Bituminous Insurance Companies
Release Date: June 23, 2010
Between 2000 and 2009, excavation damage was the leading cause of all significant pipeline incidents. These excavation damages resulted in 38 fatalities, 158 injuries, and $196 million in property damage.
Excavation damage is a serious safety threat to the public and to workers whose jobs require them to dig underground. The Department of Transportation (DOT) just issued a press release entitled,
"DOT Reminds Excavators About the Dangers Involved in Digging Underground." http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot11610.html.
The release follows two separate incidents within the last two weeks involving excavation workers and high-pressure energy pipelines in the State of Texas. On June 7, local utility crews using heavy equipment during an excavation assignment in Cleburne, Texas struck a natural gas pipeline. The incident resulted in one death and six injuries. Additionally, on June 8, a natural gas gathering pipeline was struck and ruptured by employees of a construction company attempting to extract kaliche clay near Darrouzette, Texas. The incident resulted in the deaths of two workers and serious injuries to three others. Investigations into the causes of each incident are being conducted to determine whether the state's One-Call Center was notified and the pipelines involved were properly marked.
One of the primary tools for avoiding damages to pipelines and other underground facilities is timely communication between excavators and those who operate or own buried facilities. When contacting One-Call Centers, excavators should be able to properly identify areas of planned digging activities to ensure all utilities are accounted for before work commences. The One-Call Center then contacts utility companies to dispatch crews that locate and mark the exact location of their utilities to avoid unintentional contact.
The DOT strongly encourages people to call 811 before digging. Dialing 811, the national three-digit "Call-Before-You Dig" number and a free service, connects excavators anywhere in the country to One-Call Centers who, in turn, alert utility owners of planned digging activities.
Through its Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the DOT continues to push for the widespread use of 811 to help provide additional protections for underground facilities and excavators. For more information on the department’s efforts to reduce excavation damage to pipelines, visit the PHMSA website at: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/DamagePrevention.htm.
For more information on calling 811 before you dig, visit: http://www.call811.com.
COPYRIGHT ©2010, ISO Services Properties, Inc.
The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.