Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
HL incident on 2016-10-31 — GA
Operator
Colonial Pipeline Co
Cause
Excavation Issue
Commodity
Refined And/or Petroleum Product (Non-Hvl) Which Is A Liquid At Ambient Conditions
Program
HL
Damage and Injuries
2 fatalities
4 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$2,636,465
Incident datetime
2016-10-31 14:47
Report number
Location
GA
Narrative
On october 31, 2016, at approximately 14:47 cdt, personnel of the operations control center observed a loss of pressure from colonial's 36-inch diameter gasoline pipeline (line 1) and began shutdown procedures based on a suspected leak. A subsequent call from field personnel confirmed a product release from line 1 near river road in helena, al that resulted in a fire. Colonial immediately initiated its emergency response plan, including mobilization of response personnel (colonial and contractor) and notification of federal, state, and local emergency response resources, including the national response center. The control center initiated an immediate shutdown of line 1 and line 2 (an adjacent 36-inch diameter pipeline) and isolation of the affected section of line 1 through established procedures. Operations control personnel shutdown product flow in lines 1 and 2 at 15:00 cdt, which isolated a section of line 1 that included the accident location. Colonial field operations crews were dispatched from the colonial pelham junction station at 15:50 cdt to manually close the pipeline product flow control valves (referred to as block valves) on either side of the release site. Line 1 isolation activities were fully completed at 19:10 cdt. The fire resulted in the death of two excavation contractor workers and injuries to four excavation contractor workers at the site, and also damaged nearby equipment and vegetation. Upon suppression of the fire, remediation of the site was initiated. The damaged segment of the line 1 pipe was removed and replaced, and operation of line 1 resumed on november 6, 2016, at 17:45 cdt. The release occurred during scheduled maintenance associated with the repair of line 1 due to a prior incident (cr-91). The maintenance was being conducted on line 1 by employees of an excavation contractor (2nd party damage). The excavation contractor used a track-hoe excavator to excavate soil located directly over the buried line 1 pipe. A contractor work crew was conducting mechanical excavation when the bucket teeth of the excavator struck a thread-o-ring (tor) that was previously installed on the buried pipe, causing that tor to bend and tear from the line 1 pipe. The tearing of the tor from the pipe wall created an approximate 3-inch diameter circular opening in the buried pipe wall, which resulted in the release of gasoline from line 1. A metallurgical examination of the pipe and the tor supports the conclusion that the damage was caused by the excavator bucket teeth applying substantial force to the tor. A contributing root cause was that the 2nd party excavation contractor performing the maintenance work did not follow colonial's excavation procedure, which requires that hand excavation (and not mechanical excavation) occur in close proximity to the pipeline where the location of the buried pipe has not been successfully located through at least two approved methods, such as probing. With specific reference to colonial's responses to questions 14 and 15 in part g3 on this form 7000.1 accident report, the pipeline was properly marked (stakes, flagging, paint, etc.) prior to the excavation activities, however as stated above, the excavation contractor did not follow colonial's excavation procedures. To date, remediation activities have resulted in the recovery of approximately 0.21 gallons (0.005 barrels; rounded up to 0.01 on form 7000.1 under part d., item 5b) of petroleum product from monitoring and recovery wells installed near the leak site and 619 barrels (25,991 gallons) recovered in excavated soil. Approximately 63,629 tons of soil were excavated from the area in the vicinity of the leak site and disposed. Remediation activities continue. Any significant changes will be reported in a supplemental report.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2016-11-28 00:00:00
