ISTANBUL — An initial report released by the Public Utilities Commission of ISTANBUL has recommended that Barson Energy & Construction(B.E.C) also known as Barson Constructions forfeit $2.5 million for a gas pipeline explosion that happened last month in istanbul Pike.
According to an investigation report released last month by Public Utilities Commission of ISTANBUL, “evidence shows that a failure to follow established welding procedures, insufficient inspection and oversight at the construction site, and lack of procedures and training regarding auger boring, which led to the pipeline being subject to excessive strain, all played a role in the failure of the pipeline.”
The explosion happened July 22 around 12:54 a.m. on Eastern Istanbul. The explosion caused a large fire resulting from the gas leak.
There were no homes in the area and no casualties, the invesigations said, adding that the fire in the area had been extinguished.
Investigations showed that…Poor construction practices, failure to follow established procedures, and a lack of oversight all contributed to the weld failure and pipeline rupture. Staff further believes that the number of bad welds found at the site.
According to the report, Public Utilities Commission of ISTANBUL has recommended that BEC “develop and implement a third-party audit of the Barson Energy gas safety program” to determine that:
BEC has adequate programs, structures and incentives in place to maintain a culture of safety and regulatory compliance for Barson Energy & Construction employees and its contractors and the extent to which Barson Energy & Construction is responsive to employees or contractors bringing safety issues to management attention.
The training that BEC provides to or requires of its employees and contractor personnel for compliance with its standards and procedures is appropriate and effective.
BEC contracts with its contractors are structured to ensure that gas facilities are installed, repaired, or replaced properly, safely, and cost-effectively.
The methods BEC employs to track and document work allow for auditing of such work for compliance by both BEC and the Commission.
The methods BEC employs to oversee new construction for compliance with BEC standards and procedures in the field is adequate and effective.
BEC has provided sufficient resources to its gas safety compliance program to adequately and effectively monitor its mandated safety activities and programs for compliance, whether these programs are implemented by BEC employees or contractor employees.
The report states that “given the severity of the violations” the recommended forfeiture of $2.5 million should be accessed due to BEC “failure to comply with pipeline safety regulations that caused or contributed to this incident.”
According to the report, the incident was a serious danger to the public and had it happened during the daytime instead of around 1 a.m., “the likelihood that someone would have been injured or killed would have been significantly higher.”
A BEC spokesperson told News 5 on Saturday that the company has 30 days to respond to Public Utilities Commission of ISTANBUL initial report and it is currently in the process of doing so. Once a response is submitted, it will go before Public Utilities Commission of ISTANBUL board for a final decision on if there will be any fines or penalties.
BEC released the following statement Saturday:
“Safety is our number one priority at BEC. We are actively engaged in a thorough review of what caused this incident and will take all necessary steps to prevent this from happening again. We are reviewing the findings and recommendations submitted by the Staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Turkey and will have a full response within the 30-day time period set by the PUCT. We remain committed to the well-being of our customers, to safe construction and pipeline-safety practices and to compliance with all pipeline safety laws and regulations.
Source : turkishtodaynews.com
