ARCHIVED – NEB SA 2005-01 Faulty Equipment

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NEB SA 2005-01 Faulty Equipment [PDF 186 KB]

File 9700-A000-1-30
3 March 2005

To: All companies under National Energy Board jurisdiction,
Canadian Energy Pipeline Association,
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, and
provincial regulators

Subject: National Energy Board Safety Advisory
NEB SA 2005-01

Attached is a safety advisory regarding the hazards associated with the use of faulty tools and equipment. The Board expects that this advisory be given wide circulation to personnel involved in construction, maintenance and pipeline operation within your organization.

If you have any questions regarding this Advisory, please contact us toll free at 1-800-899-1265.

Yours truly,

Michel L. Mantha
Secretary

Attachment


Safety Advisory
NEB SA 2005-01

March 2005

Faulty Equipment

Incident Description

The fuel line of a jumping jack caught fire while it was being used to compact clay around a piping manifold at an oil transmission facility.

Both the fuel line and the electrical wiring on the jumping jack were burnt. It is suspected that electrical wiring for a stop button may have either broken and punctured the adjacent fuel line or may have overheated and burned through the fuel line. The stop button was not functional and the equipment had not been removed from service. The workers were using the fuel shut-off to shut down the machine. In reality, the defective equipment should have been removed from site.

This incident did not result in injuries to workers; however, there is a potential for harm to workers and to property.

Cause of the Incident

The cause of this incident was the use of defective equipment. Though it is unknown what motivated the workers to use the equipment with the stop button malfunctioning, it could be suggested that it is fairly common for people to "make do" with the minor nuisances of a broken shut off button if they could shut the equipment down using another means.

Preventive Actions

Supervisors and management need to emphasize that defective equipment, no matter how trivial the defect seems, needs to be removed from site for immediate replacement and/or repair.

For further information regarding this advisory please contact the National Energy Board at 403-292-4800 and ask for assistance from staff in Operations Compliance.

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