KINDER MORGAN LIQUID TERMINALS, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON 5/3/2019, CONTRACTORS HAD JUST COMPLETED A PROJECT TO INSTALL TWO NEW VALVES AND REMOVE SLIP BLINDS THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED TO ISOLATE A NEW SECTION OF A HEADER AT THE VALVE CONNECTION POINT. UPON COMPLETION OF THE INSTALLATION, THE CONTRACTOR WAS GOING TO PRESSURE TEST A SEGMENT OF PIPE THAT HAD BEEN SLACKED IN PREPARATION FOR MAKING THE CONNECTIONS. EVEN THOUGH, THE NEWLY INSTALLED VALVE CONNECTING TO THE NEW SECTION OF THE HEADER APPEARED TO BE CLOSED (FLAG ON VALVE SIGNALED CLOSED), IT WAS LATER FOUND IT HAD NOT SEATED PROPERLY. WHEN THE CONTRACTOR APPLIED NITROGEN TO THE LINE IN AN ATTEMPT TO DO THE PRESSURE TEST, RESIDUAL PRODUCT IN THE SLACKED LINE WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE UNSEATED VALVE AND ONTO THE HEADER WHERE A SLIP BLIND HAD BEEN REMOVED. UNFORTUNATELY, THE FLANGE WAS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BEING RECONNECTED SO THE BOLTS REMAINED UNTIGHTENED, THEREBY ALLOWING PRODUCT TO LEAK INTO SECONDARY CONTAINMENT BELOW. THE INSPECTOR DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE VALVE LEAKING THROUGH, THEREFORE, WAS NOT UNDULY CONCERNED THAT THE FLANGE HAD NOT BEEN RECONNECTED TO ENSURE A CLOSED SYSTEM. PLAN TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE: INSPECTOR HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AND WILL BE RETRAINED PRIOR TO RETURNING TO WORK. PROCESS HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE A REQUIREMENT TO FULLY CLOSE A SYSTEM PRIOR TO PRESSURE TESTING ANY INSTALLATION ON A REGULATED PIPELINE.