PHMSA Pipeline Safety Program

Stakeholder Communications

Home General Public Local Officials State Regulators Federal Agencies Emergency Officials Advocates Industry Excavators
Print
Safety Reports

Site Pages

Pipeline Basics

Safety Standards

Inspection

Enforcement

Incident & Mileage Reports

Damage Prevention

Alternative Fuels

Community Assistance and Technical Services

Land Use Planning

Public Meetings

Public Awareness

Liquefied Natural Gas

Pipeline Library

Pipeline Glossary

Links

State-specific information:

Significant Pipeline Incidents By Cause

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

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

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: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 60 21.5% 1 5 $5,298,636 6.6%
Sub Total 60 21.5% 1 5 $5,298,636 6.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 92 32.9% 7 38 $19,334,719 24.2%
Sub Total 92 32.9% 7 38 $19,334,719 24.2%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 15 5.3% 1 12 $192,124 0.2%
Sub Total 15 5.3% 1 12 $192,124 0.2%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 38 13.6% 2 7 $24,088,893 30.2%
Sub Total 38 13.6% 2 7 $24,088,893 30.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 20 7.1% 1 12 $5,357,928 6.7%
Sub Total 20 7.1% 1 12 $5,357,928 6.7%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 54 19.3% 2 24 $25,349,072 31.8%
Sub Total 54 19.3% 2 24 $25,349,072 31.8%
Totals 279 100.0% 14 98 $79,621,375 100.0%
Export Table
National, All Pipeline Systems, 1991
National Hazardous Liquid: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 47 28.3% 0 0 $2,602,603 4.8%
Sub Total 47 28.3% 0 0 $2,602,603 4.8%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 42 25.3% 0 1 $10,376,919 19.3%
Sub Total 42 25.3% 0 1 $10,376,919 19.3%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 11 6.6% 0 5 $156,003 0.2%
Sub Total 11 6.6% 0 5 $156,003 0.2%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 31 18.6% 0 0 $15,012,842 27.9%
Sub Total 31 18.6% 0 0 $15,012,842 27.9%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 5 3.0% 0 0 $2,416,668 4.5%
Sub Total 5 3.0% 0 0 $2,416,668 4.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 30 18.0% 0 3 $23,126,908 43.0%
Sub Total 30 18.0% 0 3 $23,126,908 43.0%
Totals 166 100.0% 0 9 $53,691,945 100.0%
Export Table
National, Hazardous Liquid, 1991
National Hazardous Liquid Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 47 28.3% 0 0 $2,602,603 4.8%
Sub Total 47 28.3% 0 0 $2,602,603 4.8%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 41 24.7% 0 1 $9,437,773 17.5%
Sub Total 41 24.7% 0 1 $9,437,773 17.5%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 11 6.6% 0 5 $156,003 0.2%
Sub Total 11 6.6% 0 5 $156,003 0.2%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 31 18.6% 0 0 $15,012,842 27.9%
Sub Total 31 18.6% 0 0 $15,012,842 27.9%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 5 3.0% 0 0 $2,416,668 4.5%
Sub Total 5 3.0% 0 0 $2,416,668 4.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 30 18.0% 0 3 $23,126,908 43.0%
Sub Total 30 18.0% 0 3 $23,126,908 43.0%
Totals 165 99.4% 0 9 $52,752,799 98.2%
Export Table
National, Hazardous Liquid Onshore, 1991
National Hazardous Liquid Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 1 0.6% 0 0 $939,145 1.7%
Sub Total 1 0.6% 0 0 $939,145 1.7%
Totals 1 0.6% 0 0 $939,145 1.7%
Export Table
National, Hazardous Liquid Offshore, 1991
National Gas Transmission: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 7 24.1% 0 0 $2,298,702 14.9%
Sub Total 7 24.1% 0 0 $2,298,702 14.9%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 12 41.3% 0 5 $2,561,927 16.7%
Sub Total 12 41.3% 0 5 $2,561,927 16.7%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 2 6.9% 0 0 $8,772,634 57.2%
Sub Total 2 6.9% 0 0 $8,772,634 57.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 2 6.9% 0 0 $484,021 3.1%
Sub Total 2 6.9% 0 0 $484,021 3.1%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 6 20.6% 0 6 $1,218,000 7.9%
