WILLISTON BASIN INTERSTATE PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

AEVENIA ENERGY AND ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION WAS CONTRACTED BY MONTRAIL WILLIAMS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE TO PLOW PRIMARY ELECTRICAL CABLES UNDERGROUND FROM AN OIL WELL LOCATION OWNED BY AMERADA HESS CORPORATION ACROSS A WHEAT FIELD TO A POWER POLE. NONE OF THE PARTIES HAD MADE A ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO THE START OF THE PROJECT. WILLISTON BASIN THEREFORE HAD NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO LOCATE IT'S PIPELINE PRIOR TO THE START OF THIS EXCAVATION. MONTRAIL WILLIAMS HAD STAKED THE PROPOSED ROUTE WITH WHITE ""MONTRAIL WILLIAMS ELECTRIC PROPOSED EXCAVATION"" FLAGS FOR THE CONTRACTOR. THE CREW CONSISTED OF TWO DOZER OPERATORS AND ONE EMPLOYEE WHO WAS WALKING NEAR THE PLOW. THE PLOWING OPERATION STARTED AT THE OIL WELL LOCATION AND PROCEEDED WEST APPROXIMATELY 260 FEET WHEN IT STRUCK A WILLISTON BASIN INTERSTATE PIPELINE NATURAL GAS TRANSMISSION LINE. THE 8 INCH LINE WAS OPERATING AT APPROXIMATELY 650 PSIG AT THE TIME. THE LINE FAILED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY THE PLOW KILLING THE PERSON WHO WAS ON THE GROUND STANDING NEAR TO THE FAILURE POINT. THE TWO OPERATORS OF THE DOZERS JUMPED OFF OF THEIR EQUIPMENT AND RAN A DISTANCE FROM THE ESCAPING GAS. THE FORCE OF THE ESCAPING GAS BLEW THE PERSON ON THE GROUND A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 80 FEET KILLING HIM. THE GAS DID NOT IGNITE. WILLISTON BASIN WAS ABLE TO ISOLATE THE FAILED PIPELINE SECTION IN APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 8 MINUTES. THE REMAINING GAS IN THE ISOLATED SECTION SELF EVACUATED THROUGH THE FAILURE POINT. THE LOCATION WAS BLOWN DOWN AND CLEARED FOR GAS 35 MINUTES AFTER ISOLATION. TWO PIPELINE MARKER POSTS WERE CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM THE ACCESS ROAD INTO THE SITE. THE CLOSEST MARKER POST TO THE POINT OF FAILURE (MP 4.72) WAS WITHIN SIGHT AND WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 517 FEET SOUTH OF THE POINT OF FAILURE.