65- 407 C.M.R. ch. 130, § 3

Current through 2024-25, June 19, 2024

Section 407-130-3 - REPORTING

1.Immediate Notice.

A utility shall provide immediate notice of any serious accident involving the loss of human life, and any event occurring upon its premises or directly or indirectly arising from or connected with the maintenance or operation of its physical facilities or equipment that requires evacuation of the general public, or that results in, or is likely to result in, disruption of utility service to more than 500 customers or 1% of a utility's customers, whichever is greater, or to critical facilities identified by other public utilities for a period of longer than 30 minutes. The notice shall be made to the appropriate lead or alternate technical Staff as provided in Section below, where such information has not already been reported pursuant to another Commission rule. The notice shall include:

A. Name of company and person reporting;

B. A brief description of the accident, including the extent of known fatalities, injuries, and damages;

C. Date and time of accident;

D. Location of accident;

E. Identification of utility facilities involved;

F. Other utilities involved; and

G. The possible root causes of the accident.

NOTE: If information required by this section is not available to the utility at the time of the immediate notice, the utility shall make the report with whatever information it has available. The utility shall supply missing information in an amended report to the Commission as soon as it becomes available.

2.Written Report.

A utility shall file with the Director of Technical Analysis a written report of any serious accident within 30 days. The utility shall address the report to the Director of Technical Analysis, and shall provide a copy to the appropriate designated lead technical Staff as provided in Section below. Written reports shall include the following information:

A. Identification of facilities involved;

B. Date and approximate time of the accident;

C. Weather conditions at the time of the accident;

D. Location of the accident;

E. Brief description of the accident;

F. Estimated property damage, if any;

G. Description of utility facility or equipment involved in the accident;

H. Identification of facility or equipment ownership and responsibility for maintenance;

I. Any complaints received regarding the facility or equipment involved in the accident, and any actions, if any, taken to resolve those complaints;

J. Identification of any utility employee who witnessed the accident;

K. Identification of utility employees arriving at the accident site after the accident, including time of arrival;

L. A description of the extent of damage to utility facilities and equipment;

M. Identification of utility employees performing repair work on the facilities or equipment damaged in the accident, including a description of the work performed;

N. A chronological description of events that took place resulting in the accident, including diagrams, photographs (other than of accident victims), and other pertinent graphic information;

O. Identification (but not copies) of all standards, specifications, plans, regulations, and codes that concern this accident;

P. Identification of other known persons who witnessed the accident;

Q. Identification of all persons interviewed by the utility in its investigation of the accident, including a summary of the information obtained from each interviewee;

R. Any corrective measures taken or planned at the accident site;

S. Any preventive measures that can be taken to ensure non-recurrence of a similar accident;

T. Identification of personnel attached to other agencies (federal, state, county, municipal, or private) and utilities that conducted an investigation at the accident site or issued a report of the accident;

U. Any reports prepared by other agencies and utilities that conducted an investigation at the accident site or issued a report of the accident; if any of these reports are not available to the utility when the written report is submitted, the utility shall include in the written report the identification of agencies or other utilities that are known to be preparing such reports, and shall supply such reports as soon as they become available;

V. Any reports of the accident or circumstances surrounding the accident prepared for or submitted to other agencies; if any of these reports are not available when the written report is submitted, the utility shall include in the written report identification of such reports that are being prepared, and shall supply such reports as soon as they become available; and

W. Any other information pertinent to the accident and its investigation;

3.Electric Contact.

When a serious accident involves electric contact, the utility shall additionally include the following information in its written report submitted pursuant to Section above:

A. A drawing and photograph(s) of the specific configuration of the electric facilities involved in the electric contact, including measurements of all pertinent dimensions with comparison to applicable requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code; and

B. A statement as to whether the electric facilities involved in the electric contact meet requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code edition that was in effect when those facilities were installed or modified, or the latest edition, whichever is applicable.

4.Annual Reports.

As part of its annual report to the Commission, each utility shall provide the number of known accidents in which motor vehicles struck and damaged or destroyed utility facilities or equipment, such as poles, guys, equipment cabinets, pedestals, pumping stations, and hydrants.

5.Procedure.

The Director of the Technical Analysis Division shall designate lead and alternate technical Staff members for each utility discipline and appropriate contact information. He or she shall review the contact information at least annually to ensure that it is correct, and shall ensure that all public utilities to which this rule applies are provided current contact information. Utilities shall address all reports submitted pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2 above to the Director of Technical Analysis, and shall provide a copy to the appropriate designated lead technical Staff.

65- 407 C.M.R. ch. 130, § 3