Horizontal Directional Drilling Safety and Resources

GAS Hit? CALL 911

Overview

Detection and Assessment

The first step in managing a drilling gas leak is to detect and assess the situation:

  • Implement a Directed Inspection and Maintenance program to identify fugitive gas leaks: infrared cameras, organic vapor analyzers, ultrasonic leak detectors, telemetry

  • Document monitoring and detection plan

Immediate Response

Once a leak is detected, immediate action is crucial:

  • Activate emergency response protocols and alert relevant personnel.

  • If possible, isolate the leaking section to prevent further gas release.

  • Evacuate non-essential personnel from the area to ensure safety.

Containment and Control

Containing and controlling the leak is the next priority:

  • Use appropriate equipment and techniques to stop or minimize the gas flow.

Safety Measures

Ensuring safety during the leak management process is paramount:

  • Restrict vehicle speeds to 10 mph on-site to reduce the risk of ignition

  • Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for all personnel involved in the response.

  • Monitor gas levels continuously in the surrounding area.

Environmental Protection

Minimizing environmental impact is a key consideration:

  • Use diversion dikes, containment diking, and curbing to reduce exposure of stormwater runoff to affected areas

  • Implement sediment traps, swales, and mulching to reduce contamination of runoff

Long-term Solutions

After the immediate crisis is managed, focus on long-term solutions:

  • Conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the leak.

  • Implement or update preventive measures

Reporting and Documentation

Proper reporting and documentation are essential:

  • Report the incident to relevant regulatory authorities as required.

  • Document all actions taken during the leak management process for future reference and potential legal purposes.

Plan Details

Stop everything

  • Once a gas leak is suspected, stop all activities in the area, make the area safe, investigate and verify.

Be safe, make other people safe

  • Isolate the involved area

  • Primary concern being for an explosion

  • Secondary concern for gas exposure/inhalation/oxygen displacement

Stop the leak

  • Clamp, occlude, or otherwise stop the gas from getting to the breech and escaping

Notification

  • 911

    • Scripting: :I am ____ with ___; we are drilling to install fiberoptic conduit and believe there has been a gas line hit. The closest address is: LOCATION.

    • What other information needs to be communicated?

    • Work with and follow direction of emergency response crews

  • Supervisor/ICS upper management

    • List phone numbers here

      • #

      • #

      • #

    • Supervisor to then coordinate with ICS upper management

  • Public Service Emergency line

    • Call: #

    • Select options for “Emergency”; there should not be any significant hold time.

Monitor

  • Make sure there is no further leaking; from other sites or failed clamp/initial occlusion measures

Locate and expose damaged line

  • Coordinate and assist Public Services as needed

Gas line repair

  • Coordinate and assist Public Services as needed

Record relevant data

  • As able: times, calls, involved agencies and specific people, pictures, initial drill plan and how the shot developed

Area Restoration

  • Coordinate with public services

Debrief, review, and re-plan

Who determines the process to get to the leak:

  • Where is the leak

  • Has it been shut off or occluded

  • When is it safe to approach with more aggressive repair measures

  • Who monitors to make sure the proper lines have been identified and nothing has been missed

  • How would getting the drill out of the area be done; how is coordination with WPS to proceed; who clears the line, extracts the drill, etc…

  • Who is the initial Incident commander and when/how do they hand off

  • How does line repair play out?

  • How is data collected and compiled from the event.

Ameren Illinois and Sure Shot Communications Event Findings

  • There was no written contract between the companies for the work performed on the day of the accident or past work.

  • Sure Shot did not have either a written project plan or an emergency response plans for the work.

  • The company did not have qualification and training records for the employees performing directional drilling.

  • The day of the accident was the first field work day for the employee-in-charge (crew leader) of the directional drilling crew.

  • Sure Shot personnel did not excavate a concrete sidewalk atop the gas line before drilling. Illinois law required such drilling is to be inspected visually while in progress.

  • NTSB faulted Sure Shot and Ameren for not evacuating the area adequately once the gas line breach was discovered.

  • Nobody from Sure Shot or Ameren called the 911 emergency telephone number. Those representatives believed JULIE would handle that, although state law mandates the excavator also call 911.

Ameren enhanced how they communicate internally and with first responders.:

  • Emphasizing immediate internal dialogue when an uncontrolled gas emergency is detected

  • Establishing an incident command structure to work with emergency agencies

  • Prioritizing real-time communication once Ameren field responders complete an initial on-site assessment.

ICC review of the incident found three violations of federal safety regulations. It said:

  • Ameren failed to have up-to-date information on the facility map used by personnel on the scene

  • They did not have a written manual of procedures for conducting maintenance work and for emergency responses

  • They failed to minimize potential hazards from a gas pipeline emergency.

  • Natural Gas Guidance Overview (Wetland Considerations)

    This seems geared towards crossing wet lands or other protected land, but there are basic considerations outlined here that pertain to all forms/locations of HDD and can be used as reference.

    • Plan and provide basic information for each crossing. Basic crossing information should include, but is not limited to:

    1. crossing name

    2. location

    3. length

    4. subsurface conditions

    5. sensitive environmental resources crossed or in close proximity

    6. unique features or conditions that may increase risk of drill failure, IR of drilling fluids, or cross contamination by existing sources of contamination.

    • Each person involved in HDD operations should be familiar with the locations of IR containment equipment and materials, and the specific procedures for handling IRs.

    • Inspect each drill path prior to construction. Any site-specific condition(s) that impedes the ability to conduct the visual and pedestrian field inspection of any portion of a drill path should be identified, and a site-specific modification to the proposed inspection routine should be developed for that location. You should incorporate modifications into site-specific HDD crossing plans prior to construction and communicate these modifications to HDD contractors

    • Plan should describe how landowners would be notified of HDD activities, as well as the content and timing of this notification.

    Describe how and when regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over the crossing(s) (including the FERC) would be notified of the planned initiation of HDD activity

  • Verita safety considerations

Does Mastec or Push have any safety protocols they could share?