Citation

Douglass M. APWA Reporter 1988; 55(8): 12.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, American Public Works Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Damage caused by excavators is the largest single cause of death and injury attributed to pipelines. Legislation and regulations now being considered are aimed at reduced incidents of damage and thereby improving the overall safety record of gas and hazardous-liquid pipelines. These include requiring hazardous-liquid operators to create or participate in one-call systems, as is already the case with gas pipelines; extending US DOT damage-prevention requirements to all buried on-shore gas and hazardous-liquid pipelines, not just urban gas lines; and requiring US DOT to issue regulations establishing minimum requirements for operation of one-call systems, including qualifications, notice of construction-related activity, contents of such notice, and responses by the one-call system and pipeline operator. Since US DOT does not have legislation that would give it jurisdiction over excavators, adoption at the state level of legislation requiring excavators to contact the appropriate one-call system before excavating to ascertain the exact location of any underground pipelines or utilities.

Keywords: Pipeline transportation