EXPLORER PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | EXPLORER PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.80916, -97.10101 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON NOVEMBER 5, 2019 AT 10:35 CST AN EXPLORER PIPELINE EMPLOYEE WAS REMOVING 0.25-INCH STAINLESS STEEL TUBING THAT WAS BURIED APPROXIMATELY 18-INCH UNDERGROUND AS PART OF A STATION INTEGRITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. THE VALVE AND COMPRESSION FITTING WERE VISIBLE, BUT THEY WERE CONTAINED INSIDE A METAL ENCASEMENT THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 18 INCHES BELOW GRADE. APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET OF BURIED STAINLESS-STEEL TUBING EXTENDED 90 DEGREES UNDERGROUND FROM THE METAL ENCASEMENT. IN CONJUNCTION WITH INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS, DURING A TUBING REMOVAL PROCESS, FORCE WAS APPLIED TO REMOVE UNDERGROUND STAINLESS-STEEL TUBING AND A CRACK WAS EXPERIENCED IN THE VALVES 0.75 TO 0.25 REDUCER THREADED FITTING. TESTING CONFIRMED THE FITTING WAS SEIZED DUE TO INCORRECT INSTALLATION FROM A PREVIOUS OPERATOR, BUT UNKNOWN TO THE EMPLOYEE. TO AVERT FUTURE POTENTIAL RISKS RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT, EXPLORER PIPELINE IS INCORPORATING TUBING REMOVAL AS AN OPERATOR QUALIFICATION (OQ) COVERED TASKS. A REVISED PROCEDURE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING A FINAL REVIEW IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE (MOC) PROCESS.
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.