Latest news with #Husdin
The Star
32 minutes ago
- The Star
Report: Soil instability, not foul play, led to pipe failure
SHAH ALAM: The underground PETRONAS gas pipeline explosion which rocked the nation on April 1 this year was not due to foul play. Instead, it was caused by ground instability at the blast location. This was disclosed by Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat at a press conference at the Selangor state secretariat yesterday. Husdin, who presented investigations revolving around the tragedy carried out by DOSH, said the instability had occurred gradually at the location. ALSO READ: Report on inferno has residents worried about future safeguards 'The bottom part of the pipeline was not fully supported by the ground, which was soft and moist,' he said. This caused the pipe segment at the location to fail. The physical failure had in turn resulted in gas leakage which ignited and blew up. Husdin said that the lack of support caused the pipe to move repeatedly in what is known as cyclic loading; this generated repeated stress lines and fatigue striations on the pipe surface. A metallographic analysis indicated that tensile overload (stress beyond normal operating or design limits) was the primary cause of the failure, and the damage had developed slowly until it resulted in ductile failure (deformation followed by fracture) which released gas and triggered a fire. 'In conclusion, the pipe failure was caused by the ground beneath it not being strong enough to support its weight and pressure, causing instability, leakage, and eventual explosion,' said Husdin. He added that investigations found that the affected gas pipe met specified technical standards. Hence the mishap was not due to surface activities but because the ground beneath did not provide adequate support, he reiterated. Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, who also spoke at the press briefing, confirmed that no acts of sabotage or carelessness had caused the pipeline blast. Comm Hussein said police had investigated the incident from two angles: under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire, and Sections 285 and 286 for negligence with fire or combustible matter. Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government is of the opinion that the investigation report will serve as the basis for risk analysis in similar areas. 'A special committee under the state Disaster Management Unit will be established and it will involve experts, including from PETRONAS, to recommend legal reforms, procedures for approval of planning permissions, development policies considering climate change risks, and all areas within the gas pipeline right-of-way corridor,' said Amirudin. He added that these measures are necessary to prevent a repeat of similar tragedies. The Gas Pipeline Explosion Investigation Committee, led by DOSH, also involved the Mineral and Geosciences Department (JMG), the Public Works Department (JKR), the Fire and Rescue Department, and the police. Amirudin said technical investigations into the mishap had focused on the integrity of the pipeline structure, external factors, and the geology of the site, which were conducted collaboratively by DOSH, JMG and JKR. 'The criminal investigation involving aspects of sabotage or negligence was led by the police,' he said, adding that technical findings indicated that soil settlement of 24.3cm had occurred over a period of 25 years, since the pipeline was commissioned in 2000. 'The soil subsidence had caused the gas pipeline to shift by 15.9cm.' Amirudin added that a sampling of the pipe had shown signs of pressure and fatigue in the pipeline structure. He said the JMG also found the soil in the area water-saturated and containing natural underground water reservoirs, which caused the soil to become soft. Hence, Amirudin said, the pipe failure was attributed to factors such as unstable soil conditions and long-term underground water accumulation which led to softer ground effecting the monsoon drainage structures and culverts. The explosion, which happened just after 8am, had caused a large fire that destroyed homes, public infrastructure, and vehicles as well as injured some 150 people. Flames shot up over 30m high and the heat reached up to 1,000°C. It took almost eight hours to extinguish the fire. The explosion has left a 9.8m-deep crater at the site. More than 500 residents were evacuated to relief centres following the explosion. Some of those whose houses suffered total damage have yet to return home as repairs are estimated to take at least two years. Eighty-one houses were completely destroyed with structural damage exceeding 40%, another 81 houses were partially damaged and 57 were affected but not burned on the surface.
