A Williams Companies subsidiary is facing a $1.6 million fine over the October, 2015 blast that killed four workers at its Louisiana operation.
The fine against Transcontinental Pipeline was proposed July 29 by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and accused the firm of failing to include relevant facts when notifying the National Response Center about the incident.
“The operator failed to provide all significant facts relevant to the extent of the incident when it gave notice to the National Response Center,” cited the proposed fine.
The blast happened Oct. 8, 2015 at the Transco Compressor Station 62 facility near Gibson, Louisiana. The PHMSA also said Transco failed to take adequate steps to minimize the danger of accidental ignition of gas in an area where the presence of gas during welding constituted a combustion hazard.
“On October 8, 2015, Transco failed to stop work when gas was detected inside the 42-inch liquids header and allowed welding to start when a combustible mixture of gas and air existed within the 42-inch liquids header of the slug catcher caused a series of explosions and fire that resulted in a reportable incident,” stated the proposed fine.
The government issued 5 citations with a $200,000 fine on each of two of the allegations violations and a $400,000 fine on each of the three remaining alleged violations.
