NTSB Safety Recommendation P-87-016

NTSB safety recommendation P-87-016.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE WILLIAMS PIPELINE COMPANY: IDENTIFY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE INVOLVED IN THE OPERATION OF THE PIPELINE THE PROPER ACTIONS TO TAKE IN THE EVENT OF A PIPE LINE FAILURE, AND PROVIDE TO EACH EMPLOYEE ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE TO CARRY OUT THE ACTIONS REQUIRED THROUGH TRAINING AND OTHER MEANS, AS NECESSARY.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1987-09-09

Adopted Date: 1987-07-20

Overall Date Closed: 1990-11-19

Synopsis: ABOUT 4:20 A.M. ON JULY 8, 1986, LINE 2N, AN 8-INCH PRODUCTS PIPELINE OPERATED BY WILLIAMS PIPE LINE COMPANY (WPL) AT MOUNDS VIEW, MINNESOTA, RUPTURED. UNLEADED GASOLINE UNDER 1,434 PSIG SPEWED FROM A 7 1/2-FOOT-LONG OPENING ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL SEAM OF THE PIPE. VAPORIZED GASOLINE COMBINED WITH AIR AND LIQUID GASOLINE FLOWED ALONG NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER, THE GASOLINE VAPOR WAS IGNITED WHEN AN AUTOMOBILE ENTERED THE AREA. FOLLOWING AN EXPLOSION-LIKE NOISE, FIRE SPREAD RAPIDLY ALONG THE PATH OF THE LIQUID GASOLINE. TWO PERSONS WERE BURNED SEVERELY AND LATER DIED, AND ONE PERSON SUFFERED SERIOUS BURNS. THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE AND SOIL AND WATER POLLUTION.

Keywords: Training and Education

Ntsbnumber: DCA86AP014

Report Number: PAR-87-02

Addressee Name: Williams Pipeline Company

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 1990-11-19

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1989-02-09

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: IN ADDITION TO WILLIAMS' ON-GOING TRAINING ABOUT OPERATIONS DURING NORMAL AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS, WILLIAMS HAS SPENT OVER $450,000 TO DEVELOP A COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING (CBT) PROGRAM. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CBT PROGRAM BEGAN IN 1985 AND WAS DESIGNED TO CONSISTENTLY TEACH THE OPERATING PRINCIPLES, CONCEPTS, PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES THAT ARE COMMON TO ALL OF WILLIAMS' OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES. ALL WILLIAMS' FIELD OPERATIONS PERSONNEL HAVE COMPLETED TRAINING ON THE CORE SET OF 12 MODULES WHICH INCLUDE TOPICS SUCH AS "NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS," "SAFE HANDLING OF REFINED PETROLEUM PRODUCTS," AND "PUMP STATION OPERATION AND EQUIPMENT." SIX ADDITIONAL MODULES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN COMPLETED INCLUDING "PIPELINE MAINTENANCE" AND "SAFE HANDLING OF LPG." ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITY MODULES AMONG THE 12 SCHEDULED FOR DEVELOPMENT IN 1989 IS "EMERGENCY PROCEDURES." THIS MODULE WILL COVER IN DEPTH THE CRITICAL CONCEPTS ABOUT APPROPRIATE RESPONSE ACTION DURING AN ABNORMAL OR EMERGENCY SITUATION. RECOGNIZING THAT THIS TRAINING PROGRAM COULD BE OF REAL SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRY, WILLIAMS HAS MADE THE CBT PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO OTHER COMPANIES. THE PROGRAM HAS CONSEQUENTLY DRAWN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST FROM SOME 60 LIQUID PIPELINE AND TERMINAL COMPANIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WILLIAMS CBT PROGRAM IS BEING ACKNOWLEDGED BY INDUSTRY AND REGULATORY OFFICIALS ALIKE AS THE LEADING EDGE IN PIPELINE TRAINING TECHNOLOGY.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1989-10-10

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: WILLIAMS SENT A COPY OF A BASIC OUTLINE FOR A COMPLETED COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING (CBT) PROGRAM INCLUDING MODULES 1 THROUGH 23. A SERIES OF FIVE ONE-HOUR CBT MODULES ARE CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD TOPIC OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE. THE TITLES OF THE MODULES WILL INCLUDE: HAZARD RECOGNITION AND EVALUATION EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRE-PLANNING AND SITE CONTROL EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT HAZARDOUS SPILL EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE AND TREATMENT THE DETAILED SYLLABI FOR THESE MODULES ARE NOT YET COMPLETED, COPIES WILL BE FORWARDED TO NTSB WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1990-08-14

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: THE FIVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CBT MODULES (#25-#30) ARE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. MODULES #25 AND #26 ARE SCHEDULED FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN SEPT. 90 & MODULES #27-#30 ARE DUE TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN NOV. 90. THE SYLLABI FOR MODULES #24-#30 ARE ATTACHED FOR YOUR REFERENCE (EXHIBIT #4) SIMILAR OUTLINES FOR MODULES #1-#23 WERE INCLUDED IN OUR OCTOBER 89 SUBMITTAL. WPL HAS FULLY ADDRESSED EACH OF THE CONCERNS STATED IN THE BOARD ACCIDENT REPORT, IN A PRUDENT AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER. CONSEQUENTLY, WE ADVOCATE THAT THE REMAINING "OPEN" RECOMMENDATIONS BE CLOSED.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1990-07-05

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1990-11-19

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 1989-07-12

Communication Type: Official Correspondence