NTSB Safety Recommendation P-80-004

NTSB safety recommendation P-80-004.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITIES SERVICE PIPE LINE COMPANY: PROMPTLY DEVELOP AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR EXCAVATORS AND INSTITUTE A PROGRAM TO ADVISE EXCAVATORS HOW TO RECOGNIZE PIPELINE RIGHTS-OF-WAY, TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRECAUTIONS WHEN EXCAVATING NEAR PIPELINES, AND TO ENCOURAGE NOTIFICATION BEFORE EXCAVATION.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1980-02-26

Adopted Date: 1980-02-15

Overall Date Closed: 1983-01-27

Synopsis: ON AUGUST 20, 1979, A BULLDOZER OPERATED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT, ORANGE, TEXAS, BEGAN TO CLEAN A FARM DRAINAGE DITCH WITH A GENERALLY NORTH-SOUTH ALIGNMENT. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL PASSES ACROSS THE DITCH, THE OPERATOR HEADED THE BULLDOZER SOUTH ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE DITCH. AT 2:15 P.M. THE CORNER OF THE BLADE CUT INTO A PROPANE LINE, OWNED BY THE CITIES SERVICE PIPE LINE COMPANY, WHICH CROSSED BENEATH THE DITCH IN AN EAST-WEST DIRECTION. PROPANE AT 350 PSIG ESCAPED AND WAS IGNITED WITHIN SECONDS. THE RESULTING FIRE KILLED ONE PERSON AND INJURED ANOTHER, AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE PROPERTY DAMAGE.

Keywords: Excavation,Training and Education

Ntsbnumber: FTW79FP014

Report Number: None

Addressee Name: Cities Service Pipeline Company

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 1983-01-27

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 2000-09-26

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 10/06/2000 1:34:52 PM MC# 2001496: Your letter of July 14, 2000 addressed to Mr. Ray Irani, Chief Executive Officer of Occidental Petroleum Corporation has been forwarded to me for review and reply. Based on my review, I offer the following. The 1979 pipe line break and explosion near Orange, Texas was on a 12 inch pipe line owned by Cities Service Company and opera-ted by what was then Cities Service Pipe Line Company, a subsidiary of Cities Service Company. In 1982, Occidental Petroleum Corporation became the owner of Cities Service Company through the acquisition of Cities Service Company’s stock. In 1983, Cities Service Company sold its refining, marketing and transportation operations, then known as Citgo Petroleum Corporation (Citgo), to The Southland Corporation (Southland). This sale did not include the 12 inch pipe line, which ‘was transferred that same year (1983) into a Cities Service Company wholly-owned subsidiary named Cities Service NGL Pipeline Company (the “NGL Pipeline Entity”). Also in 1983, the Cities Service Company contracted with Citgo Pipe Line Company (formerly Cities Service Pipe Line Company) to operate the 12” pipeline when that Citgo entity was sold to Southland as a part of the above referenced sale of Cities Service’s refining, marketing and transportation operations. Subsequently, the NGL Pipeline Entity underwent several name changes as well as ownership changes as follows: 1) In March 1988 it was renamed OXY NGL Pipeline Company; 2) in late 1991 the NGL Pipeline Entity was sold to Trident NGL, Inc. as a part of OXY USA Inc.‘s sale of its Natural Gas Liquids Division and its name was changed to Trident NGL Pipeline Company; 3) in 1996, it was renamed to Warren NGL Pipeline Company and 4) in 1998 its name was changed to Dynegy NGL Pipeline Company, which is the current name. Trident NGL, Inc. has also undergone several name changes and is now Dynegy NGL, Inc., but it has continued since 1991 to be the sole owner of the NGL Pipeline Entity, Based on the above, I have attempted to locate records daling with the 12” pipe lines after the 1979 pipe line break. This attempt has not been successful as no records have been located with respect to your inquiry as to the response to Safety Recommendation P-78-42. I assume this recommendation cited in your letter is cited in error and should be P-80-3. Furthermore, no information has been located relating to P-80-3 and P-80-4 other than the information contained in the November 23, 1982 letter from H. R. Slack of Cities Service Pipe Line Company attached to your July 14, 2000 letter. This record search has been conducted of the Cities Service Company records, the Citgo Petroleum Corporation records, and the Trident/Dynegy records. As such, I cannot provide you with any information on behalf of Occidental Petroleum Corporation and, therefore, I have no information relating to any further response to Safety Recommendation P-80-3 or P-80-4. It is my understanding that extensive pipe line work was done on the 12 inch pipe line in 1991 by OXY USA Inc. and later by Trident NGL, Inc. I believe the best way to determine the status and state of the line is to contact Dynegy NGL Pipeline Company. I am sorry 1 was unable to assist you any further. If you have additional questions, please contact me.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1982-11-23

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: CITIES SERVICE PIPE LINE (CSPL) COMPANY LTR: IN P-80-4, THE NTSB RECOMMENDED THAT CSPL DEVELOP AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR EXCAVATORS AND INSTITUTE A PROGRAM TO ADVISE EXCAVATORS HOW TO RECOGNIZE PIPELINE RIGHTS-OF-WAY, TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRECAUTIONS WHEN EXCAVATING NEAR PIPELINES, AND TO ENCOURAGE NOTIFICATION BEFORE EXCAVATION. CSPL ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT, PUBLICATION, AND DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS SUCH AS AN AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE PAMPHLET AND AN INDUSTRY NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT, WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND CONSTRUCTION PERSONNEL ON HOW TO RECOGNIZE PIPELINE RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED WHEN EXCAVATING NEAR PIPELINES. ADDITIONALLY, CSPL HAS A ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR CITY/COUNTY ENGINEERS, DRAINAGE DISTRICT PERSONNEL, AND OTHERS, ON THE SAFETY MEASURES THAT SHOULD BE OBSERVED WHEN EXCAVATING NEAR PIPELINES. FURTHER, CSPL SUPPORTS THE CONCEPT AND IS A MEMBER OF SEVERAL ONE-CALL SYSTEMS AND IS CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN THE PLANNING FOR A POTENTIAL STATEWIDE SYSTEM IN TEXAS.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1983-01-27

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board appreciates your efforts to develop an extensive education program and your active participation in several one-call notification systems. Safety Recommendation P-80-4, therefore, has been classified as “Closed-Acceptable Action.”

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1982-10-08

Communication Type: Official Correspondence