BALTIMORE GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
gas_distribution Incident — BALTIMORE, MD
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | BALTIMORE GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | BALTIMORE |
| State | MD |
| County | BALTIMORE CITY IS NOT WITHIN BALTIMORE COUNTY |
| Coordinates | 39.27268, -76.60833 |
Cause
| Cause | PIPE, WELD, OR JOINT FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 6/9/2018 A BGE CONTRACTOR PAVING CREW WAS INSTALLING THERMOPLASTIC MARKER TRAFFIC LINES ON A BALTIMORE CITY STREET SURFACE USING A HEAT TORCH (IN ORDER FOR THE THERMOPLASTIC LINES TO ADHERE TO THE SURFACE). WHEN PERFORMING THIS FUNCTION NEAR A BALTIMORE CITY MANHOLE, AN IGNITION OCCURRED WHICH CAUSED THE MANHOLE LID TO RAISE AND STRIKE THE CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE, RESULTING IN AN INJURY REQUIRING AN OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY. THE EXACT COMPOSITION OF THE IGNITION SOURCE (IN THE MANHOLE) WAS LATER CONFIRMED AS NATURAL GAS, BUT THE SOURCE OF THE GAS WAS UNDETERMINED AT THE TIME OF THE INITIAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE. FOLLOWING CONTINUING GAS LEAK AREA SURVEYS, A GAS MAIN LEAK WAS IDENTIFIED AND A CAST IRON JOINT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REPAIRED. THE APPARENT GAS LEVELS IN THE SUBJECT MANHOLE WERE REDUCED. THUS THE SOURCE AT THE TIME OF IGNITION WAS UNDETERMINED BUT BY JUNE 16, THE CORRELATION OF THE REPAIR AND THE GAS LEVELS MEASURED IN THE MANHOLE WAS THE BASIS FOR THE NRC NOTICE DETERMINATION.
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.