Abstract: On May 2, 2000, Employees #1 and three coworkers were on a crew retiring a section of pipe. In the morning, they successfully removed a section of pipe. During the afternoon, they were preparing to weld a metal cap onto a portion of the pipe. The welders had lined up the cap and were waiting on the signal to proceed from the competent person supervising the operation. The supervisor tested for the presence of natural gas inside the pipe. Although natural gas was detected, he did not stop the operation nor did he remove the crew from the excavation. Employee #1 struck the arc and the gas exploded into flames, burning him and the three coworkers. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital and was later transferred to a facility in Houston, where he died on June 6, 2000.