NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI) — Gas transmission and gathering — incident on 2003-03-11

Gas transmission and gathering incident in COLUMBUS JUNCTION, LOUISA County, IA. Reported cause: 23. Reported consequences: 0 fatalities, 1 injuries, $0 reported property damage. Operator-reported incident data submitted to PHMSA, generally within 30 days. Records may be supplemented or corrected and do not represent final agency causal findings.

Report number: 20030033.

Operator ID: 13120.

Reported incident date: 3/11/2003.

Cause detail: INCORRECT OPERATION

Cause detail: ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00 PM, A DRIVER FOR THE WATER-HAULING CONTRACTOR (EMS, INC) WAS BURNED BY A FIELD TANK, WHILE WORKING AT A KINDER MORGAN STORAGE FACILITY LOCATE IN COLUMBUS JCT, 1A (STATION 204). THE CONTRACTOR WAS DRAINING ON TANK AND WHILE THAT TANK WAS DRAINING HE ATTEMPTED TO USE A PROPANE TORCH TO THAW A VALVE IN PREPARATION FOR DRAINING ANOTHER TANK. THE CONTRACTOR HAD NOT HOOKED HIS DRAIN HOSE TO THE SECOND TANK AS IT WAS BEING USED AT THE OTHER TANK. A KINDER MORGAN EMPLOYEE WITNESSED FLAMES ERUPT FROM A 3" DRAIN VALVE DURING THE THAWING PROCESS. THE FIRE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE CONTRACTOR OPENING THE VALVE ON THE TANK WHILE USING THE TORCH. THIS ALLOWED A PATH FOR AN IGNITION SOURCE TO ENTER THE TANK AND ALSO CAUSED A SMALL RELEASE OF LIQUID WHICH WAS IGNITED BY THE TORCH. FAILING TO HOOK UP THE HOSE TO THE SECOND TANK BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO THAW THE VALVE IS AGAINST ACCEPTED PRACTICE. AND OPENING UP THE VALVE WHILE USING THE TORCH IS A VIOLATION AGAINST THE PROCEDURE SET OUT IN OM 103 - HOT WORK AND AGAINST PROCEDURES REVIEWED IN THE KINDER MORGAN CONTRACTOR SAFETY PROGRAM. UPON EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE AT THE VALVE, THE CONTRACTOR CLAIMS THAT HE HEARD A RUMBLING INSIDE THE TANK, AND HE CLIMBED THE LADDER AND OPENED THE THIEF HATCH TO INVESTIGATE. THE CONTRACTOR WAS BURNED AFTER HE OPENED THE THEIF HATCH AND WAS EXPOSED TO THE INTENSE HEAT BUILT UP FROM PROBABLE TANK FIRE. THIS HEAT ESCAPED FROM THE HATCH AND CAUSED 1ST AND 2ND DEGREE BURNS ON HIS FACE AND LEFT HAND. THE DRIVER WAS ADMITTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVANCE AND MEDICATED FOR PAIN.

PHMSA trend classification: significant incident, serious incident.

PHMSA standardized cause: INCORRECT OPERATION — OTHER INCORRECT OPERATION.

PHMSA indexed costs: $0 reported total cost, $0 in 1984 dollars, $0 in current-year dollars.

PHMSA trend flags, standardized causes, and indexed costs are analytical fields added to operator-reported incident data. They do not represent final agency causal findings.