Federal Safety Board Calls On Feds, State And Industry To Prevent Gas Explosions

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board held a public meeting last night to discuss its four-month investigation into the deadly accident at the Kleen Energy site in Middletown. The Board also voted to issue new safety recommendations. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.

The gas explosion in Middletown took the lives of six workers. It occurred moments after large volumes of natural gas were blown through pipes at very high pressure and released into the atmosphere. This is a common practice to clean debris out of pipes so as not to damage the turbines at power plants

The Chemical Safety Board says although the gas was vented outside at Kleen Energy, it was released into a highly congested area, with ignition sources nearby.

The CSB reports on the day of explosion workers did not have a safety meeting to discuss procedures for gas blows.

Now the Board is urging OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to ban venting natural gas at high pressure, both indoors and out at work sites. But the former chair of the Board, John Bresland, told Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro at a hearing on Workforce Protection that OSHA told him it could take five years to create new regulations.

“Developing regulations in OSHA is a very lengthy process,” said Bresland.

“Does it have to be that way?” asked Congresswoman DeLauro.

“I think you may want to talk to them and find out why it is that way,” answered Bresland. “But perhaps a legislative approach to this would be a more direct and faster way to do it.”

In addition, to suggesting that Connecticut ban the venting of fuel, the CSB is also calling on the National Fire Protection Association to recommend that air or a mechanical device, known as a pig, be used to clean gas pipes.

The Safety Board is calling on companies that produce turbines used at gas plants, including General Electric, to warn their customers against blowing natural gas to clean pipes.

For WNPR I’m Nancy Cohen.