Inspection Detail

Inspection: 108977307 - Ohio Bell Telephone Company

Inspection Information - Office: Columbus Area Office

Investigation Summary

Ohio Bell hired Town and Country Industries as a subcontractor to lay fiber optic cable from Lancaster to Zanesville, Ohio. On the morning of August 19, 1992, the contractor made a crossing of three large natural gas lines belonging to Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation. The lines run from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey. The crossing went without incident. The company knew that it would cross the same lines again just ahead. At approximately 4:45 p.m., two employees who were pre-ripping the cable path struck one of the unmarked gas lines. There was an explosion and fire. Employees #1 and #2 were incinerated. The Texas Eastern gas line was 26 inches in diameter and pressure in the line is estimated to have been between 800 and 1,000 psi. Employee #1 was operating the bulldozer-ripping machine. Employee #2 was walking alongside the piece of equipment looking for flags or markers. At the time of the accident, he was being trained by Employee #1.

Keywords: EXPLOSION, BURN, FIRE, PIPELINE, TELECOM WORK, COMMUNICATION CABLE, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, HIGH PRESSURE