXPECTED IGNITION OF THE GAS OCCURRED. BEFORE BEING ABLE TO REMOVE HIMSELF FROM THE FLASH, TECH 1 RECEIVED MINOR BURNS ON THE FACE AND ARM AREAS. THE FIRE-WATCH TECHNICIAN (TECH 3) NOTIFIED THE TECHNICIAN OPERATING THE SUPPLY VALVE (TECH 2) OF THE INCIDENT AND REQUESTED THE SUPPLY VALVE BE CLOSED. AS THE VOLUME OF GAS IN THE PIPE DIMINISHED, THE TECH 3 EXTINGUISHED THE SMALL FLAME. APPROXIMATE 5 MINUTES ELAPSED FROM THE TIME OF IGNITION UNTIL THE FLAME WAS EXTINGUISHED. ON-SITE PERSONNEL NOTIFIED THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE MANAGER, WHO NOTIFIED OTHER MANAGEMENT. ON SITE PERSONNEL TRANSPORTED THE INJURED TECHNICIAN TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES AWAY. TECH 1 WAS TREATED AND TRANSPORTED TO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN MOBILE, ALABAMA, WHERE HE WAS ADMITTED FOR FURTHER TREATMENT AND OBSERVATION. CMC GAS PERSONNEL PLACED A PIPE SQUEEZE DEVICE ON THE 2-INCH MDPE PIPE UNTIL THE PIPE WAS CUT AND CAPPED. UPON NOTIFICATION OF THE HOSPITALIZATION OF TECH 1 AT 17:24 HOURS, THE COMPLIANCE MANAGER NOTIFIED THE ALABAMA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, PIPELINE SAFETY DIVISION OF THE INCIDENT, AND THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER. THIS CALL WAS MADE AT 17:43 HOURS. TECH 1 WAS RELEASED FROM THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL ON DECEMBER 8TH AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED TO RETURN TO WORK ON 20 DECEMBER 2021. AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT, THE INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE BELIEVED SOURCE OF IGNITION WAS STATIC ELECTRICITY. A. AT THE TIME OF THE IGNITION, THE AMBIENT AIR RELATIVE HUMIDITY WAS REPORTED AT 20% B. AT THE TIME OF THE IGNITION, THE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WAS REPORTED AT 72 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. 2) THE UTILIZED GROUNDING TECHNIQUES (TO MITIGATE STATIC ELECTRICITY) WERE INCONSISTENT WITH CMC GAS POLICY. 3) INCONSISTENT WITH CMC GAS POLICY, TECH 1 FAILED TO EMPLOY A VENT STACK ON THE VENT OUTLET TO DIRECT THE GAS FLOW UPWARD. 4) TECH 2 (THE VALVE OPERATOR ON THE SUPPLY END OF THE PIPELINE) WAS DETERMINED TO BE WORKING OUTSIDE HIS OPERATOR QUALIFICATION. 5) TECH 1, WHO WAS ALSO MONITORING THE PURGE OF GAS DID NOT EMPLOY A COMBUSTIBLE GAS METER (CGI) OR A PERSONAL PROTECTIVE ATMOSPHERIC METER, INCONSISTENT WITH CMC GAS POLICY. 6) TECH 1 DID NOT DON THE FIRE-RESISTANT CLOTHING AND OTHER PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) WHICH WERE PROVIDED BY CMC GAS AND IS CMC GAS STANDARD PROCEDURE. MITIGATIVE MEASURES TAKEN TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: 1) ALL RELEVANT MEMBERS OF THE 12/01/21 INCIDENT CREW HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED, RETRAINED, AND REQUALIFIED ON RELEVANT OQ TASKS. 2) ALL RELEVANT MEMBERS OF THE 12/01/21 INCIDENT CREW HAVE ATTENDED A POLICY, STATIC MITIGATION, AND PPE REVIEW SESSION. 3) INTERNAL DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TAKEN AS RELEVANT.