Editorial comment
The US Department of Transport’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced a strategic partnership with NASCAR, to increase awareness of the ‘Call 811’ initiative. Members of the American public are urged to call 811 or visit call811.com two days before digging on their property. The service provides homeowners, contractors and other professionals with information about the location of underground utilities. April was declared Safe Digging Month in the US in 2007, and every year the month continues to see increased focus on safety and preventing damage.
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Under the NASCAR partnership, ‘Call 811’ will be displayed on NASCAR vehicles, fire and pit crew suits in more than 30 races during the 2023 season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The National Volunteer Fire Council is also promoting free excavation damage incident training resources to first responders, via a 30 second streaming advert on Spotify.
“Incidents caused by unsafe digging put workers, the public, and first responders at risk – that’s why we’re partnering with NASCAR and states from across the country to raise the public’s awareness about this important safety issue,” said PHMSA Deputy Administrator, Tristan Brown.
Visibility is an important part of this ongoing safety campaign, and it’s as important as ever to push the 811 message: the most recent version of the Common Ground Alliance’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) report identified more than 192 000 damages to underground facilities caused by unsafe digging in the USA in 2021.
In this month’s issue of World Pipelines, our keynote feature focuses on compliance and standards, with safety goals in mind. On p.8, Sara Lyons, Pipeline Accident Investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), argues that compliance with minimum federal safety standards is not enough to eliminate the potential for fatalities and injuries. To achieve its safety goals, she goes on, the pipeline industry must thoroughly study lower consequence events and learn from past mistakes. The article offers valuable insight into the NTSB’s pipeline safety investigation work, and how it (along with PHMSA, the state and pipeline operators) can push for zero deaths from pipeline operations. Read the piece for more details on the Farmersville, Texas accident (2021) in which an explosion took place in a pig launcher; the Danville, Kentucky incident (2019) in which a 30 in. pipeline ruptured; and the Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts overpressurisation accident (2018). By careful examination and documentation of these failures, and others like them, Lyons is convinced that the industry can succeed in eliminating serious accidents.
Also in this issue, Plastometrex considers new ways to meet Mega Rule legislation when it comes to material verification requirements (p.15); Stark Solutions gets technical about product development on quick opening closures (p.21); and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) writes about the importance of routine pipeline inspection, the need for innovative NDT techniques and how the standards for condition assessment of pipelines are evolving.
