NTSB Safety Recommendation P-78-058

NTSB safety recommendation P-78-058.

TO THE OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY: Publish a plan that describes how the OPSO will use accident report data to formulate safety regulations and to develop a safe service life model for pipelines. (Superseded by P-87-23)

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Superseded

Issued Date: 1978-10-25

Adopted Date: 1978-10-12

Overall Date Closed: 1987-09-09

Synopsis: SPECIAL STUDY.-- SAFE SERVICE LIFE FOR LIQUID PETROLEUM PIPELINES. THE BOARD UNDERTOOK TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A SAFE SERVICE LIFE MODEL. THE STUDY INCLUDED AN ANALYSIS OF THE DOT FORM 7000-1 "PIPELINE CARRIER ACCIDENT REPORT" DATA THAT IS PERMANENTLY FILED AT THE OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY OPERATIONS. THESE ACCIDENT REPORTS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED ON A REGULAR BASIS SINCE 1968.

Ntsbnumber: 80572

Report Number: PSS-78-01

Addressee Name: RSPA

Addressee Status: Closed - Superseded

Addressee Date Closed: 1987-09-09

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1987-09-09

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: OPSE RESPONDED ON 2/1/79, THAT IT WAS COMPUTERIZING THE PIPELINE ACCIDENT DATA & THAT IT BELIEVED THIS ACTION WOULD INCREASE THE UTILITY OF THE DATA. THE OPSO STATED THAT IT WOULD PUBLISH A PLAN IN ITS PIPELINE SAFETY ADVISORY BULLETIN. OPSO WOULD NOT SPECULATE IN A PUBLISHED PLAN AS TO HOW THE ACCIDENT REPORT DATA MIGHT BE USED DEVELOP A SERVICE LIFE MODEL FOR PIPELINE. WHEN WE ARE CONVINCE THAT MODEL DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS WILL HAVE A SATISFACTORY PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS, WE WILL OF COURSE, DOCUMENT THE EFFORTS IN A PLAN & PUBLISH IT. OPS HAS YET TO PUBLISH OR DEVELOP ANY MODEL. THE RECOMMENDATION HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS "CLOSED--SUEPRSEDED," BY P-87-23, BASED ON A RECOMMENDATION ISSUED AS A RESULT OF THIS INVESTIGATION. THE BOARD BELIEVES THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH A MODEL IS IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY SINCE THE POTENTIAL FOR MANUFACTURING DEFECTS TO GROW TO CRITICAL FAILURE SIZE HAS BEEN SHOWN BY ACTUAL OPERATING FAILURE. THE BOARD IS PLEASED THAT SOMEONE HAS HAD THE INITIATIVE TO DEVELOP A SERVICE LIFE MODEL. BATTELLE'S MODEL HAS THE BENEFIT THAT IT IS NOT DEPENDENT ON ACCIDENT DATA. THE BOARD BELIEVES THAT OPS MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS STUDY & INCLUDE IN ITS REGULATION CRITERIA FOR PERIODIC HYDROSTATIC RESTESTING OF ALL PIPELINES BASED ON OPERATING PARAMETERS. SUCH CRITERIA ALSO COULD BE USED TO MINIMIZE THE LIKELIHOOD OF ERW PIPE FAILURES DURING OPERATION DUE TO GROWTH OF MANUFACTURING RELATED DEFECTS. In 1978, the Safety Board, issued a special study on the safe service life of liquid petroleum pipelines. 6/ At that time, the Board concluded that there was no way to predict the safe service life of liquid pipelines using the data reported to the OPS. The Safety Board recommended that the Office of Pipeline Safety Operations (now OPS): P-78-58 Publish a plan that describes how the OPSO will use accident report data to formulate safety regulations and to develop a safe service life model for pipelines. OPSO responded on February 1, 1979, that it was computerizing the pipeline accident data and that it believed this action would increase the utility of the data. The OPSO stated that it would publish a plan in its Pipeline Safety Advisory Bulletin. OPSO would not "speculate in a published plan as to how the accident report data might be used to develop a service life model for pipelines…When we are convinced that model development efforts will have a satisfactory probability of success, we will, of course, document the efforts in a plan and publish it." OPS has yet to publish or develop any model. The recommendation has been classified as CLOSED—SUPERSEDED, based on a safety recommendation issued as a result of this investigation. P-78-58 is superseded by P-87-023.

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1979-04-04

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1979-02-01

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1983-03-21

Communication Type: Official Correspondence