NTSB Safety Recommendation P-97-023

NTSB safety recommendation P-97-023.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE RSPA: WORK WITH THE ONE-CALL SYSTEMS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN OUTLINED IN RECOMMENDATION P-97-22 TO ENSURE THAT EXCAVATION DAMAGE EXPOSURE DATA ARE BEING CONSISTENTLY COLLECTED.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1998-01-06

Adopted Date: 1997-12-23

Overall Date Closed: 2004-04-15

Synopsis: THE SAFETY BOARD HAS LONG BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF EXCAVATION-CAUSED PIPELINE ACIDENTS. IN RESPONSE TO SIX SERIOUS PIPELINE ACCIDENTS DURING 1993 AND 1994 THAT WERE CAUSED BY EXCAVATION DAMAGE AND TO FOSTER IMPROVEMENTS IN STATE EXCAVATION DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS, THE SAFETY BOARD AND THE RSPA JOINTLY SPONSORED A WORKSHOP IN SEPTEMBER 1994. THIS WORKSHOP BROUGHT TOGETHER ABOUT 400 REPRESENTATIVES FROM PIPELINE OPERATORS, EXCAVATORS, TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, AND LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY AND RECOMMEND WAYS TO IMPROVE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. THE SAFETY BOARD RECENTLY COMPLETED A SAFETY STUDY THAT ANALYZED THE FINDINGS OF THE 1994 WORKSHOP, DISCUSSED INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN SINCE THE WORKSHOP, AND FORMALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS AIMED AT FURTHER ADVANCING IMPROVEMENTS IN EXCAVATION DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

Ntsbnumber: 80433

Report Number: SS-97-01

Addressee Name: RSPA

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 2004-04-15

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2001-04-18

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: THE SAFETY BOARD APPRECIATES THE UPDATE ON ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT P-97-14 THROUGH -24 AND P-99-1. WITH RESPECT TO P-97-20 THROUGH -24, WHICH RELATE TO ACCIDENT REPORTING AND THE COLLECTION AND USE OF DATA, THE SAFETY BOARD NOTES THAT YOUR LETTER DID NOT PROVIDE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON ACTIONS BEING TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO THESE RECOMMENDATIONS. PENDING AN UPDATE FROM RSPA ON THESE ISSUES, P-97-20 THROUGH -24 WILL REMAIN CLASSIFIED "OPEN--ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE."

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1999-06-29

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: THE BOARD IS PLEASED THAT RSPA IS WORKING ON THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS. AGAIN THE BOARD REMINDS RSPA TO REVIEW THE EXPOSURE DATA AND TO COMPLETE AN ACTUAL ASSESSMENT AS RECOMMENDED. PENDING FURTHER RESPONSE FROM RSPA, P-97-23 AND -24 HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED "OPEN--ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE."

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2001-11-26

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board understands that RSPA believes that the CGA is the appropriate organization to review these recommendations and to suggest solutions, and that CGA President Jim Barron has agreed to place these excavation damage prevention recommendations on the agenda and to refer the recommendations to the appropriate CGA committees. The Board notes that RSPA will work with the CGA to ensure that its suggestions are disseminated and implemented. Accordingly, pending further information from RSPA on these issues, Safety Recommendations P-97-22 through -24 are classified "Open--Acceptable Response." Please update the Safety Board periodically on your efforts to implement these recommendations.

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2004-04-15

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board understands that RSPA worked through the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), which it formed and partially funds, to review the damage prevention recommendations and to develop solutions. CGA's data collection and reporting team developed and implemented an excavation damage database in response to Safety Recommendations P-97-22 and -23. The database will collect damage data from all stakeholders in an effort to store and maintain meaningful, objective data that can reflect significant trends in preventing damage to underground facilities. Further, RSPA hired Community Assistance and Technical Support (CATS) inspectors in each of its five pipeline safety regional offices to work with CGA and one-call centers to collect and assess better data and use it to guide each State's selection and implementation of damage prevention best practices. The excavation damage exposure data will be the basis for their annual assessments of the effectiveness of State excavation damage prevention programs in response to P-97-24. The CATS inspectors will work with stakeholders to formalize an evaluation approach. Because RSPA has finalized the action on these recommendations through a cooperative effort with the CGA, Safety Recommendations P-97-22, -23, and -24 are classified "Closed--Acceptable Action."

