ENABLE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRANSMISSION, LLC

Incident Narrative

OVERVIEW OF THE FACTS: TANNER CONSTRUCTION WAS A CONTRACTOR TO THE ARKANSAS HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. WAYNE YARBROUGH WITH TANNER CALLED THE ARKANSAS ONE CALL (AOC) SYSTEM AT 12:13 PM THURSDAY AFTERNOON OCTOBER 16, 2014 TO REPORT A PLANNED EXCAVATION FOR THE ARKANSAS HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. TANNER INITIATED EXCAVATION ON A PORTION OF GROUND NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 367 AND HIGHWAY 14 IN JACKSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS TWO MILES SOUTH OF NEWPORT, ARKANSAS. DURING THE EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES ON OCTOBER 22, 2014, A TANNER EMPLOYEE STRUCK THE EMRT MAINLINE 3 CAUSING A LEAK THAT REQUIRED A TWENTY MILE SECTION OF THE PIPELINE TO BE BLOWN DOWN FOR THE REPAIR TO BE COMPLETED. TIMELINE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE EVENT: ON OCTOBER 16, 2014 AT 1213, WAYNE YARBROUGH CALLED ARKANSAS ONE CALL TO REPORT A PLANNED EXCAVATION. A WORK ORDER TO LOCATE UTILITIES, #AR141016-0638, WAS ISSUED BY ARKANSAS ONE CALL AND PROVIDED TO TANNER. THE WORK ORDER STATED THE WORK WAS TO BEGIN 10/20/2014 AT 1215. THE WORK ORDER TO LOCATE UTILITIES, #AR141016-0638, WAS ASSIGNED TO ARKANSAS UTILITY PROTECTION SERVICES BY ARKANSAS ONE CALL AT 1221 ON OCTOBER 16, 2014. AFTER 1221 ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 16, 2014 JUSTIN SIMPSON, ARKUPS EMPLOYEE, RECEIVED THE AOC TICKET #AR141016-0638 WHICH REQUIRED THE LOCATE WORK TO BEGIN BY 1215 ON OCTOBER 20, 2014. JUSTIN SIMPSON STATED THAT DUE TO A BACKLOG OF WORK, ARKUPS DID NOT BEGIN THE UTILITIES LOCATE WORK BEFORE 1215 ON OCTOBER 20, 2014 AS REQUIRED. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT TO EMRT EMPLOYEE, BILL WARREN, WAYNE YARBROUGH STATED THAT HE STARTED EXCAVATION AT THE SITE AT 1300 ON OCTOBER 20, 2013. IN A STATEMENT TAKEN AFTER THE PIPE LINE STRIKE BY EMRT EMPLOYEES, JOE ANDERSON AND BEN VINSON, THOMAS NEWBY, A TANNER EMPLOYEE, THE BACK HOE OPERATOR THAT STRUCK THE PIPE LINE, INDICATED THAT HE HAD REFUSED TO BEGIN THE EXCAVATION ON MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2014. HE LEFT THE WORK SITE AND RETURNED TO HIS MOTEL. APPROXIMATELY 1300 HIS BOSS CALLED HIM AND SAID THEY WERE GOOD TO GO. NEWBY STATED HE RETURNED TO WORK, STARTED THE EXCAVATION, BUT VOICED HIS CONCERN MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. ON MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2014 SOMETIME BETWEEN 1500 AND 1600 JUSTIN SIMPSON WITH ARKUPS MADE HIS FIRST CONTACT BY PHONE WITH YARBROUGH. YARBROUGH INFORMED SIMPSON THAT EXCAVATION HAD ALREADY BEGUN. SIMPSON TOLD YARBROUGH HE WOULD NOT BE ON LOCATION UNTIL TUESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2014. ARKUPS EMPLOYEE, SIMPSON STATED HE ARRIVED AT THE EXCAVATION LOCATION AT APPROXIMATELY 1631 OCTOBER 21, 2014. EXCAVATION HAD ALREADY STARTED. BASED UPON HIS STATEMENT AND ENTRY INTO THE ONE CALL TICKET ON 10/21/14, HE WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE THE PIPELINE. AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 ARKUPS EMPLOYEE SIMPSON STATED HE CALLED EMRT EMPLOYEE, ANDERSON, TO INFORM ANDERSON THAT ARKUPS WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE THE PIPELINE. SIMPSON STATED HE INFORMED ANDERSON THAT EXCAVATION HAD STARTED. AFTER TALKING TO ANDERSON, ARKUPS EMPLOYEE SIMPSON STATED AT APPROXIMATELY 1700 HE INFORMED YARBROUGH BY PHONE THAT THE PIPELINE HAD NOT BEEN LOCATED AND THAT THE GAS COMPANY WOULD BE ON SITE THE NEXT DAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 TO LOCATE THE PIPELINE. TANNER DID NOT WAIT FOR EMRT PERSONNEL TO LOCATE THE PIPELINE BUT CONTINUED THE EXCAVATION ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 22, 2014. ANDERSON MADE PLANS TO GO TO THE LOCATION ON OCTOBER 22, 2014. ANDERSON STATED THE HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT EXCAVATION WAS OCCURRING. IN ADDITION TO THE TURNED BACK ORDER FROM SIMPSON, ANDERSON HAD THREE OTHER TURNED BACK ORDERS FROM ARKUPS. THE TURNED BACK ORDER #AR14106-0638 FROM SIMPSON WAS NOT CODED CRITICAL WHICH WOULD INDICATE EXCAVATION WAS OCCURRING. TANNER CONTINUED EXCAVATION UNTIL TANNER EMPLOYEE, THOMAS NEWBY, STRUCK THE PIPELINE WITH THE TRACK HOE HE WAS OPERATING. WAYNE YARBOROUGH NOTIFIED EMRT SYSTEM CONTROL ABOUT THE LINE STRIKE AT 1352 ON OCTOBER 22, 2014. YARBOROUGH STATED HE OBTAINED THE EMRT CONTACT PHONE NUMBER FROM THE PIPELINE SIGN NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO THE EXCAVATION SITE.