NTSB Safety Recommendation P-78-047

NTSB safety recommendation P-78-047.

REVISE MAPPING PROCEDURES TO REQUIRE THAT DETAILS OF INTERSECTIONS CROSSED BY MANY GAS MAINS BE SHOWN ON LARGER SCALE DRAWINGS WHERE LOT LINE DIMENSIONS CAN BE SHOWN. SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN WHERE THE GAS MAINS CROSS OR ARE WITHIN A FEW FEET OF EACH OTHER AND CANNOT BE DRAWN TO SCALE ON THE 1-INCH- TO 200-FOOT-SCALE ATLASES.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1978-08-21

Adopted Date: 1978-08-08

Overall Date Closed: 1988-09-27

Synopsis: ON MAY 17, 1978, A COLUMBIA GAS OF OHIO, INC., CONSTRUCTION CREW, MISTAKING AN 8-INCH, LOW-PRESSURE STEEL GAS MAIN FOR AN 8-INCH, HIGH-PRESSURE STEEL GAS MAIN, DRILLED A SMALL PILOT BIT HOLE THROUGH THE WALL OF THE LOW-PRESSURE GAS MAIN AND BEGAN TO CUT INTO THE PIPE WALL WITH A LARGE DIAMETER BIT. GAS FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE GAS SYSTEM ENTERED THE 14-INCH WATER COLUMN LOW-PRESSURE GAS MAIN AND RAPIDLY INCREASED THE PRESSURE IN THE LOW-PRESSURE SYSTEM IN A 4.8-SQUARE-MILE AREA OF MANSFIELD. THE MANSFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT BEGAN RECEIVING REPORTS OF FIRES CAUSED BY EXCESSIVELY HIGH APPLIANCE FLAMES ON GAS APPLIANCES. THERE WERE NO FATALITIES OR INJURIES REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION. PROPERTY DAMAGE TO 16 HOUSES RESULTED FROM THE IGNITION OF NEARBY COMBUSTIBLES BY HIGH PILOT FLAMES; 5 OF THESE HOUSES WERE EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED.

Ntsbnumber: DCA78FP019

Report Number: None

Addressee Name: NiSource, Inc. (formerly Columbia Gas)

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 1988-09-27

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1978-09-25

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: COLUMBIA GAS OF OHIO LTR: COLUMBIA DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE REVISION OF MAPPING PROCEDURES TO INCORPORATE LARGER SCALE DRAWING WOULD PREVENT A SIMILAR INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT INDICATES AGAIN THAT MAPS SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON FOR POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION WHEN MAKING "HOT TAPS." THE PROBLEM IS NOT SCALE BUT KNOWLEDGE. THE MAPPING DEPARTMENT DID NOT KNOW OF THE LINE CROSSOVER SO ANY SCALE WOULD HAVE BEEN WRONG. COLUMBIA STATES THAT THEIR MAPS DO PROVIDE FOR LARGER SCALE DETAIL WHERE GAS MAINS ARE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. IT IS EMPHASIZED TO CREWS THAT THEY MUST NOT RELY ON DRAWINGS FOR EXACT PIPELINE LOCATING PURPOSES.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-04-18

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: COLUMBIA'S MAPPING SYSTEM DOES PROVIDE SUFFICIENT DETAIL SO AS TO BE ABLE TO LOCATE ITS MAINS. ADDITIONALLY, A LARGER SCALE MAP WOULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED IN MANSFIELD. LARGE SCALE DETAIL DRAWINGS ARE PLACED ON COLUMBIA'S OPERATION MAPS OR A SUPPLEMENTAL SHEET WHERE GREATER DETAIL IS REQUIRED. IRRESPECTIVE OF SCALE OR DRAWING ACCURACY OF THE OPERATING MAPS, COLUMBIA DOES CAUTION ITS FIELD PERSONNEL IN PROCEDURE NOT TO RELY ON OPERATING MAPS TO IDENTIFY MAINS INVOLVED IN A TIE-IN, BUT TO USE A POSITIVE MEANS TO VERIFY LINE PRESSURE. IT IS WORTHWHILE TO NOTE THAT BY IMPLEMENTING THE PROCEDURE'S REVISIONS REFERRED TO IN OUR ORIGINAL RESPONSE, COLUMBIA HAS NOT EXPERIENCED AN OVERPRESSURING DURING A TIE-IN ACTIVITY SINCE THE MANSFIELD INCIDENCE. WE APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESTATE COLUMBIA'S POSITION AND TRUST THAT THE ABOVE WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO CLOSE YOUR FILES.UST THAT

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-06-17

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: RECOMMENDATIONS P-78-46 AND P-78-47 SHOULD BE LOOKED AT AS RELATED TO EACH OTHER AND NOT AS SEPARATE ENTITIES. BOTH RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE INADVERTENT TAPPING OF AN INCORRECT PIPELINE, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS IN PROXIMITY TO ANOTHER PIPELINE OPERATING AT A DIFFERENT PRESSURE. RECOMMENDATION P-78-46 RECOMMENDS A MEANS OF POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PIPELINE. COLUMBIA HAS COMPLIED WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION BY REQUIRING A PRESSURE CHECK BEFORE COMMENCING ANY TIE-IN ACTIVITY. RECOMMENDATION P-78-47 RECOMMENDS THAT MAPPING PROCEDURES REQUIRE GREATER DETAIL IN CONGESTED AREAS SUCH AS AT INTERSECTIONS. AS STATED IN OUR LETTER OF APRIL 18, 1988, WE BELIEVE THAT EVEN BEFORE THE MANSFIELD INCIDENT OUR MAPS WERE ADEQUATE IN THAT CONGESTED AREAS WERE DETAILED AT A LARGER SCALE EITHER IN THE MARGINS OF THE MAP OR ON SUPPLEMENTAL SHEETS. REGARD LESS OF THE SCALE OF THE DETAIL, ITS VALUE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS ACCURACY. AS IS THE CASE IN THE MAPPING OF FACILI TIES BY ALL UTILITIES, COLUMBIA ACKNOWLEDGES THAT AT ANY GIVEN TIME ITS MAPS CANNOT BE 100% ACCURATE. WITH THIS IN MIND, COLUMBIA HAS, SINCE THE MANSFIELD INCIDENT, EMPHA SIZED, THROUGH SPECIFIC TRAINING, THAT THE MAPS ARE TO BE USED AS A GENERAL GUIDELINE, REGARDLESS OF DETAIL, AND THAT POSITIVE LOCATION AND IDENTIFICATION IS REQUIRED BEFORE MAKING A TIE-IN. WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CLARIFY OUR POSITION REGARDING THIS MATTER AND REQUEST THAT BASED ON THE ABOVE THE BOARD WILL RECONSIDER THEIR ACTION REGARDING P-78-47 AND REVISE ITS STATUS TO AN ACCEPTABLE CLASSIFICA TION.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-02-23

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1978-12-14

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-02-23

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-06-07

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-09-27

Communication Type: Official Correspondence