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2004-02-17

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 2/24/2004 12:25:21 PM MC# 2040087 As noted in previous update letters, RSPA believes that the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is the appropriate organization to review these damage prevention recommendations and to develop solutions. The CGA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to shared responsibility in damage prevention and promotion of the damage prevention Best Practices identified in the Common Ground Study Report. The purpose of the CGA is to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and the integrity of services by promoting effective damage prevention practices. RSPA's Office of Pipeline Safety (RSPA/OPS) has been supporting the damage prevention work of the CGA through a series of cooperative agreements. In its letter of November 26, 2001, NTSB recognized the important role of CGA in developing excavation damage solutions. CGA's Data Collection and Reporting team is building a North American damage database in response to NTSB Recommendations P-97-22, -23, and -24. The goal is to collect damage data from all stakeholders in an effort to store and maintain meaningful, objective data that can reflect significant trends in damage occurring throughout North America. The CGA will then be able to issue summary reports assessing the effectiveness of regional damage prevention education campaigns. Equally important, CGA will be able to better quantify the annual costs associated with damage occurring to the underground infrastructure. By August 2003, CGA's data team had developed and pilot-tested a data collection system based on a Colorado model. The committee addressed critical issues such as: security and confidentiality of the damage data, identification of duplicate damages, data integrity, mandatory data fields, users hierarchy, new users registration process, membership requirements, bulk load data process, and a communications plan for promoting the system. In the design, planning and implementation of this data collection effort, CGA has worked closely with One Call Systems International (OCSI), which was formerly under the American Public Works Association (APWA) umbrella, but is now part of CGA. The APWA is also fully participating in CGA's efforts. CGA has also implemented a "regional partnership program" to strengthen damage prevention initiatives among national, regional, state, and local damage prevention groups and to promote the use of data to guide selection of damage prevention Best Practices on a state-wide basis. The partnership program has grown to more than 19 partners, including regional organizations in Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. CGA is promoting regional partnerships through industry presentations, conventions, e-mail lists, and one-call centers. RSPA/OPS participated in the first CGA regional partnership meeting in December 2003. RSPA worked closely with CGA to promote the data system at various industry and state meetings during 2003, including the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives. RSPA will continue to work with CGA committees in furthering the damage exposure data collection efforts and in promoting these efforts to state damage prevention programs and local one-call systems. RSPA/OPS has hired Community Assistance and Technical Support (CATS) inspectors in each of the five pipeline safety regional offices. Not only will the CATS inspectors work with CGA and one-call centers to collect and use better data to guide the choice of best practices, but they will also use the excavation damage exposure data in periodic assessments of the effectiveness of State excavation damage prevention programs in response to NTSB Recommendation P-97-24. The CATS field manual identifies evaluation of State damage prevention programs as one of their responsibilities. We believe the data collection efforts and the ongoing evaluations of state damage prevention program effectiveness meet the requirements of NTSB Recommendations P-97-22, P-97-23, and P?97?24, and request that Safety Recommendations P-97-22, P-97-23, and P-97-24 be reclassified as "CLOSED - Acceptable Response" based on the actions described above.

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2001-07-13

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 07/20/2001 4:24:14 PM MC# 2010585 RSPA believes that the (Compressed Gas Association) CGA is the appropriate organization to review these recommendations and to suggest solutions. At our request, CGA President Jim Barron has agreed to place these excavation damage prevention recommendations on the agenda and to refer the recommendations to the appropriate CGA committees. RSPA will work with the CGA to ensure that its suggestions are disseminated and implemented.

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 1998-10-30

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: RSPA SUPPLIED NTSB WITH A DRAFT OF THE PROPOSED PILOT FOR HAZARDOUS LIQUID DATA COLLECTION ON 6/12/98. THE PILOT LIQUID DATA PLAN IS BEING TESTED BY MEMBER COMPANIES OF THE AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE. WE PLAN TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF 'CAUSE' CATEGORIES TO 22 IN ORDER TO GATHER BETTER ACCIDENT DATA, INCLUDING PRECURSOR EVENTS, SUCH AS INTENDED PURPOSE OF EXCAVATION, APPROPRIATE USE OF ONE CALL NOTIFICATION CENTERS, AND AN ADDITIONAL FOCUS ON EXCAVATION DAMAGE AS DESCRIBED IN THE PILOT PLAN. RSPA ANTICIPATES TIMELY FEEDBACK FROM NTSB AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PILOT TO GREATLY IMPROVE OUR LIQUID ACCIDENT DATA COLLECTION. FOR GAS DATA, THE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (INGAA) IS DEVELOPING ITS OWN DATA SYSTEM TO TRACK INCIDENT-RELATED DATA THAT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO ROOT CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS AND HELP IDENTIFY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. RSPA'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE DATA THAT THE INDUSTRY WILL COLLECT WAS IMPROVED BY OUR JOINT FEDERAL/INDUSTRY/STATE GAS DATA TEAM. MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC INCIDENT REPORTING IS BEING DISCUSSED. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY'S DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE USEFUL DATA FOR IMPROVING UNDERSTANDING OF SAFETY ISSUES IT IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS ENDEAVOR MAY BE AND HOW DATA IN THE GAS INDUSTRY'S DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM WILL BE SHARED WITH RSPA. LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR HAZARDOUS LIQUID DATA IMPROVEMENT PILOT PROJECT MAY PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW THE GAS INDUSTRY DATA SYSTEM CAN SHARE DATA WITH RSPA. WE ARE CONSIDERING ESTABLISHING A DATA TEAM TO EXPAND ON THE INITIAL EFFORTS OF LAST YEAR'S GAS INDUSTRY TEAM. WE WILL ALSO WORK WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, ONE CALL SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL (OCSI) AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES TO STANDARDIZE THE WAY THE ONE-CALL INDUSTRY COLLECTS AND CATEGORIZES DATA ON PIPELINE ACCIDENTS AND THEIR CAUSES. WE BELIEVE RSPA'S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE COLLECTION OF UNDERGROUND EXCAVATION DAMAGE DATA AND TO BETTER EMPLOY THIS DATA FULLY ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATIONS. RSPA REQUESTS THAT P-97-20 THROUGH -24 BE CLASSIFIED AS "CLOSED--ACCEPTABLE ACTION."

