PEOPLES NATURAL GAS COMPANY LLC
gas_distribution Incident — ROBINSON, PA — April 29, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 29, 2020 |
| Operator | PEOPLES NATURAL GAS COMPANY LLC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | ROBINSON |
| State | PA |
| County | INDIANA |
| Coordinates | 40.39949, -79.14593 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | PIPELINE OR EQUIPMENT OVERPRESSURED |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $101,840 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"DURING A ROUTINE ANNUAL INSPECTION OF DISTRICT REGULATOR STATION LS-260, PEOPLES EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO ISOLATE THE REGULATOR FROM THE SYSTEM IN ORDER TO INSPECT IT. IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THAT REGULATOR, THE STATION BY-PASS NEEDS TO BE MANUALLY OPERATED TO MAINTAIN OUTLET PRESSURE. THE EMPLOYEES PLACED A GAUGE ON THE RELIEF VALVE PIPING, WHICH WAS UPSTREAM AND NOW ISOLATED FROM THE OUTLET/DOWNSTREAM PIPING. WHILE MANUALLY OPERATING THE STATION'S BY-PASS THEY WERE UNABLE TO MONITOR THE OUTLET PRESSURE, RESULTING IN AN OVER PRESSURIZATION OF THE DOWNSTREAM SYSTEM IN THE TOWN OF ROBINSON, PA. SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTION ASKED BY NRC: WERE THE EMPLOYEES INVOLVED WITH THIS INCIDENT RE-QUALIFIED ON THE TASKS THAT LED TO THE OVER PRESSURIZATION? ON APRIL 29, 2020, THERE WERE THREE EMPLOYEES ON SITE PERFORMING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION OF DISTRICT REGULATOR STATION LS-260, ROBINSON, PA WHEN THE OVER PRESSURIZATION OCCURRED. ALL THREE INDIVIDUALS WERE RE-QUALIFIED ON JUNE 23, 2020 ON THE TASKS THAT LED TO THAT OVER PRESSURIZATION. DURING THE TIME PERIOD FROM 4/29/2020 UNTIL THEIR RE-QUALIFICATION ON 6/23/2020, NONE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE PERMITTED TO PERFORM ANNUAL DISTRICT REGULATOR INSPECTIONS INDEPENDENTLY, BUT WERE ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH SENIOR DISTRICT REGULATOR OQ CERTIFIED SPECIALISTS."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.