Sub Total 6 20.6% 0 6 $1,218,000 7.9%
Totals 29 100.0% 0 11 $15,335,286 100.0%
Export Table
National, Gas Transmission, 1991
National Gas Transmission Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 5 17.2% 0 0 $1,978,237 12.9%
Sub Total 5 17.2% 0 0 $1,978,237 12.9%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 12 41.3% 0 5 $2,561,927 16.7%
Sub Total 12 41.3% 0 5 $2,561,927 16.7%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 2 6.9% 0 0 $8,772,634 57.2%
Sub Total 2 6.9% 0 0 $8,772,634 57.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 2 6.9% 0 0 $484,021 3.1%
Sub Total 2 6.9% 0 0 $484,021 3.1%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 6 20.6% 0 6 $1,218,000 7.9%
Sub Total 6 20.6% 0 6 $1,218,000 7.9%
Totals 27 93.1% 0 11 $15,014,820 97.9%
Export Table
National, Gas Transmission Onshore, 1991
National Gas Transmission Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 2 6.9% 0 0 $320,465 2.0%
Sub Total 2 6.9% 0 0 $320,465 2.0%
Totals 2 6.9% 0 0 $320,465 2.0%
Export Table
National, Gas Transmission Offshore, 1991
National Gas Gathering: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 3 75.0% 0 1 $357,164 45.1%
Sub Total 3 75.0% 0 1 $357,164 45.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 1 25.0% 0 0 $433,451 54.8%
Sub Total 1 25.0% 0 0 $433,451 54.8%
Totals 4 100.0% 0 1 $790,616 100.0%
Export Table
National, Gas Gathering, 1991
National Gas Distribution: Significant Incident Details: 1991
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 6 7.5% 1 5 $397,330 4.0%
Sub Total 6 7.5% 1 5 $397,330 4.0%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 35 43.7% 7 31 $6,038,708 61.6%
Sub Total 35 43.7% 7 31 $6,038,708 61.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 4 5.0% 1 7 $36,121 0.3%
Sub Total 4 5.0% 1 7 $36,121 0.3%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS 5 6.2% 2 7 $303,416 3.1%
Sub Total 5 6.2% 2 7 $303,416 3.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 12 15.0% 1 12 $2,023,787 20.6%
Sub Total 12 15.0% 1 12 $2,023,787 20.6%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 18 22.5% 2 15 $1,004,163 10.2%
Sub Total 18 22.5% 2 15 $1,004,163 10.2%
Totals 80 100.0% 14 77 $9,803,527 100.0%
Export Table
National, Gas Distribution, 1991

Notes

  1. Significant Incidents are those incidents reported by pipeline operators with any of the following conditions are met: 1) fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization. 2) $50,000 or more in total costs, measured in 1984 dollars. 3) highly volatile liquid releases of 5 barrels or more or other liquid releases of 50 barrels or more. 4) liquid releases resulting in an unintentional fire or explosion. Note: Significant Incidents include all Serious Incidents. Unless otherwise noted, any counts of Significant Incidents also include Serious Incidents.
  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.
  4. The costs for incidents prior to 2008 are presented in 2008 dollars. Cost of Gas lost is indexed via the Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas City Gate Prices. All other costs are adjusted via the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Government Printing Office inflation values.
  5. For years 2002 and later, property damage is estimated as the sum of all public and private costs reported in the 30-day incident report. For years prior to 2002, accident report forms did not include a breakdown of public and private costs so property damage for these years is the reported total property damage field in the report. All costs prior to 2008 are expressed in 2008 dollars.
  6. Does not include 1,851 injuries that required medical treatment reported for the October, 1994 accidents that were caused by severe flooding near Houston, Texas.

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.

Feedback | Information Highlights Directory | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy | ©2005-2009 PHMSA | PHMSA Home | Generated: 11/05/09 11:13:21 AM