| UNCC
News - Posted: January 16, 2008...
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Key Practices to Reduce
Pipeline Excavation Accidents:
Las Vegas, Nevada -
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V.
Rosenker said that while pipeline and gas line
excavation related accidents continue to occur, the
Safety Board has identified three key components to
reducing these types of accidents.
Addressing the Damage
Prevention Conference in Las Vegas this week, an event
focused on reducing accidents involving buried
pipelines, gas lines and cables, Rosenker said
improvements in practices with excavations and one-call
notifications, along with faster damage reporting will
all make major contributions to pipeline safety.
Applauding the
effectiveness of the 811 national one-call number, which
has been promoted as the National Call-Before-You-Dig
Number, Rosenker called for its continued promotion to
encourage widespread use. He noted that of the
49,000 reported incidents of excavation damage to gas
lines in 2006, one-call centers were not contacted in
more than half of them. "There is no excuse for
not calling the one-call before digging," Rosenker said.
Rosenker also
highlighted the progress made in reporting practices
that emerged from the recommendations the NTSB made
after its investigation of a 1998 gas line accident in
Minnesota that killed 4 and injured 11. There are
now pipeline damage reporting best practices that advise
excavators to immediately notify the pipeline operator
if their work damages a pipeline, and to notify local
authorities if the damage results in a release of
natural gas or other hazardous substance.
Rosenker concluded his
remarks by talking about the challenges facing those
involved in excavations in an environment made
increasingly complex by a growing web of underground
facilities. "Today, there are more people, more
homes, more schools, more businesses and more
underground facilities. Nevertheless, excavation
damage is preventable. We must be more vigilant
than ever before."
The full text of
Chairman Rosenker's speech is available at
http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches/rosenker/mvr071206.html
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