NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-78-079

Page 1Official PDFNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. ISSUED: December 29, 1978 Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health P-78-79 200 Constitntion Avenue, N.W. i Department of Labor Washington, D.C. 20210 A t 1:30 p.m., c.d.t., on June 1 2 , 1978, a 10-inch natural gas pipeline owned by the Gas Service Company was struck and ruptured by excavation equipment during construction of a sewer i n Kansas City, Missouri. The natural gas, at more than 110-psig pressure, escaped from a S--inch-long hole i n the pipeline. A t 3:15 p.m., the gas ignited while two gas company employees were cleaning the pipe with hand tools * before i n s t a l l i n g a pipe repair clamp. Both men were burned seriously. - 1/ Both men were wearing safety goggles and hard h a t s a t the t i m e of the accident. One of the men w a s wearing a short-sleeve uniform s h i r t and trousers made of polyester material. The other worker w a s wearing cotton pants and a long-sleeve cotton s h i r t . Both men received second- and third-degree burns over 60 percent of t h e i r bodies. However, the man with the polyester uniform w a s burned more severely. Although the hard hats and safety goggles d i d provide some burn protection and possibly saved the vision of the injured men, a hood and flame-resistant coveralls and gloves, which are not currently required by Federal regulations, would have provided more protection. Polyester work clothing should be banned f o r a l l gas company employees working around blowing gas where ignition could occur and set t h e i r clothes on f i r e . In t h i s accident, the worker wearing the short-sleeve polyester work uniform supplied by the company was burned more severely -- even though h i s flaming clothes were extinguished with a f i r e extinguisher -- than the worker who wore cotton clothing, including a long-sleeve s h i r t . ~. - 1/ For more detailed information read "Pipeline Accident Report -- The Gas Service Compmy Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture and F i r e , Kansas City, Missouri., June 1 2 , 1.978" (NTSB-PAR-78- 5). 2533#

Page 2- 2 - Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends t h a t the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor: Establish standards f o r gas industry safety clothing to protect workers repairing leaking gas pipelines where i g n i t i o n of the gas could cause serious burns. (Class 111, Longer Term Action)(P-78-79) KING, Chairman, DRIVER, Vice Chairman, McADAMS and IIOGUE, Members, concurred i n the above recommendation. c#