NTSB Safety Recommendation P-84-004

NTSB safety recommendation P-84-004.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE ENSTAR NATURAL GAS COMPANY: ENCOURAGE OTHER OPERATORS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITIES TO JOIN IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A ONE-CALL EXCAVATION NOTIFICATION AND DAMAGE PREVENTION SYSTEM IN ITS AREA OF OPERATION AND ASSIST IN ITS IMPLEMENTATION.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1984-01-20

Adopted Date: 1984-01-10

Overall Date Closed: 1988-10-25

Synopsis: ON OCTOBER 7, 1982, A CONTRACTOR PUNCTURED THE ENSTAR NATURAL GAS COMPANY'S (GAS COMPANY) 5/8-INCH DIAMETER PLASTIC GAS SERVICE LINE TO A HOUSE AT 8520 EAST 17TH AVENUE IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA; THE CONTRACTOR HAD BEEN AUGERING HOLES FOR THE INSTALLATION OF PILING AROUND THE HOUSE. NATURAL GAS ESCAPING FROM THE RUPTURED SERVICE LINE AT 50 PSIG MIGRATED UNDERGROUND, ENTERED THE HOUSE, ACCUMULATED, AND IGNITED. ON JULY 20, 1982, SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THIS ACCIDENT, AN ENGINEERING COMPANY HAD REQUESTED THE GAS COMPANY TO MARK THE LOCATION OF ITS GAS SERVICE LINE TO THE HOUSE ON EAST 17TH AVENUE. HOWEVER, A DIFFERENT CONTRACTOR WAS ENGAGED FOR THE WORK ON OCTOBER 7 AND THIS CONTRACTOR HAD NEITHER REQUESTED THE GAS COMPANY TO LOCATE ITS SERVICE LINE NOR GIVEN THE GAS COMPANY ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE EXCAVATION WORK. EIGHT MONTHS LATER, ON JUNE 15, 1983, ANOTHER ACCIDENT OCCURRED THIS TIME INVOLVING THE GAS COMPANY'S 12-INCH DIAMETER, HIGH-PRESSURE GAS PIPELINE. THE GAS COMPANY SERVES ABOUT 50,000 CUSTOMERS IN THE ANCHORAGE AREA AND RECEIVES ABOUT 1,100 REQUESTS FROM CONTRACTORS EACH MONTH TO LOCATE ITS GAS LINES. IN SPITE OF THIS EXTENSIVE LINE LOCATION ACTIVITY, NATURAL GAS PIPELINES IN THE ANCHORAGE AREA WERE STRUCK 410 TIMES IN THE COURSE OF EXCAVATION OPERATIONS IN THE 6-MONTH PERIOD FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 1983, ACCORDING TO THE GAS COMPANY STATISTICS.

