Lessons Learned from three powerful gas transmission line explosions

What went wrong?

The National Transportation Safety Board said its investigation of three powerful gas transmission line explosions (near Sissonville, WV, Palm City, Florida, and San Bruno, California) exposed deficiencies with the pipeline companies' programs for ensuring their pipelines were safe and reliable.

1. Gas companies did not do inspections or tests to find pipeline weaknesses.

2. There was no automatic or remotely controlled shut off valves or a shut off valve failed to close.

3. There was a lack of coordination between federal-to-state and state-to-state inspectors.

4.  Some states have more pre-1970s pipelines than others so have higher risk and therefore need more expert inspectors and more thorough inspection methods.

Read: Editorial: Pipeline study highlights need for more oversight, Feb. 02, 2015, The Herald-Dispatch, herald-dispatch.com, Huntington, WV. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/opinions/x984739799/Editorial-Pipeline-study-highlights-need-for-more-oversight

A pervasive lack of proactive measures

"Organizational accidents typically have multiple contributing causes, involve people at numerous levels within the organization, and are characterized by a pervasive lack of proactive measures to ensure adoption and compliance with a safety culture. They are generally catastrophic in nature and require complex organizational changes. All these aspects are present in this accident."

 -- September 3, 2011 San Bruno Pipeline Blast: NTSB lays out another system failure http://disaster-wise.blogspot.com/2011/09/san-bruno-pipeline-blast-ntsb-lays-out.html

A summary of facts and technical findings presented by Ravi Chattre, NTSB engineer and chief investigator. http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2011/san_bruno_ca/presentations/San_Bruno_IIC_Opening_Statement.pdf

 

Got gas?

Chairman Hersman Addresses Media Midway Through NTSB Meeting on San Bruno Pipeline Accident

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