NYSEARCH / Natural Gas RD&D / Northeast Gas Association

Millennium Project Number: M-2001-015

Project Title: Flash Fire/Trench Rescue Study

Project Start Date: 2001

Projected End Date: 2003

Technical Details:

Natural gas pipeline workers wear clothing made from flame resistant (FR) materials as protection against exposure to accidental flash fires. Clothing made of flame resistant materials is not intended for workers to enter an excavation with a natural gas fire. Rather they are routinely worn during work and repair activities that are normally safe, for example, repairing a gas leak. However, they do provide an extra level of protection to an employee during a flash fire. Such accidents are rare, however, when they occur the amount of personal injury can be very severe. The objectives of this project are to improve the safety of gas utility workers involved in accidental flash fires by:

Identifying accident scenarios related to various gas pressures and flow.
Compare FR clothing manufacturers, published data, claims, and laboratory test data.
Examine the data and determine the best available FR clothing.
Determine effective means of trench rescue for gas utility workers during a flash fire.

Another objective of this project is to develop and recommend a gas industry standard for protective clothing during heat/ignition/fire exposure environments. The co funders of this project include KeySpan, PECO, and the Suffolk County Fire Academy.

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