OLYMPIC PIPE LINE COMPANY

Incident Narrative

"ON FEBRUARY 23, 2020, A COMPANY EMPLOYEE IDENTIFIED A LEAK AT 01:30 AT MILE POST 89.84 ON THE OLYMPIC ALLEN-RENTON 20"" PIPELINE. THIS LEAK OCCURRED AT A PIPELINE MAINTENANCE EXCAVATION SITE, AFTER MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES HAD COMMENCED AND BEFORE THEY HAD BEEN COMPLETED, AS THE RESULT OF AN APPARENT FAILURE IN TEMPORARY EQUIPMENT THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPLETING THE NECESSARY MAINTENANCE. THE EMPLOYEE FOUND THAT PRODUCT HAD LEAKED AT THE THREADS BELOW A TEMPORARY 2"" VALVE INSTALLED ON A 2"" THREAD-O-RING (TOR) FITTING. THE FITTING AND VALVE WERE TEMPORARY AND RECENTLY HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN PREPARATION FOR A CUT-OUT OF THE 20"" PIPE PLANNED FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. A REPAIR WAS MADE BY INSTALLING A COMPLETION PLUG IN THE TOR FITTING, RE-APPLYING PIPE SEALANT AND RE-TIGHTENING THE 2"" VALVE. THE 20"" PIPE SECTION AND 2"" TOR FITTING/VALVE ASSEMBLY WERE LATER REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM AS PLANNED. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EVENT DETERMINED THAT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE RELEASE WAS DUE TO INADEQUATE TIGHTENING OF THE VALVE DURING INSTALL. THE QUALIFICATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO CONDUCTED THE INSTALL WAS SUSPENDED UNTIL THE INDIVIDUAL CAN BE PROPERLY RETRAINED. THE ORIGINAL NRC CALL WAS PLACED ON FEBRUARY 23, 2020 AT 03:46, NRC #1271859. BP CALLED THE NRC AGAIN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2020 AT 05:02 TO PROVIDE A LOCATION UPDATE AND WAS PROVIDED ANOTHER NUMBER, NRC #1271861."