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State-specific information:

Significant Pipeline Incidents By Cause

This report is a sub-report of the Alaska Significant Incident and Mileage Overview 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)
Alaska All Pipeline Systems: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 1 4.5% 0 0 $595,075 4.4%
Sub Total 1 4.5% 0 0 $595,075 4.4%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 2 9.0% 0 1 $148,884 1.1%
Sub Total 2 9.0% 0 1 $148,884 1.1%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 2 9.0% 0 0 $476,060 3.5%
Sub Total 2 9.0% 0 0 $476,060 3.5%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 10 45.4% 0 0 $7,325,912 55.1%
Sub Total 10 45.4% 0 0 $7,325,912 55.1%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
CAR, TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLE NOT RELATED TO... 1 4.5% 0 1 $50,964 0.3%
Sub Total 1 4.5% 0 1 $50,964 0.3%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 1 4.5% 0 0 $478,301 3.6%
VARIOUS 5 22.7% 0 0 $4,221,162 31.7%
Sub Total 6 27.2% 0 0 $4,699,463 35.3%
Totals 22 100.0% 0 2 $13,296,359 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, All Pipeline Systems, 1999-2008
Alaska Hazardous Liquid: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $595,075 11.6%
Sub Total 1 20.0% 0 0 $595,075 11.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 2 40.0% 0 0 $476,060 9.3%
Sub Total 2 40.0% 0 0 $476,060 9.3%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $478,301 9.3%
VARIOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $3,570,451 69.7%
Sub Total 2 40.0% 0 0 $4,048,752 79.0%
Totals 5 100.0% 0 0 $5,119,887 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Hazardous Liquid, 1999-2008
Alaska Hazardous Liquid Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $595,075 11.6%
Sub Total 1 20.0% 0 0 $595,075 11.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS 2 40.0% 0 0 $476,060 9.3%
Sub Total 2 40.0% 0 0 $476,060 9.3%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $478,301 9.3%
VARIOUS 1 20.0% 0 0 $3,570,451 69.7%
Sub Total 2 40.0% 0 0 $4,048,752 79.0%
Totals 5 100.0% 0 0 $5,119,887 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Hazardous Liquid Onshore, 1999-2008

No Data Available

Alaska Gas Transmission: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 2 100.0% 0 0 $243,275 100.0%
Sub Total 2100.0% 0 0 $243,275100.0%
Totals 2 100.0% 0 0 $243,275 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Gas Transmission, 1999-2008
Alaska Gas Transmission Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 2 100.0% 0 0 $243,275 100.0%
Sub Total 2100.0% 0 0 $243,275100.0%
Totals 2 100.0% 0 0 $243,275 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Gas Transmission Onshore, 1999-2008

No Data Available

Alaska Gas Gathering: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
CAR, TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLE NOT RELATED TO... 1 100.0% 0 1 $50,964 100.0%
Sub Total 1100.0% 0 1 $50,964100.0%
Totals 1 100.0% 0 1 $50,964 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Gas Gathering, 1999-2008
Alaska Gas Distribution: Significant Incident Details: 1999-2008
Reported Cause of Incident (C) Number (B) % Fatalities Injuries Property Damage (D) (E) % of Property Damage
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS 2 14.2% 0 1 $148,884 1.8%
Sub Total 2 14.2% 0 1 $148,884 1.8%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS 10 71.4% 0 0 $7,325,912 92.9%
Sub Total 10 71.4% 0 0 $7,325,912 92.9%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS 2 14.2% 0 0 $407,435 5.1%
Sub Total 2 14.2% 0 0 $407,435 5.1%
Totals 14 100.0% 0 1 $7,882,232 100.0%
Export Table
Alaska, Gas Distribution, 1999-2008

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.

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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