ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC

Incident Narrative

MAINLINE PIPING MODIFICATIONS TO REMOVE THE PIG TRAPS, REPLACE VALVE SETTINGS AND DISCONNECT THE 6-INCH PROPANE LINE CROSS-OVERS WERE BEING MADE AT THE COLLINS LAKE FACILITY IN CONJUNCTION WITH HYDROTESTING SECTIONS OF THE MORRIS LATERAL FROM CLINTON, IA, TO CHANNAHON, IL. THE PIPELINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE PRODUCT (E-P MIX) WAS DISPLACED BY PUSHING PIGS WITH NITROGEN. IT WAS THEN DEPRESSURIZED AND ISOLATED, WHICH INCLUDED CLOSING VALVES AT THE COLLINS LAKE AND CHANNAHON FACILITIES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PIG TRAPS AT COLLINS LAKE WERE PURGED WITH NITROGEN. PRIOR TO WORK BEGINNING AT 4:30 PM, ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING PURSUANT TO THE SAFE WORK PERMIT AT MULTIPLE POINTS WAS PERFORMED INDICATING 0% LEL INSIDE OF THE PIPING AT COLLINS LAKE TO BE MODIFIED. SHORTLY AFTER WORK BEGAN, AT APPROX. 6:20PM, A FLASH FIRE OCCURRED WHEN CONTRACT WORKERS WERE UNBOLTING A FLANGE TO REMOVE A 6-INCH SPECTACLE BLIND. AT THE SAME TIME THAT THESE FLANGE UNBOLTING ACTIVITIES WERE OCCURRING, ANOTHER CONTRACT WORKER PERFORMING A SEPARATE WORK TASK WAS USING AN ACETYLENE TORCH TO CUT ADJACENT PIPING LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 5-FEET AWAY. PRIOR TO REMOVING THE LAST TWO BOLTS FROM THE FLANGE, A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRODUCT WAS RELEASED FROM BEHIND THE 6-INCH SPECTACLE BLIND WHICH ENTERPRISE BELIEVES WAS IGNITED BY THE CUTTING TORCH. FOUR CONTRACT WORKERS SUSTAINED NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES IN THE FLASH FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THE FLASH FIRE WAS FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THE HAZARD OF POTENTIAL TRAPPED GAS BETWEEN A SPECTACLE BLIND BOLTED TO A VALVE. PRIOR TO THE JOB BEGINNING, OPERATIONS HAD MADE THE DETERMINATION THAT THE NEW BLIND FLANGE BEING INSTALLED SHOULD BE TAPPED WITH A VENT IN ORDER TO RELIEVE ANY PRESSURE IN THE EVENT THAT THE BLIND FLANGE HAD TO BE REMOVED. THIS POTENTIAL HAZARD WAS IDENTIFIED AND ADDRESSED IN THE DESIGN OF THE MODIFICATIONS. NOTE: PART F QUESTION 1: THREE EMPLOYEES WERE DRUG TESTED AND NONE FAILED. NO EMPLOYEES WERE ALCOHOL TESTED.