Probable Cause: None

Ntsbnumber: DCA83FP002

Report Number: None

Addressee Name: Enstar Natural Gas Company

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 1988-10-25

Addressee Acronym: ENSTAR

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-08-11

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: AS EARLY AS 1983-1984, A ONE-CALL CENTER HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION AT ANCHORAGE AREA UTILITY ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. BOTH THE ASSOCIATION AND ENSTAR HAVE BEEN SENDING REPRESENTATIVES TO ONE-CALL CONFERENCES SINCE 1983. SEVERAL IMPEDIMENTS TO ONE-CALL WERE EVIDENT THROUGH THE 1983-1985 ERA. THE MUNICIPAL CODE REQUIREMENT OF 4 HOUR LOCATING WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO COMPLY WITH DUE TO THE INHERENT DELAYS IN ONE-CALL SYSTEMS. ALSO, THE TWO ELECTRIC UTILITIES HAD UNION PROBLEMS AND OPPOSING VIEWS ON CONTRACT LINE LOCATION. THE CABLE TV COMPANY WAS IN THE PROCESS OF OWNERSHIP CHANGE AND UNABLE TO MAKE A COMMITMENT. THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD OF TIME, ENSTAR TOOK THE LEAD ON THE UTILITY ASSOCIATION ONE-CALL COMMITTEE, ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS AND PUSH THE ONE-CALL PROGRAM FORWARD. LATE IN 1985, THE ANCHORAGE TELEPHONE UTILITY (ATU) AND MUNICIPAL LIGHTING AND POWER (ML&P) AGREED TO PURSUE THE IDEA OF A VOLUNTARY CONTRACT LOCATING SYSTEM IN ORDER TO DRAW THE CHUGACH ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION (CEA) INTO THE SYSTEM. BY THIS TIME, SONIC CABLE WAS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP. IN 1986, THE UTILITY ASSOCIATION WAS SUCCESSFUL IN PERSUADING THE ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY TO CHANGE THE LOCATE RESPONSE TIME FROM 4 HOURS TO 24 HOURS IN ORDER TO GIVE A ONE-CALL SYSTEM TIME TO OPERATE. ALSO, DURING 1986, A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE PRIMARY UTILITIES WAS FORMED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTING UP A ONE-CALL CENTER ALONG WITH VOLUNTARY CONTRACT LINE LOCATING. THE ONE-CALL CENTER WAS GIVEN THE NAME "DIG SAFE." A "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL" TO OPERATE DIG SAFE WAS SENT TO INTERESTED PARTIES LATE IN 1986. AT THE TIME, THE AREA'S MAJOR ELECTRIC UTILITY, CEA, WAS INVOLVED IN A BITTER LABOR DISPUTE, AND WAS UNWILLING TO COMMIT TO DIG SAFE. THE PROCESS WENT FORWARD WITHOUT CEA. A CONTRACT WAS AWARDED LATE IN 1986 FOR OPERATION OF THE DIG SAFE CENTER. CEA WENT THROUGH A MANAGEMENT CHANGE AFTER ITS LABOR DISPUTE AND DECIDED NOT TO JOIN DIG SAFE. THIS WAS A MAJOR BLOW TO THE ORGANIZATION. DIG SAFE WAS SET UP AND BECAME OPERATIONAL EARLY IN 1987. BY MID SUMMER, BECAUSE OF THE UNEVEN PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTRACT LOCATING SERVICE BY THE "WIRE UTILITIES," THE CONTRACTOR ASKED FOR A MAJOR PRICE INCREASE. THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTRACT LOCATING SERVICE (ATU, ML&P, AND SONIC) DECLINED. THE CONTRACTOR THEN ABROGATED HIS CONTRACT AND THE ONE-CALL CENTER CEASED OPERATION. EARLIER THIS YEAR, BIDS WERE AGAIN SOLICITED FOR OPERATION OF A ONE-CALL CENTER, BUT THE ASSOCIATION COULD NOT AGREE ON PARAMETERS FOR THE CONTRACT LOCATING SERVICE AND THE BIDS WERE REJECTED. WE WILL AGAIN ATTEMPT TO REVIVE AN ANCHORAGE AREA ONE-CALL CENTER THIS FALL, BUT ITS IS DIFFICULT TO BE OPTIMISTIC. CEA HAS REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE. SONIC CABLE AND ML&P INSIST ON ECONOMIC PAYBACK TO PARTICIPATE. ATU INSISTS ON CONTRACT LINE LOCATING ALTHOUGH THEY ARE THE ONLY USER OF THE SERVICE. THE EXTREME SEASONAL FLUCTUATION IN LOCATE ACTIVITY IN OUR AREA THROUGHOUT THE YEAR MAKES ECONOMIC OPERATION OF A ONE-CALL SYSTEM DIFFICULT. DURING WINTER MONTHS WHEN THE GROUND IS FROZEN, LOCATE ACTIVITY IS VERY LOW. IN THE SUMMER CONSTRUCTION SEASON, ACTIVITY IS VERY HIGH. WE AT ENSTAR HAVE BEEN DILIGENT IN OUR PURSUIT OF A ONE-CALL SYSTEM FOR OUR AREA. WE ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE AREA UTILITY ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS THE DIG SAFE COMMITTEE. WE HAVE LONG BEEN PROPONENTS OF A ONE-CALL SYSTEM, AND HAVE TRIED TO PERSUADE THE OTHER UTILITIES THAT A NOTIFICATION SYSTEM WOULD BE TO EVERYONE'S BENEFIT. THE INSISTENCE OF SOME PARTICIPANTS ON ECONOMIC PAYBACK AND/OR CONTRACT LOCATING HAS BEEN A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO SUCCESS OF THE SYSTEM IN ANCHORAGE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ACTIVELY PURSUE ESTABLISHMENT OF A ONE-CALL SYSTEM IN OUR SERVICE AREA. WE HAVE HAD AN AGRESSIVE PROGRAM OF DAMAGE PREVENTION FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. WE COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH AREA CONTRACTORS REGARDING OUR LINE LOCATING SERVICE. WE CONSISTENTLY RESPOND QUICKLY TO LOCATE REQUESTS, AND DO NOT CHARGE FOR LINE LOCATING DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. WE ALSO ADVERTISE OUR LOCATING SERVICE AND THE HAZARDOUS ASPECTS OF DIGGING AROUND NATURAL GAS LINES PROMINENTLY IN THE LOCAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES AND IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION SEASON. IN ADDITION, WE SEND OUT BILL STUFFERS TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR DISCUSSING THE HAZARDS OF DIGGING AROUND GAS LINES AND GIVING OUR LOCATE NUMBERS. IN SUMMARY I FEEL THAT OUR RESPONSE TO SAFETY RECOMMENDATION P-84-4 HAS BEEN APPROPRIATE. WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN A ONE-CALL SYSTEM, AND HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN, SHORT OF FUNDING THE ENTIRE OPERATION OURSELVES, TO MAKE A ONE-CALL SYSTEM A REALITY IN OUR AREA. IN THE ABSENCE OF A ONE-CALL SYSTEM, WE HAVE ENGAGED IN AN AGGRESSIVE DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAM.

Addressee Acronym: ENSTAR

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-06-08

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Acronym: ENSTAR

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1988-10-25

Communication Type: Official Correspondence