Page 16 - Louisiana811

Safe on Land or Water?
How many of you think of yourselves as an underwater excavator? Ask yourself - Does ANY of your work touch water or a waterway? The biggest challenge is making sure ALL types
of excavation either on land or in the water is done safely. A “waterway” is any water: stream, creek, river, lake, ocean, marsh. Landlocked states should be just as engaged because if there
are utilities below, a ticket should be created, and proper considerations need to be taken. Preventing loss of life, injury and environmental pollution, and destruction of assets is
the mandate and focus of the
“Pipeline Task Force” whose
efforts can be applied to any
utility. This national task force
is co-chaired by Ed Landgraf,
Texas811’s Director of Marine Operations and Safety and
Devon Carlock, President of
the Dredging Safety Council
and meets quarterly.
The Pipeline Task Force
working group consisted of
over 50 diverse participants representing the dredge,
marine construction, 811,
pipeline, PHMSA, NTSB, and
US Coast Guard sectors. The
recent agendas have been to
enhance Best Practices and training
as recommended by the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) findings from the August 21, 2020, Corpus Christi incident. The accident killed five crewmen after a cutter suction dredge struck a propane pipeline in the Inner Harbor. The gas
ignited, causing an explosion aboard
the dredge. NTSB investigators released their findings outlining events leading up to the Port of Corpus Christi dredge explosion. The NTSB report finds
the incident was caused by a series of events that began when the dredge vessel hit an underwater propane pipeline and ended in the deaths of five of its crew and others injured after the dredge originally caught fire. The report continues to give an account of the fire reigniting later that night, precipitating the dredge sinking overnight. The task force evaluated the NTSB findings,
By Ed Landgraf Texas811
Force is to expand each of the topics and spur action through enhanced
best practices, education, and training with the hope of being recognized as consistent national practices across the Dredge, Marine Construction, Pipeline, Regulatory, 811, and Agency stakeholder groups.
The task force meetings formed breakout teams to dive deeper into the 5 key topic areas identified:
• Enhanced Training and Education • Modify Marine Tolerance Zones
• Mapping, Survey and Marking
• One Call, Damage Prevention for Underwater Excavation
• Project Communications, Design and Planning
The goal is to expand each
of these 5 areas to spur
action through enhanced
best practices, education, and training with the hope of being recognized as consistent national practices across the industry.
Sneak Peak – soon you
will hear of a new program called MarineSafe811 this is under
development for release in Q3 2023. It’s a one-stop shop “Center of Excellence” for underwater safety and dam-age prevention.
For more information on marine excavation and safety contact Ed Landgraf at ed@texas811.org
14 • Louisiana 811 2023, Issue 3
Weeks Clamshell at Tappan Zee Bridge, NY
recommendations, current dredge, and pipeline company positions and captured feedback from the Pipeline Task Force stakeholders resulting
in over 40 proactive suggestions. A consensus was reached to expand on key topics to enhance safety and reduce risks. The goal of the Pipeline Task
Members of the Pipeline Task Force