NTSB Safety Recommendation P-98-032

NTSB safety recommendation P-98-032.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE COLONIAL PIPELINE COMPANY: ASSESS THE POTENTIAL SAFETY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR CONTROLLER REST/WORK SCHEDULES & MODIFY, AS NECESSARY, THOSE SCHEDULES TO ENSURE THAT CONTROLLER PERFORMANCE IS NOT COMPROMISED BY FATIGUE.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1998-11-18

Adopted Date: 1998-11-03

Overall Date Closed: 2001-01-09

Synopsis: ABOUT 11:54 P.M EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME ON 6/26/96, A 36-INCH-DIAMETER COLONIAL PIPELINE COMPANY PIPELINE RUPTURED WHERE A CORRODED SECTION OF THE PIPELINE CROSSED THE REEDY RIVER AT FORK SHOALS, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE RUPTURE PIPELINE RELEASED ABOUT 957,600 GALLONS OF FUEL OIL INTO THE REEDY RIVER & SURROUNDING AREAS. THE ESTIMATED COST TO COLONIAL FOR CLEANUP & SETTLEMENT WITH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA WAS $20.5 MILLION. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT.

Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the rupture of the corrosion-weakened pipeline at the Reedy River crossing was the failure of Colonial Pipeline Company (1) to have adequate management controls in place to protect the corroded pipeline at the Reedy River crossing; and (2) to ensure that pipeline controllers were adequately trained to both recognize and respond properly to operational emergencies, abnormal conditions, and pipeline leaks.

Keywords: Fatigue

Ntsbnumber: DCA96MP005

Report Number: PAR-98-01

Addressee Name: Colonial Pipeline Company

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 2001-01-09

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 2000-10-03

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 10/10/2000 4:20:45 PM MC# 2001516 : Colonial contracted with Circadian Technologies, Inc. ("CTI") to analyze fatigue risks in Colonial's Atlanta Control Center operations. Their report, Fatigue Risks in Control Center Operations at Colonial Pipeline (September 1999), included recommendations divided into short and long-term countermeasures. Short-term countermeasures were defined as those which were considered to be able to have been realistically implemented within one year. Set out below is each of CTI's recommended countermeasures, immediately followed by Colonial's response thereto. The new Control Center Leader conducted a one on one interview with each Controller at the first of the year, and then followed up with a written survey of each Controller later in the year. See Tab 6 for a summary of the results of the written summary.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 2000-07-17

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: TO DATE THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE TO P-98-31 THROUGH -33. THE SAFETY BOARD WOULD APPRECIATE LEARNING WHAT ACTION COLONIAL HAS TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry

Communication Date: 2001-01-09

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board is pleased to learn that Colonial contracted with Circadian Technologies, Inc. (CTI) to analyze fatigue risks in Colonial’s Atlanta Control Center operations. The CTI report, Fatigue Risks in Control Center Operations at Colonial Pipeline (September 1999), included recommendations divided into short- and long-term countermeasures. The Board understands that the short-term countermeasures, defined as those that were considered to be able to have been realistically implemented within 1 year, have been implemented and that Colonial is continuing work on implementing the long-term countermeasures. Because Colonial has taken action to assess the potential safety risks associated with controller and relief controller rest/work schedules and modify, as necessary, those schedules to ensure that controller performance is not compromised by fatigue, Safety Recommendation P-98-32 is classified “Closed—Acceptable Action.”