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Serious Pipeline Incidents By Cause

This report is a sub-report of the PHMSA Serious Pipeline Incidents report. As such, it represents only Serious Incidents (A) over the time period and pipeline system specified.

The data source for this table is the PHMSA Filtered Incident Files.(1) (2) (3)

Where appropriate, the table columns can be sorted by clicking the corresponding column header.

More Pipeline Incidents and Mileage Reports are available.

Important Update: As of October 2009, these reports were modified to exclude Gas Distribution incidents where fire/explosion was the primary cause of failure, such as a house fire that subsequently resulted in - but was not caused by - a distribution line failure (B)
National All Pipeline Systems: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % of Total
CORROSION
CORROSION, EXTERNAL 3 6.6%
Sub Total 3 6.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE 3 6.6%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 10 22.2%
Sub Total 13 28.8%
INCORRECT OPERATION
INCORRECT OPERATION 2 4.4%
Sub Total 2 4.4%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
THREADS STRIPPED, BROKEN PIPE COUPLING 1 2.2%
Sub Total 1 2.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT 1 2.2%
Sub Total 1 2.2%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
CAR, TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLE NOT RELATED TO... 5 11.1%
RUPTURE OF PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED PIPE 1 2.2%
VANDALISM 1 2.2%
Sub Total 7 15.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 4 8.8%
UNKNOWN 14 31.1%
Sub Total 18 40.0%
Totals 45 100.0%
National, All Pipeline Systems, 2007
National Hazardous Liquid: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % of Total
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 2 40.0%
Sub Total 2 40.0%
INCORRECT OPERATION
INCORRECT OPERATION 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
VANDALISM 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
UNKNOWN 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
Totals 5 100.0%
National, Hazardous Liquid, 2007
National Hazardous Liquid Onshore: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % of Total
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 2 40.0%
Sub Total 2 40.0%
INCORRECT OPERATION
INCORRECT OPERATION 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
VANDALISM 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
UNKNOWN 1 20.0%
Sub Total 1 20.0%
Totals 5 100.0%
National, Hazardous Liquid Onshore, 2007

No Data Available

National Gas Transmission: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % of Total
CORROSION
CORROSION, EXTERNAL 2 25.0%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE 1 12.5%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 1 12.5%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
INCORRECT OPERATION
INCORRECT OPERATION 1 12.5%
Sub Total 1 12.5%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
RUPTURE OF PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED PIPE 1 12.5%
Sub Total 1 12.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 2 25.0%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
Totals 8 100.0%
National, Gas Transmission, 2007
National Gas Transmission Onshore: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % of Total
CORROSION
CORROSION, EXTERNAL 2 25.0%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE 1 12.5%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 1 12.5%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
INCORRECT OPERATION
INCORRECT OPERATION 1 12.5%
Sub Total 1 12.5%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
RUPTURE OF PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED PIPE 1 12.5%
Sub Total 1 12.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 2 25.0%
Sub Total 2 25.0%
Totals 8 100.0%
National, Gas Transmission Onshore, 2007

No Data Available

No Data Available

National Gas Distribution: Serious Incident Details: 2007
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % of Total
CORROSION
CORROSION, EXTERNAL 1 3.1%
Sub Total 1 3.1%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE 2 6.2%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE 7 21.8%
Sub Total 9 28.1%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
THREADS STRIPPED, BROKEN PIPE COUPLING 1 3.1%
Sub Total 1 3.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT 1 3.1%
Sub Total 1 3.1%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
CAR, TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLE NOT RELATED TO... 5 15.6%
Sub Total 5 15.6%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 2 6.2%
UNKNOWN 13 40.6%
Sub Total 15 46.8%
Totals 32 100.0%
National, Gas Distribution, 2007

Notes

  1. Serious Incidents are those incidents reported by pipeline operators involving a fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization.
  2. Gas Distribution incidents where fire/explosion was the primary cause of failure, such as a house fire that subsequently resulted in - but was not caused by - a distribution line failure are excluded from 2004 onward. This exclusion has not been applied in years prior to 2004 due to difficulty in identifying these types of events with the older report formats.
  3. PHMSA has gathered increasingly targeted incident cause data over time. As such, the available reportable categories of cause (eg: Internal/External Corrosion vs Corrosion in general) have increased over time. This report spans time periods over which the reportable cause categories have changed. The cause categories in this report should be taken as general and not specific for years prior to 2002 for Liquid and Gas Transmission, and prior to 2004 for Gas Distribution.

Sources

  1. PHMSA Hazardous Liquid Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009
  2. PHMSA Gas Transmission Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009
  3. PHMSA Gas Distribution Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009

See Pipeline Incidents and Mileage Reports for more pipeline safety reports.

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