ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.79611, -90.01508 |
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
THE USACE IS MAKING ADDITIONS TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEVEE IN THE AREA OF THE YSCLOSKEY PIPELINE AND REQUESTED THE REMOVAL OF APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET OF THE PIPELINE IN THE LEVEE. ON FEBRUARY 15, 2016, WORK BEGAN WITH INSTALLING STOPPLES INTO MAINLINE AND CONFIRMING 0 LEL WAS PRESENT BEFORE ANY CUTTING WAS INITIATED. THE IDLE SECTION OF PIPELINE WAS CUT FROM THE MAINLINE AND AIR GAPPED ON EACH END WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 FEET DISTANCE TO MAINLINE PIPING. ON FEBRUARY 18TH AT 1:26 PM, THE IDLE SECTION OF PIPELINE WAS VERIFIED TO HAVE 0 LEL AND WAS KEPT OPEN ENDED. AT 7:35 PM CONTRACTORS FINISHED WELDING THE ROOT PASS OF A 10 INCH FLANGE ON THE MAINLINE PIPING AND BEGAN TO USE A GRINDER TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT WELD PASS. SPARKS FROM THE GRINDER ENTERED THE ADJACENT IDLE PIPING APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET AWAY. THE WELDER SAW AN INSTANTANEOUS FLASH AND GLOW MOVING AWAY FROM HIM INSIDE THE IDLED SEGMENT OF PIPING. THE FLASH WAS CONTAINED INSIDE OF THE IDLE PIPELINE TO BE REMOVED. THE CAUSE OF THE FLASH FIRE WAS FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THE HAZARD OF POTENTIAL TRAPPED GAS IN THE LOW SPOT OF THE LEVEE PIPELINE OR THE IDLE AND OPEN VALVE BODY NEAR THE LEVEE. FURTHER REVIEW OF THE JOB PLAN AND RECOGNITION OF THESE HAZARDS IS COMPLETE. RETRAINING OF THE AREA PIPELINE TECHNICIANS PER OUR SAFETY POLICY MANUAL WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN SAFE WORK PERMIT HOT WORK REQUIREMENTS AND HAZARDS ASSESSMENT.
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.