Comments on: Pipeline Incidents Continue to Impact Residents

By: b. lachman

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 01:58:36 +0000

It is probable that the first 10 years of operation of a pipeline accounts for more incidents because the flaws in construction and operating equipment happen sooner rather than later. If equipment survives the initial period (in this case 10 years) it is lees likely to fail until decades of use and corrosion have taken their toll.

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By: Erica Jackson

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 18:07:28 +0000

In reply to Courtney.

It’s definitely important to consider the fact that pipeline construction has increased in scale over time, which likely contributes to the high number of incidents we’re seeing in newer pipelines. We didn’t normalize the data for each age bracket in this particular article, but the data is out there: https://cms.phmsa.dot.gov/data-and-statistics/pipeline/annual-report-mileage-summary-statistics.
Looking at the stats on average age of a pipeline for each cause of failure shows that equipment failure and incorrect operation frequently impact newer pipelines- suggesting that poor safety protocol is also to blame.

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By: Courtney

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 16:35:48 +0000

Is it possible to normalize the data? The absolute number of incidents isn’t informative. The number could be higher for pipelines 0-10 years old than 50-60 years old because there are more pipelines or because they fail at a greater rate. In the past PHMSA has normalized the number of incidents to per 10,000 miles of pipe.

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