ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION - KY/MID-STATES (KENTUCKY)

Incident Narrative

WHILE INSTALLING TELEPHONE CABLE FOR AT&T, STAR CONSTRUCTION PLOWED INTO AN 8"" STEEL TRANSMISSION MAIN. STAR HAD CALLED IN THE FOLLOWING 5 TICKETS: OCTOBER 10TH, 1910250115, 1910250123, 1910250125, 1910250126, AND 1910250128. ATMOS CONTRACT LOCATOR LOCATED THESE TICKETS 10/29/19. ON 11/6/2019, MITCHELL BAUMGARDNER, ATMOS DAMAGE PREVENTION TECH, SPOKE TO GEORGE OLIVER, STAR CONSTRUCTION, BY PHONE, OF THE HIGH-PRESSURE TRANSMISSION AND ADVISED HIM THAT AN ATMOS REPRESENTATIVE MUST BE THERE IF DIGGING IS OCCURRING AROUND THE TRANSMISSION LINE. ACCORDING TO KORWEB NOTIFICATION, MR. OLIVER WAS SENT POSITIVE RESPONSE OF THE HIGH-PRESSURE LINE FOR EACH TICKET. NO WORK WAS PERFORMED TO OUR KNOWLEDGE ON THESE TICKETS. ON 12/2/2019, STAR CALLED IN THESE TICKETS AGAIN ON 12/2/19: 19120220175, 0179, 0183, 0186. AGAIN, ACCORDING TO KORWEB NOTIFICATION, MR. OLIVER WAS SENT POSITIVE RESPONSE FOR EACH TICKET. ON 12/4/2019, ATMOS'S CONTRACT LOCATOR REFRESHED THE MARKS. ON 12/5/2019, WITHOUT PROVIDING THE REQUIRED NOTICE TO ATMOS, STAR CONSTRUCTION BEGAN PLOWING IN THEIR CABLE AND CUT THE 8"" STEEL TRANSMISSION LINE. AFTER GAS WAS SHUT OFF, DAMAGE PREVENTION SPECIALIST MIKE COLEMAN, MITCHELL BAUMGARDNER AND ATMOS CONTRACT LOCATOR SUPERVISOR ANDREW TUCKER WOULD TIE ON TO THE WIRE AT THE TEST STATION USED BY THE ATMOS LOCATORS AND REPLICATED THE SAME MARKS & FLAGS. MARKS WERE OFF APPROXIMATELY 6' TO 12' THE LENGTH OF THE PROJECT. THOUGH A SMALL SECTION OF THE TRANSMISSION LINE WAS SHUT DOWN, SERVICE WAS NOT INTERRUPTED BECAUSE THIS WAS PART OF A TWO-WAY FEED. THE DAMAGE AREA WAS ISOLATED AND REPAIRED BY INSTALLING 23 FEET OF 8' STEEL PRE-TESTED PIPE.