The terrible gas explosion in New Jersey on Tuesday serves as a stark reminder to consistently emphasize proper safety procedures when working around natural gas.
While details surrounding the explosion are still unknown, the outline presented so far is sadly typical.
It appears a contractor, hired by Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), may have accidentally damaged a gas line. PSE&G employees were rushed to the scene, but about an hour after they began repair attempts, the explosion occurred, killing one person, injuring seven, and damaging dozens of homes.
As the former government official in charge of energy transportation at the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), we must do all within our power to eliminate incidents such as this. While at PHMSA, we created and rolled out the national 811 single-call system for assistance in locating utility lines, and it has been a huge success. Even so, more remains to be done and the country needs a comprehensive plan which fully leverages advances in technologies and the best tools available to create a “gold standard” for our utility professionals.
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