OSHA Warns of Cleaning Fuel Gas Pipes with Natural Gas
OSHA has sent a letter to energy companies and gas turbine manufacturers warning them of the hazards of cleaning fuel gas piping systems using natural gas. According to OSHA’ Cooperative Program notice on the issue, OSHA recently issued $16.5 million in penalties against companies involved in the explosion at the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown, Connecticut on February 7, 2010. That explosion, which killed six workers and injured another 50, was triggered by the ignition of pressurized natural gas used to clear newly constructed fuel pipes. OSHA’s warning letter states that this tragedy could have been easily avoided by the exercise of common sense, adherence to OSHA standards and industry safety procedures, and following internal safety rules. The letter also states that the practice of using natural gas blows to clean piping is inherently dangerous. OSHA strongly recommends the use of non-flammable, non-explosive alternative media when it is necessary to use gas to clean piping. Employers involved in building or renovating gas powered electrical generation plants that chose to use a gas blow procedure using natural gas must evaluate and address all potential hazards before and during the blows and take effective action to eliminate employee exposure to those hazards. OSHA will take vigorous enforcement action against employers that fail to follow the law and industry-accepted standards in the course of a fuel system gas blow. For more information, see
OSHA Industry Alert (August 27, 2010): http://www.osha.gov/doc/industryalert_clean.html
OSHA News Release on Kleen Energy Citations, “US Labor Department’s OSHA proposes $16.6 million in fines in connection with fatal Connecticut natural gas explosion” (August 5, 2010): http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=18117