The Failure Files: Data Disintegration and Regulatory Resets

In the 24 years after the Olympic Pipeline Explosion of 1999, the industry has advanced in some ways and stayed stagnant in others.

On the first episode of this special season of Pipeline Things: The Failure Files, we begin a new chapter discussing notable pipeline incidents throughout history and breaking down the NTSB failure reports that accompany them.

This story begins at 3:28PM on June 10^th, 1999 in Bellingham, Washington near the pristine and lush outdoor space, Whatcom Creek. Olympic’s 16-inch gas pipeline in Bellingham experiences a rupture that dumps 237,000 gallons of gasoline into the creek and ignites. Rhett and Chris walk us through the events that led up to that disaster and remind us that despite this event occurring over twenty years ago, we always have something to learn.

Highlights:

• What series of events led to Olympic Pipeline Explosion of 1999?
• How did biases play a role in the failure? When can you trust past experiences and how can data help prevent bias?
• What strategies do we have today and what lessons can we learn to prevent history from repeating itself?
• What effect did this failure have on regulations that liquid and gas operators contend with today?
• How has data integration improved (if at all) since 1999?

Connect:

Rhett Dotson

Christopher De Leon

D2 Integrity

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