NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-78-020

Page 1Official PDFL - p - / n r NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. Forwarded to: Honorable Maynard Jackson Mayor AFETY RE City of Atlanta, Georgia 68 Mitchell S.W. P-78-20 1 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 A t 1 p.m., e.s.t., on December 1, 1977, a 12-inch, cast-iron, high- pressure gas main owned by the Atlanta Gas Light Company (AGL) was ruptured by an 8-inch s t e e l 1-beam p i l e , which was driven through the pipe a t t h e construction site of a new c e n t r a l l i b r a r y i n downtown Atlanta, Georgia. l-/ Within minutes, n a t u r a l gas a t 10-psig pressure migrated through t h e ground, entered sewer l i n e s and e l e c t r i c conduit systems, and spread i n t o nearby buildings. The gas did not i g n i t e , but thousands of people were evacuated from nearby o f f i c e buildings. A valve was closed a t 2 : 4 5 p.m. t o shut off t h e flow of gas t o the ruptured main, and t h e area w a s declared s a f e a t 4 p.m. On September 29, 1977, a preconstruction meeting was held as prescribed by t h e construction contract f o r the l i b r a r y . Local u t i l i t i e s were not invited t o t h i s meeting; however, AGL could have been briefed at t h a t time on the scope of the p r o j e c t , and could have determined which of t h e i r lines were involved. The l i n e s could then have been marked a t t h e site. Also a t t h i s meeting, AGL and t h e contractor could have designated a person from each company t o serve a s points-of-contact f o r problems t h a t might occux i n the f i e l d . - 1/ For more d e t a i l e d information read "Pipeline Accident Report -- Atlanta Gas Light Company, High-pressure Gas Main Rupture, Atlanta, Georgia, December 1, 1977" (NTSB-PAR-78-3) 2360#

Page 2A s a r e s u l t of its i n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h i s accident, t h e National Transportation Safety Board recommends t h a t t h e c i t y of Atlanta, Georgia: Request t h a t a representative of each operator of an underground f a c i l i t y attend a l l preconstruction meetings f o r excavation p r o j e c t s contracted by the c i t y . (Class 11, P r i o r i t y Action)(P-78-20) KING, Chairman, McADAMS, HOGUE, and DRIVER, Members, concurred in t h e above recommendation.#