An education campaign to prevent more accidents involving the
385 kilometer-long liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline network in
Guangdong was launched on Wednesday.
Dapeng LNG Co. (DPLNG), the constructor and manager of the LNG
pipelines in Guangdong, launched a safety education program at
Shenzhen's biggest excavator dealership market. It wants to prevent
contractors from repeating accidents such as the one last May when
one person was killed and 16 injured after construction workers
broke an underground gas pipe in downtown Futian, causing liquefied
petroleum gas to leak and explode.
Engineers from DPLNG handed out safety brochures to excavator
dealers and placed safety stickers on more than 200 excavators at
the Shenzhen Shoulder-To-Shoulder Excavator Market.
Martin Whetter, general manager of HSSE (Health, Safety,
Security and Environment) Department of DPLNG, said the company
would carry out similar education programs in the future.
Residents in Shenzhen started to use LNG on Aug. 12, and about
80,000 households are expected to use LNG by the end of this
year.
DPLNG manages the 385-kilometer pipeline network covering five
major cities including Shenzhen, Huizhou, Dongguan, Guangzhou and
Foshan.
The high-pressure pipeline is buried more than a meter deep but
inappropriate use of excavators is the main cause of accidents.
With many construction activities going on, Shenzhen has a tough
job protecting the pipelines, said officials with the city's work
safety bureau.
(Shenzhen Daily November 9, 2006))