Iyear
2016
Report Number
20160391
Supplemental Number
34613
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
2552
Name
Colonial Pipeline Co
Operator Street Address
1000 Lake St.
Operator City Name
Alpharetta
Operator State Abbreviation
GA
Operator Postal Code
30009
Local Datetime
2016-10-31 14:47:00
Location Latitude
33.204379
Location Longitude
-87.006137
Commodity Released Type
Refined And/or Petroleum Product (Non-Hvl) Which Is A Liquid At Ambient Conditions
Commodity Subtype
Gasoline (Non-Ethanol)
Unintentional Release Bbls
4444.5
Recovered Bbls
619
Fatality Ind
Yes
Num Emp Fatalities
0
Num Contr Fatalities
2
Num Er Fatalities
0
Num Worker Fatalities
0
Num Gp Fatalities
0
Fatal
2
Injury Ind
Yes
Num Emp Injuries
0
Num Contr Injuries
4
Num Er Injuries
0
Num Worker Injuries
0
Num Gp Injuries
0
Injure
4
Accident Identifier
Cpm Leak Detection System Or Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Calculations)
Incident Identified Datetime
2016-10-31 14:47:00
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
On Off Shore
Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2016-10-31 15:00:00
Restart Datetime
2016-11-06 17:45:00
On Site Datetime
2016-10-31 14:47:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2016-10-31 15:56:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1162982
Ignite Ind
Yes
Explode Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Remotely Controlled
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Remotely Controlled
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Pipe Fac Name
Line 01
Segment Name
Collins To Pelham
Onshore State Abbreviation
Al
Onshore Postal Code
35080
Onshore City Name
Helena
Onshore County Name
Shelby
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
485073
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Exposed Due To Excavation
Depth Of Cover
24
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Interstate
Item Involved
Pipe
Pipe Type
Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter
36
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.281
Pipe Smys
52000
Pipe Specification
Api 5l
Pipe Seam Type
Dsaw
Pipe Manufacturer
National Tube
Pipe Coating Type
Asphalt
Installation Year
1961
Manufactured Year
1960
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Mechanical Puncture
Puncture Axial
3
Puncture Circum
3
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Soil Contamination
Yes
Long Term Assessment
Yes
Remediation Ind
Yes
Soil Remed Ind
Yes
Water Contam Ind
Yes
Groundwater Contam Ind
Yes
Amount Released
0.01
Rel Water Name
Groundwater
Could Be Hca
Yes
Commodity Reached Hca
Yes
Usa Ecological Ind
Yes
Usa Ecological Yes No
Yes
Est Cost Oper Paid
7829726
Est Cost Gas Released
333322
Est Cost Prop Damage
2636465
Est Cost Emergency
4901780
Est Cost Environmental
572000
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
16273293
Accident Psig
122
Mop Psig
541
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Length Segment Isolated
147078
Internal Inspection Ind
Yes
Operation Complications Ind
No
Pipeline Function
> 20% Smys Regulated Transmission
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
Yes
Scada Conf Ind
Yes
Cpm In Place Ind
No
Investigation Status
Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply)
Invest No Control Room Ind
Yes
Employee Drug Test Ind
Yes
Contractor Drug Test Ind
Yes
Num Employees Tested
2
Num Employees Failed
0
Num Contractors Tested
4
Num Contractors Failed
0
Cause
Excavation Damage
Cause Details
Excavation Damage By Operator's Contractor (Second Party)
Ex Party Type
Excavation Damage By Operator's Contractor (Second Party)
Notify Cga Dirt
No
Private Row Ind
Yes
Private Subtype
Private Easement
Pipeline Easement Row Ind
Yes
Excavator Type
Contractor
Excavator Equipment
Backhoe/trackhoe
Work Performed
Liquid Pipeline
One Call Notified Ind
Yes
One Call Ticket Num
163001471
Locator Type
Contract Locator
Visible Marks
Yes
Service Interruption
Yes
Service Interruption Hours
147
Root Cause Category
Excavation Issue
Root Cause Type
Improper Excavation Practice Not Listed Above
Preparer Name
M*** P*****
Preparer Title
Manager Pipeline Compliance
Preparer Email
M******@c******.com
Preparer Telephone
678 762 2531
Preparer Fax
678 762 2464
Prepared Date
2020-12-11 00:00:00
Authorizer Name
M*** P*****
Authorizer Telephone
678 762 2531
Authorizer Title
Manager Pipeline Compliance
Authorizer Email
M******@c******.com
Narrative
On october 31, 2016, at approximately 14:47 cdt, personnel of the operations control center observed a loss of pressure from colonial's 36-inch diameter gasoline pipeline (line 1) and began shutdown procedures based on a suspected leak. A subsequent call from field personnel confirmed a product release from line 1 near river road in helena, al that resulted in a fire. Colonial immediately initiated its emergency response plan, including mobilization of response personnel (colonial and contractor) and notification of federal, state, and local emergency response resources, including the national response center. The control center initiated an immediate shutdown of line 1 and line 2 (an adjacent 36-inch diameter pipeline) and isolation of the affected section of line 1 through established procedures. Operations control personnel shutdown product flow in lines 1 and 2 at 15:00 cdt, which isolated a section of line 1 that included the accident location. Colonial field operations crews were dispatched from the colonial pelham junction station at 15:50 cdt to manually close the pipeline product flow control valves (referred to as block valves) on either side of the release site. Line 1 isolation activities were fully completed at 19:10 cdt. The fire resulted in the death of two excavation contractor workers and injuries to four excavation contractor workers at the site, and also damaged nearby equipment and vegetation. Upon suppression of the fire, remediation of the site was initiated. The damaged segment of the line 1 pipe was removed and replaced, and operation of line 1 resumed on november 6, 2016, at 17:45 cdt. The release occurred during scheduled maintenance associated with the repair of line 1 due to a prior incident (cr-91). The maintenance was being conducted on line 1 by employees of an excavation contractor (2nd party damage). The excavation contractor used a track-hoe excavator to excavate soil located directly over the buried line 1 pipe. A contractor work crew was conducting mechanical excavation when the bucket teeth of the excavator struck a thread-o-ring (tor) that was previously installed on the buried pipe, causing that tor to bend and tear from the line 1 pipe. The tearing of the tor from the pipe wall created an approximate 3-inch diameter circular opening in the buried pipe wall, which resulted in the release of gasoline from line 1. A metallurgical examination of the pipe and the tor supports the conclusion that the damage was caused by the excavator bucket teeth applying substantial force to the tor. A contributing root cause was that the 2nd party excavation contractor performing the maintenance work did not follow colonial's excavation procedure, which requires that hand excavation (and not mechanical excavation) occur in close proximity to the pipeline where the location of the buried pipe has not been successfully located through at least two approved methods, such as probing. With specific reference to colonial's responses to questions 14 and 15 in part g3 on this form 7000.1 accident report, the pipeline was properly marked (stakes, flagging, paint, etc.) prior to the excavation activities, however as stated above, the excavation contractor did not follow colonial's excavation procedures. To date, remediation activities have resulted in the recovery of approximately 0.21 gallons (0.005 barrels; rounded up to 0.01 on form 7000.1 under part d., item 5b) of petroleum product from monitoring and recovery wells installed near the leak site and 619 barrels (25,991 gallons) recovered in excavated soil. Approximately 63,629 tons of soil were excavated from the area in the vicinity of the leak site and disposed. Remediation activities continue. Any significant changes will be reported in a supplemental report.