Addressee Acronym: RSPA

Addressee Organization Type: G-Federal Government

Communication Date: 2000-04-24

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: On June 30, 1999, RSPA co-sponsored a public meeting in Washington, DC, to present a report on damage prevention best practices. The report was developed by over 160 volunteers representing a broad spectrum of damage prevention stakeholders who worked for almost a year to produce a report on best practices in damage prevention, known as the Common Ground Study. This report covered virtually every aspect of damage prevention from design and planning, through locating and safe excavation practices. It has become the manual of choice for those involved in damage prevention. We are gratified that you were able to join us to present this report to Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. RSPA is now facilitating the establishment of a non-profit organization to advance underground damage prevention, consistent with the cooperative spirit of the Common Ground team. RSPA held a public meeting on October 28, 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland, to elaborate the elements of an effective non-profit organization, including possible mission statements, goals, functions, guiding principles, and organizational structure. NTSB's Jack Fox participated in this event. On February 17, 2000, a broad-based coalition of industry leaders in the pipeline and underground damage prevention communities met to launch the teams that will develop and staff the new organization. RSPA believes that with the support of Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), we can provide the necessary resources to initiate the creation of a self-sustaining private sector non-profit organization and ensure the participation of all affected stakeholders. We believe this organization will provide an effective forum for information sharing among all stakeholders in damage prevention. This will include regular interaction with the affected industries in the damage prevention community. We believe the organization can contribute to creative solutions to underground damage prevention issues and to our attempts to respond fully to a number of "Open" NTSB Safety Recommendations, including P-97-14 through 24, and P-99-1. In addition, RSPA has been deploying a national damage prevention public education campaign, known as the Dig Safely campaign. This effort dates back to October 1996, when we formed the Damage Prevention Quality Action Team (DAMQAT). This team included a broad spectrum of representatives: professional excavators, one-call centers, insurance, telecommunications, operators of hazardous liquid, natural gas transmission and distribution lines as well as state pipeline safety agencies, and RSPA's OPS. The DAMQAT conducted an extensive examination of the problem, including a nationwide survey of 1500 respondents from the excavator, facility operator, and public works communities, as well as the general public. DAMQAT used the results of the national survey to develop a "tag line," a message, and a design for education campaign materials. These materials included a safety video, print ads for trade publications, a radio public service announcement, brochures, and bill inserts. These were field tested for six months in three states, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama. Pre-pilot and post-pilot surveys enabled the team to judge the effectiveness of the materials. Data collected from the three states indicate a sharp increase in recognition of the four basic messages of the campaign: call before you dig, wait the required time, observe the marks, and dig with care. All three states reported a decline in excavation-related damage to underground facilities. In addition, DAMQAT commissioned a training manual for those who want to use the campaign materials. It contains general information on how to conduct a damage prevention campaign, as well as the safety video, and two CD ROMS which contain all the campaign artwork. DAMQAT team members have conducted over thirty Dig Safely training sessions nationwide. Another six are scheduled and more are being planned. The DAMQAT was recently renamed the Dig Safely Team, is expanding its membership and hopes to include other interested parties such as locators, cable TV, electricity, water and sewer. Some of the materials will be translated into Spanish for distribution in areas with a significant Spanish speaking population. The Dig Safely Campaign has been officially endorsed by DOT, the American Petroleum Institute, One Call Systems International, the Association of Oil Pipelines, and the National Telecommunications Damage Prevention Council. The National Energy Board of Canada is considering recommending to the Canadian Government that they adopt the campaign.