Malaysian Reserve
12 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Putra Heights gas explosion: DOSH confirms pipe met technical specs
SHAH ALAM — The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has confirmed that the gas pipe involved in the Putra Heights inferno last April met all the required technical specifications. DOSH Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat said that, on the contrary, laboratory analysis revealed that the lower part of the pipe was not fully supported by the soil, which was found soft and damp, thus putting pressure on the surface of the pipe. He said that the weakened soil condition had caused repeated cyclic loading, resulting in stress lines and fatigue striations on the pipe's surface. 'This resulted in physical failure in the pipe at the scene, causing a gas leak that ignited (and led to the explosion). 'Metallographic analysis also showed that tensile overload was the main cause of the failure and that this damage developed slowly until it caused a ductile failure which released gas and sparked a fire,' he told a special press conference to announce the investigation report on the incident here today. Also present were Selangor Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan. Elaborating, Husdin said DOSH, in collaboration with the Department of Minerals and Geoscience (JMG), Public Works Department (JKR), Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), had conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident over nearly three months. During that period, he said five samples were collected and sent to SIRIM, a premier standard and industrial research organisation, for laboratory testing, which began on April 15 and concluded on May 8. He explained that the investigation methodology included on-site inspections, laboratory analysis, systems review, computer simulations, and hypothesis validation, which took into consideration pipeline operations, structural integrity, material conditions, and external stress factors. 'Based on findings from all agencies involved, we identified three critical elements: the pipeline fracture occurred at a welded joint due to tensile stress, the soil beneath was soft and loose, and there was significant cyclic loading prior to the failure and subsequent fire. 'In conclusion, the pipeline failure was caused by unstable soil conditions that were insufficient to support the weight and pressure of the pipe. This led to instability, leakage, and eventually, an explosion,' he said. Husdin said the investigation was conducted under the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2022 and the Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984. He also confirmed that no elements of sabotage or negligence were found. As a preventive measure, DOSH has directed Petronas to identify and review all high-risk segments along its 2,680-kilometre gas pipeline stretching from Jerteh, Terengganu, to Singapore. 'Petronas has already identified these areas and has been instructed to carry out immediate remedial work along the affected segments,' he added, declining to disclose the exact locations for security reasons. — BERNAMA
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Ground subsidence behind Putra Heights pipeline explosion, says DOSH
SHAH ALAM: Ground subsidence has been identified as the cause of the underground pipeline explosion in Putra Heights on April 1, authorities said The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat said the ground beneath the pipe was not being strong enough to support the weight and pressure of the pipe, causing it to become unstable, leak and eventually explode. He said based on the findings, the gas pipe involved in the incident met all technical and safety specifications. "However, the lower part of the pipe was found to be not fully supported by the soil (unsupported segment) which was identified as soft and damp. "This resulted in a physical failure of the pipe section at the incident location, causing a gas leak that caught fire. "This weak soil caused the pipe to move repeatedly (cyclic loading), which created stress lines and fatigue striations on the pipe surface," he told a press conference today. Husdin said the metallography analysis showed that tensile overload was the main cause of the failure. "This damage developed slowly until it caused ductile failure which released gas and started a fire. "In conclusion, the pipe failure was caused by the soil under the pipe not being strong enough to support the weight and pressure of the pipe, causing it to become unstable, leak and eventually explode. "The location of this failure was not due to activities on the ground surface, but because the soil underneath did not support it well." He said DOSH conducted a comprehensive investigation for almost three months in collaboration with the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, the Public Works Department, the Fire and Rescue Department and the police. The investigation was conducted under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Amendment 2022) and the Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984. The investigation process involved visual inspections at the scene, measurements and checks of gas pipe components and the collection of samples for laboratory analysis. On April 1, a massive fire broke out at a Petronas gas pipeline in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, causing widespread panic as flames shot into the air. The heat from the flames, visible for kilometres away, melted plastic and metal within a wide radius of the pipeline. Some 145 people, including three children, were affected, with a number of victims suffering second-degree burns. A total of 227 houses and 365 vehicles were damaged in residential areas near the pipeline.
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Putra Heights inferno: Ground beneath pipe gave way, says report
SHAH ALAM: An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Department has revealed that ground instability led to the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights. The Petroleum Safety Department director, Husdin Che Amat, explained that the lower part of the pipeline was not adequately supported by the soft and moist ground. "This caused a physical failure at the pipe segment at the location of the blast, resulting in gas leakage which ignited and exploded," he said. Husdin added that the weak soil caused the pipe to move repeatedly, known as cyclic loading, generating stress lines and fatigue striations on the pipe surface. Metallographic analysis indicated that tensile overload was the primary cause of the failure, developing slowly until it resulted in ductile failure, releasing gas and triggering a fire. "In conclusion, the pipe failure was due to the ground beneath it not being strong enough to support its weight and pressure, causing instability, leakage, and eventually an explosion," Husdin said. However, investigations found that the gas pipe met specified technical standards. The mishap was not due to surface activities but because the ground beneath did not provide adequate support. Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed there were no acts of sabotage or carelessness involved in the Putra Heights Petronas pipeline blast. Comm Hussein said police investigated the incident under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire and Sections 285 and 286 for negligence with fire or combustible matter. Investigations also focused on work carried out by contractors in the area. Meanwhile, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that a special committee will be established to implement measures to prevent similar tragedies. The explosion caused a large-scale fire, destroying homes, public infrastructure, and vehicles, and injuring around 150 people. The incident, which occurred just after 8am, caused flames to shoot over 30 metres high with heat reaching up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took almost eight hours to extinguish the fire, leaving a 9.8m-deep crater at the site. More than 500 residents were evacuated to relief centres, and some of those whose houses were completely destroyed have yet to return home as repairs are expected to take at least two years. Eighty-one houses suffered structural damage exceeding 40%, another 81 were partially damaged, and 57 were affected but not burned. More to come
