Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CUTS

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to the hazard of: a) For the period of time up to and including 27 Sep 04, the employer did not always ensure and verify that pressure vessels used within the pumping system were properly manufactured, inspected and capable of operating at required pressures. A compression dampener of non-code origin was used as a baffle to control hose movement during pumping operations, ruptured due to imperfections exceeding standard allowance for defects and the incorrect sized material. This exposed employees to the hazards and injuries related to the sudden and unexpected release of pressure (500-2000psi). According to ASTM A53/A 53M-01, "Standard Specification for Pipe, Steel, Black and Hot-Dipped, Zinc-Coated, Welded and Seamless", Paragraph 14.2, it states that: "Surface imperfections that penetrate more than 12.5of the nominal wall thickness or encroach on the minimum wall thickness shall be considered defects. Pipe with defects shall be given one of the following dispositions: 1.The defect shall be removed by grinding... 2....are permitted to be repaired in accordance with welding procedures of [paragraph] 14.5 [of this standard]. 3.The sections of pipe containing the defect may be cut out..., or 4.Rejected." Pitting seen along the rupture surface show pitting varing in depths between 28.5and 42.8of the nominal wall thickness of the pipe. According to ASTM A53/A 53M-01, "Standard Specification for Pipe, Steel, Black and Hot-Dipped, Zinc-Coated, Welded and Seamless", Table X2.2, it states that the nominal wall thickness for a 6", Sch 80 pipe is .432". Sch 80 pipe was identified on the shop drawing as the type of pipe section used for the construction of the dampener. Thickness measurements at the incident site identified a wall thickness of approx .250" along the entire 11" rupture surface, indicating a Sch 40 pipe. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard would be to: 1.Assure that pressure vessels used in conjunction with the pumping system are manufactured by ASME Pressure Vessel certified manufacturers 2.Perform Non-destructive testing of any pressure vessels used with the pumping system using the requirements set by API Recommended Practice RP510, "Pressure Vessel Inspection Code" or Section V of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. DISCLAIMERS: 1) You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above. 2) The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases. 3) The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an appropriate method.iate