52 Pa. Code § 59.134 - Accident reporting

(a) Scope. This section establishes requirements for a hazardous liquid public utility reporting an accident.

(b) Failure analysis reports. Following an accident that causes any of the results identified in 49 CFR 195.50 (relating to reporting accidents), a hazardous liquid public utility shall provide to the Pipeline Safety Section an unredacted failure analysis report based on laboratory testing within 120 days of an accident or within 10 days of the report completion, whichever comes first. The failure analysis must be conducted by a Pipeline Safety Section-approved independent third-party laboratory. The Pipeline Safety Section has authority to grant or deny requests upon a showing of good cause for 30-day extensions of the deadline.

(1) If the failure analysis report cannot be completed within 120 days, a hazardous liquid public utility may request, in writing to the Pipeline Safety Section, a 30-day extension to submit this report. Additional 30-day extensions may be requested for good cause thereafter.

(2) The hazardous liquid public utility shall provide the Pipeline Safety Section with a status report every 14 days during an extension period until the unredacted failure analysis report is submitted to the Pipeline Safety Section.

(c) Root cause analysis reports. Following an accident that causes any of the results identified in 49 CFR 195.50, a hazardous liquid public utility shall provide to the Pipeline Safety Section an unredacted root cause analysis report identifying the contributing factors to an accident within 120 days of the accident or within 10 days of report completion, whichever comes first. The root cause analysis must be conducted by a Pipeline Safety Section-approved independent third-party consultant. The Pipeline Safety Section has authority to grant or deny requests upon a showing of good cause for 30-day extensions of the deadline.

(1) If the root cause analysis report cannot be completed within 120 days, the hazardous liquid public utility may request, in writing to the Pipeline Safety Section, a 30-day extension to submit this report. Additional 30-day extensions may be requested for good cause thereafter.

(2) The hazardous liquid public utility shall provide the Pipeline Safety Section with a status report every 14 days during an extension period until the unredacted root cause analysis report is submitted to the Pipeline Safety Section.

(d) Process for obtaining approval of a third-party laboratory and a third-party consultant. This subsection establishes the process through which a hazardous liquid public utility obtains approval of a third-party laboratory and a third-party consultant to conduct the analyses required by subsections (b) and (c), respectively.

(1) Upon receipt of an accident notification from the Pipeline Safety Section, a hazardous liquid public utility shall submit a recommendation to the Pipeline Safety Section regarding the third-party laboratory that will conduct the failure analysis and the third-party consultant that will conduct the root cause analysis within 20 days.

(2) The Pipeline Safety Section will review the hazardous liquid public utility's recommendation and make a determination as to whether the third-party laboratory or the third-party consultant:

(i) Is not affiliated with the hazardous liquid public utility.

(ii) Has not conducted work on behalf of the hazardous liquid public utility in the past 5 years that would potentially create a conflict of interest.

(iii) Is capable of performing the failure analysis and root cause analysis, respectively, using required equipment and industry best practices.

(3) The Pipeline Safety Section will approve or disapprove the recommendation within 14 days of a hazardous liquid public utility's submission. If the recommendation is not approved or disapproved within 14 days, the hazardous liquid public utility's recommendation is presumed approved. If disapproved, the Pipeline Safety Section will describe in detail the reasons for disapproval.

The Pipeline Safety Section will serve its determination on the hazardous liquid public utility.

(4) The hazardous liquid public utility may respond to the disapproval within 5 days. The Pipeline Safety Section will approve or disapprove the recommendation within 14 days of the hazardous liquid public utility's response to the disapproval. The Pipeline Safety Section will serve its determination on the hazardous liquid public utility.

(5) The hazardous liquid public utility may appeal the determination of the Pipeline Safety Section in accordance with § 5.44 (relating to petitions for reconsideration from actions of the staff). An appeal will not stay the requirements of subsection (d).

(6) Once a third-party laboratory or third-party consultant is approved, a hazardous liquid public utility need not seek reapproval for its third-party laboratory or third-party consultant.

(7) An exception to paragraph (6) is that approval of a third-party laboratory or third-party consultant may be revoked by the Pipeline Safety Section for violations of the approval standards in paragraph (2), and the hazardous liquid public utility may then recommend another third-party laboratory or third-party consultant for approval.

(e) Immediate notice of certain accidents. In addition to the requirement that a hazardous liquid public utility report accident information to the National Response Center under 49 CFR 195.52 (relating to immediate notice of certain accidents), at the earliest practicable moment following discovery of a release of the hazardous liquid transported resulting in an event described in 49 CFR 195.50, but no later than one hour after confirmed discovery, the hazardous liquid public utility shall report the accident to the Pipeline Safety Section and to emergency responders, providing the information listed in 49 CFR 195.52(b). The notifications must be made by both a telephone call and electronic mail.

Notes

52 Pa. Code § 59.134

Adopted by Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol 54, No. 37. September 14, 2024, effective 9/14/2024