TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY

Incident Narrative

WILLIAMS CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTOR HENKELS AND MCCOY WERE PERFORMING CONSTRUCTION WORK AT COMPRESSOR STATION 505 IN NESHANIC STATION, NJ. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE WORKERS WERE INSTALLING A TEMPORARY WELD CAP ON A 30""OUT OF SERVICE SECTION OF PIPE AT 505 COMPRESSOR STATION YARD PIPING. DURING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS, A CONTRACT WELDER'S HELPER WAS PRE-HEATING THE PIPE WHEN EITHER GAS VAPORS OR LIQUID VAPORS IGNITED CAUSING THE WELD CAP TO DISLODGE FROM THE LINE UP CLAMP BUT NOT FROM THE HARNESS OF THE SIDE BOOM THAT WAS HOLDING IT. NO VISIBLE FIRE WAS WITNESSED NOR NEEDED TO BE EXTINGUISHED. 3 HENKELS AND MCCOY EMPLOYEES WERE TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL HOSPITALS WITH MINOR INJURIES AND WERE RELEASED LATER THE SAME EVENING. NO DAMAGED OCCURRED TO THE FACILITY AND THE PIPE THAT THE CAP WAS BEING INSTALLED ON IS BEING REMOVED AND SCRAPPED AT A LATER DATE AS PART OF THE PROJECT. PHMSA INSPECTED THE JOB SITE, THE GAS HANDLING PLAN, AND THE CONSTRUCTION INSTALLATION PROCEDURES THE FOLLOWING DAY AND GAVE WILLIAMS THE OK TO INSTALL THE TEMPORARY CAP AND CONTINUE WITH THE JOB.