PUGET SOUND ENERGY

Incident Narrative

PSE RESPONDED TO A BROKEN GAS LINE AT 2729 HARRISON AVE. UPON ARRIVAL, PSE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FOUND A DAMAGED 4"" STW MAIN BLOWING GAS. PSE FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ABLE TO STOP THE FLOW OF GAS BY INSTALLING THREE LEAK CLAMPS. THE EVERETT FIRE DEPARTMENT EVACUATED AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE FROM FIVE STRUCTURES. THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR (HOLOCENE DRILLING) WAS CONDUCTING SEWER/ SANITARY STORM DRAIN WORK WITH AN AUGER WHEN THE 4"" STW MAIN WAS DAMAGED. HOLOCENE DRILLING DID NOT CALL FOR LOCATES PRIOR TO WORK COMMENCING. WHEN OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ON SITE DURING THE INCIDENT THEY NOTICED LOCATES MARKED IN THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AND THOUGHT THESE WERE CALLED IN BY HOLOCENE DRILLING AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION WORK BEING CONDUCTED. AFTER RESEARCHING THE INCIDENT FURTHER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ANOTHER CONTRACTOR HAD CALLED IN LOCATES EARLIER IN THE MONTH AND THE LOCATES WERE MARKED FOR A SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION JOB, NOT THE ONE HOLOCENE DRILLING WAS WORKING ON. THE ONLY LOCATES CALLED IN BY HOLOCENE DRILLING WAS ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE DAMAGE SITE. BY NOT CALLING IN LOCATES FOR THE SPECIFIC WORK BEING CONDUCTED AND NOT USING HAND TOOLS TO LOCATE THE MAIN HOLOCENE DRILLING DRILLED AN AUGER RIGHT INTO THE TOP OF THE PSE 4"" STW MAIN CAUSING AN UNCONTROLLED RELEASE OF GAS. .