WHY ARE PIPELINE FAILURES AND SERIOUS ACCIDENTS ON THE RISE?

Dr. Jey K. Jeyapalan, P.E., identifies the most common causes of serious pipeline failures as follows:

1. Lack of formal classes and training in underground pipeline design, construction and management in universities around the world.

2. Inadequate understanding of the pipe-soil interaction principles by design engineers.

3. Wide-ranging behavior of pipe materials.

4. Claims and counterclaims of pipe manufacturers.

5. Inconsistent design standards, sometimes by the same governing body, for different pipe materials.

6. Political pressure brought on the engineer by pipe interest groups.

7. Inappropriate and inadequate utility mapping during design or construction of a pipeline.

8. Improper designs and inadequate pipe factory and site supervision by licensed engineers.

9. Pipelines being used well beyond their intended design life.

10. Improper operation and maintenance.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

While there is a dramatic increase in volume of pipeline work, there is a severe shortage nationwide for engineers with sufficient experience in underground pipeline design, construction and management. Universities need to offer classes in underground pipelines as part of their curriculum on all forms of transportation. Engineering firms need to be held more accountable by the public and regulatory agencies to prevent them from continuing to take underground pipeline projects and performing shoddy work outside their core competencies. Contractors need to be pre-qualified based on their track record of having completed without incidents work of high quality.