Media Release - Tecumseh Excavator Fined $8k for Gas Pipeline Strike
Tecumseh Excavator Fined $8,000 for Gas Pipeline Strike
Contractor prosecuted for unsafe digging practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Toronto, ON, July 28, 2015) – The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) successfully prosecuted Professional Bobcat, an excavation company in Tecumseh Ontario, for damaging a natural gas pipeline.
The Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor accepted Professional Bobcat’s guilty plea and fined the company $8,000 plus the mandatory 25% victim fine surcharge for a total penalty of $10,000.
“These are serious violations of Ontario’s public safety rules that put homeowners and business, as well as excavators, in real danger,” said John Marshall, Director of TSSA’s Fuels Safety Program.
“Thankfully no one was hurt, but public safety shouldn’t be left to luck. That’s why Ontario has stringent laws around pipeline safety, including a requirement to obtain a locate before breaking ground,” added Mr. Marshall.
In March 2013, a TSSA inspector received notice of a 1 1/2-inch steel natural gas pipeline strike in Lakeshore, Ontario and upon further investigation determined that the incident was the fault of Professional Bobcat, a local excavator, digging without a locate. The incident left 14 businesses and residences in the area without gas for several hours.
TSSA reminds the public that any excavation work must comply with Ontario’s safety laws, including obtaining a valid pipeline locate from the license holder or gas utility before breaking ground. Free locates can be obtained from Ontario One Call at 1-800-400-2255 or visit http://on1call.com.
Ontario Regulation 210/01 prohibits interfering with or damaging a pipeline and any damage and/or subsequent release of gas should be immediately reported to the Ministry of Environment’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060 or by contacting TSSA toll-free at 1-877-682-8772.
Full media release attached below.