| Report Received Date | 2016-11-28 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2016 |
| Report Number | 20160391 |
| Supplemental Number | 34613 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 2552 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Colonial Pipeline Co |
| Operator Street Address | 1000 Lake St. |
| Operator City Name | Alpharetta |
| Operator State Abbreviation | GA |
| Operator Postal Code | 30009 |
| Local Datetime | 2016-10-31 14:47:00 |
| Location Latitude | 33.204379 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -87.006137 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Commodity Released Type | Refined And/or Petroleum Product (Non-Hvl) Which Is A Liquid At Ambient Conditions |
| Commodity Subtype | Gasoline (Non-Ethanol) |
| Unintentional Release Bbls | 4444.5 |
| Recovered Bbls | 619 |
| Fatality Ind | Yes |
| Num Emp Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Contr Fatalities | 2 |
| Num Er Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Worker Fatalities | 0 |
| Num Gp Fatalities | 0 |
| Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Ind | Yes |
| Num Emp Injuries | 0 |
| Num Contr Injuries | 4 |
| Num Er Injuries | 0 |
| Num Worker Injuries | 0 |
| Num Gp Injuries | 0 |
| Injure | 4 |
| Accident Identifier | Cpm Leak Detection System Or Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Calculations) |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2016-10-31 14:47:00 |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2016-10-31 15:00:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2016-11-06 17:45:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2016-10-31 14:47:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2016-10-31 15:56:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1162982 NRC Report How to search |
| Ignite Ind | Yes |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Remotely Controlled |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Remotely Controlled |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Line 01 |
| Segment Name | Collins To Pelham |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Al |
| Onshore Postal Code | 35080 |
| Onshore City Name | Helena |
| Onshore County Name | Shelby |
| Designated Location | Survey Station No. |
| Designated Name | 485073 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Exposed Due To Excavation |
| Depth Of Cover | 24 |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Interstate |
| Item Involved | Pipe |
| Pipe Type | Pipe Body |
| Pipe Diameter | 36 |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.281 |
| Pipe Smys | 52000 |
| Pipe Specification | Api 5l |
| Pipe Seam Type | Dsaw |
| Pipe Manufacturer | National Tube |
| Pipe Coating Type | Asphalt |
| Installation Year | 1961 |
| Manufactured Year | 1960 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Mechanical Puncture |
| Puncture Axial | 3 |
| Puncture Circum | 3 |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Soil Contamination | Yes |
| Long Term Assessment | Yes |
| Remediation Ind | Yes |
| Soil Remed Ind | Yes |
| Water Contam Ind | Yes |
| Groundwater Contam Ind | Yes |
| Amount Released | 0.01 |
| Rel Water Name | Groundwater |
| Could Be Hca | Yes |
| Commodity Reached Hca | Yes |
| Usa Ecological Ind | Yes |
| Usa Ecological Yes No | Yes |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 7829726 |
| Est Cost Gas Released | 333322 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 2636465 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 4901780 |
| Est Cost Environmental | 572000 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Prpty | 16273293 |
| Accident Psig | 122 |
| Mop Psig | 541 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Length Segment Isolated | 147078 |
| Internal Inspection Ind | Yes |
| Operation Complications Ind | No |
| Pipeline Function | > 20% Smys Regulated Transmission |
| Scada In Place Ind | Yes |
| Scada Operating Ind | Yes |
| Scada Functional Ind | Yes |
| Scada Detection Ind | Yes |
| Scada Conf Ind | Yes |
| Cpm In Place Ind | No |
| Investigation Status | Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply) |
| Invest No Control Room Ind | Yes |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | Yes |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | Yes |
| Num Employees Tested | 2 |
| Num Employees Failed | 0 |
| Num Contractors Tested | 4 |
| Num Contractors Failed | 0 |
| Cause | Excavation Damage |
| Cause Details | Excavation Damage By Operator's Contractor (Second Party) |
| Ex Party Type | Excavation Damage By Operator's Contractor (Second Party) |
| Notify Cga Dirt | No |
| Private Row Ind | Yes |
| Private Subtype | Private Easement |
| Pipeline Easement Row Ind | Yes |
