ONEOK NGL PIPELINE, LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | ONEOK NGL PIPELINE, LLC |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.84593, -94.90802 |
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
AT APPROXIMATELY 13:05 ON AUGUST 25, 2015 ETHANE VAPORS WERE IDENTIFIED LEAKING BETWEEN FLANGES ON THE NEWLY INSTALLED CUSTOMER CUSTODY METER SKID AT THE ONEOK'S WEST WINFREE STATION. PIPING WAS ISOLATED, AND PRODUCT REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM. ONEOK'S INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE LEAK OCCURRED BECAUSE THE FLANGES HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY TIGHTENED DUE TO THE TORQUE WRENCH USED DURING CONSTRUCTION HAD FAILED. ONEOK ALSO IDENTIFIED THE LOCK OUT/TAG OUT PROCEDURES WERE INADEQUATE AND COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM AND OPERATIONS TEAM WERE INEFFECTIVE. THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM FAILED TO NOTIFY OPERATIONS THE FLANGES HAD NOT BEEN TIGHTENED. OPERATIONS FAILED TO PROPERLY ISOLATE EXISTING PIPING FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION BY FAILING TO INSTALL A BLANKING PLATE. INADEQUATE LOCK OUT/TAG OUT PROCEDURES FAILED TO ISOLATE ELECTRICITY TO A MOTOR OPERATED VALVE WHICH ALLOWED OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TO REMOTELY OPEN THE VALVE AND ALLOW ETHANE TO FLANGES, RESULTING IN THE RELEASE. A SAFETY STAND DOWN WAS INITIATED AND LOCK OUT/TAG OUT PROCEDURES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATIONS WERE REVIEWED AND CORRECTED. 1/22/2019 NARRATIVE UPDATED - NEAL JONES
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.