| Excavator Type | Contractor |
| Excavator Equipment | Backhoe/trackhoe |
| Work Performed | Liquid Pipeline |
| One Call Notified Ind | Yes |
| One Call Ticket Num | 163001471 |
| Locator Type | Contract Locator |
| Visible Marks | Yes |
| Service Interruption | Yes |
| Service Interruption Hours | 147 |
| Root Cause Category | Excavation Issue |
| Root Cause Type | Improper Excavation Practice Not Listed Above |
| Preparer Name | M*** P***** |
| Preparer Title | Manager Pipeline Compliance |
| Preparer Email | M******@c******.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 678 762 2531 |
| Preparer Fax | 678 762 2464 |
| Prepared Date | 2020-12-11 00:00:00 |
| Authorizer Name | M*** P***** |
| Authorizer Telephone | 678 762 2531 |
| Authorizer Title | Manager Pipeline Compliance |
| Authorizer Email | M******@c******.com |
| Narrative | On october 31, 2016, at approximately 14:47 cdt, personnel of the operations control center observed a loss of pressure from colonial's 36-inch diameter gasoline pipeline (line 1) and began shutdown procedures based on a suspected leak. A subsequent call from field personnel confirmed a product release from line 1 near river road in helena, al that resulted in a fire. Colonial immediately initiated its emergency response plan, including mobilization of response personnel (colonial and contractor) and notification of federal, state, and local emergency response resources, including the national response center. The control center initiated an immediate shutdown of line 1 and line 2 (an adjacent 36-inch diameter pipeline) and isolation of the affected section of line 1 through established procedures. Operations control personnel shutdown product flow in lines 1 and 2 at 15:00 cdt, which isolated a section of line 1 that included the accident location. Colonial field operations crews were dispatched from the colonial pelham junction station at 15:50 cdt to manually close the pipeline product flow control valves (referred to as block valves) on either side of the release site. Line 1 isolation activities were fully completed at 19:10 cdt. The fire resulted in the death of two excavation contractor workers and injuries to four excavation contractor workers at the site, and also damaged nearby equipment and vegetation. Upon suppression of the fire, remediation of the site was initiated. The damaged segment of the line 1 pipe was removed and replaced, and operation of line 1 resumed on november 6, 2016, at 17:45 cdt. The release occurred during scheduled maintenance associated with the repair of line 1 due to a prior incident (cr-91). The maintenance was being conducted on line 1 by employees of an excavation contractor (2nd party damage). The excavation contractor used a track-hoe excavator to excavate soil located directly over the buried line 1 pipe. A contractor work crew was conducting mechanical excavation when the bucket teeth of the excavator struck a thread-o-ring (tor) that was previously installed on the buried pipe, causing that tor to bend and tear from the line 1 pipe. The tearing of the tor from the pipe wall created an approximate 3-inch diameter circular opening in the buried pipe wall, which resulted in the release of gasoline from line 1. A metallurgical examination of the pipe and the tor supports the conclusion that the damage was caused by the excavator bucket teeth applying substantial force to the tor. A contributing root cause was that the 2nd party excavation contractor performing the maintenance work did not follow colonial's excavation procedure, which requires that hand excavation (and not mechanical excavation) occur in close proximity to the pipeline where the location of the buried pipe has not been successfully located through at least two approved methods, such as probing. With specific reference to colonial's responses to questions 14 and 15 in part g3 on this form 7000.1 accident report, the pipeline was properly marked (stakes, flagging, paint, etc.) prior to the excavation activities, however as stated above, the excavation contractor did not follow colonial's excavation procedures. To date, remediation activities have resulted in the recovery of approximately 0.21 gallons (0.005 barrels; rounded up to 0.01 on form 7000.1 under part d., item 5b) of petroleum product from monitoring and recovery wells installed near the leak site and 619 barrels (25,991 gallons) recovered in excavated soil. Approximately 63,629 tons of soil were excavated from the area in the vicinity of the leak site and disposed. Remediation activities continue. Any significant changes will be reported in a supplemental report. |
External Resources
PHMSA pipeline safety insights.
Product
Features
Company
All rights reserved. Copyright © by ClearPHMSA