Old City gas network poses deadly threat to construction crews in Hobart and Launceston

Fourteen years ago, the lives of three Tasmanian construction workers changed forever.

The trio were excavating when they unwittingly damaged an old town gas pipeline under Hobart’s Evans Street in 2010.

The ruptured pipe released toxic gas into the air, leaving workers with “serious, life-altering” injuries, according to the Civil Contractors Federation of Tasmania.

Old Town gas pipes snake throughout Hobart and the city’s northern suburbs, laid since the 1850s to supply coal gas to street lamps.

Graphic showing the approximate location of gas pipes near Hobart. — The exact location of the underground pipes is unknown, with the area of the city considered particularly problematic. (ABC News: Paul Yeomans)

As electricity became dominant, the Hobart Gas Company, which owned the network, fell into disrepair and eventually retired the pipes in the 1970s.

Since then they have remained abandoned underground, and their exact location is unknown.

And since the Hobart Gas Company does not now exist, no organization is responsible for them.

Map of the approximate location of gas pipes in Hobart. — The locations of the “incidents encountered” extend into Hobart’s northern suburbs. (ABC News: Paul Yeomans)

Over the past half century, toxic gases have accumulated inside them.

The Tasmanian government warns that “broken city gas pipes may contain cyanide and other harmful gases.”

“When released, these gases can deprive the brain of oxygen, leading to long-term or permanent illnesses/injuries such as memory loss, impaired spatial abilities, and nerve damage.”

Excavator equipment at a road works site in Hobart — A union representative says that if a pipeline ruptures, there is a “significant or imminent risk to the safety of workers if they are exposed to the gas.” (City of Hobart)

Danger “whenever a builder penetrates the ground” where old gas pipes exist

The Tasmanian Building Contractors Federation, the state’s peak building industry body, is alarmed by the potential danger the network poses to unsuspecting workers.

“This is an aging facility that is deteriorating, but the gas inside the pipe contains cyanide and that could be fatal,” federation spokesman Jesse Brunskill said.

“It’s a carcinogen, it’s a volatile organic compound that can cause pretty serious effects if inhaled.

“The problem is that for a building contractor who will be digging, breaking one of these pipes can have fatal consequences pretty quickly.”

Mr Brunskill said one example of serious damage was the Evans Street incident in 2010.

“The gases entered the area the boys were working on and they inhaled them, suffering serious, life-altering injuries.

“Any time a builder goes underground in those local authority areas where there is gas in the old town, there is a risk that they could hit an old pipe and be exposed to the gases.”

Historical photo of Elizabeth Street, Hobart, showing pedestrians and the Kodak building. — By the late 1970s, gas lighting had been replaced by electric lamps in Hobart. (Attached: Tasmanian Archives.)

There is a long list of suburbs running through the old town’s gas mains, including most of Hobart’s outer suburbs and areas throughout the city of Glenorchy.

Launceston also has a decommissioned network of old gas pipelines.

According to Worksafe Tasmania, the extent of the risk is unknown.

Macquarie Street façade of the old Hobart Gas Company building. — The Hobart Gas Company was founded in 1854 to create a gas works to light the city’s streets. (ABC News: James Dunleavy)

Not all gas pipes in the old city contain dangerous gases. This depends on the residues inside them at the time they are sealed.

One indicative map produced by Tas Gas, now known as Solstice Energy, on an unspecified date shows where some of the city’s old gas pipes are believed to be located, but warns that the map has been digitized from historical maps and cannot be mistaken for it no responsibility. its accuracy.

The map shows nine “incidents that occurred between 2010 and 2013.” It is unclear how many of these are related to gas in the old city.

According to Worksafe Tasmania, there have been two reports of releases from old town gas pipelines in the past decade.

There have been no injuries since 2013.

An old gas lamp next to a brick tower. — Examples of old street lamps can still be found around Hobart. (ABC News: Alexandra Humphreys)

The Tasmanian branch of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) wants to take action to make underground pipes safer.

“The main concern is the lack of awareness that they even exist,” said Chris Clarke of CEPU.

“Secondary to this will be the fact that we do not know where they are and, given the toxic nature of the gas that may be produced, there are significant or imminent risks to the safety of workers if they are exposed to the gas.”

A road work crew at a construction site, location not specified. — The Tasmanian branch of the Telecommunications, Electrical and Plumbing Union says its main problem is “lack of awareness” about underground pipes and the dangers they can pose. (Unsplash: Micah Baumeister)

The Building Contractors Federation has been lobbying the Tasmanian Government for a resolution since early last year.

Jesse Brunskill said it’s time to fix the problem.

“Ultimately we want to eliminate the risk by getting rid of gas in the old city,” he said.

“We would also like to see it have a custodian, have a body that has ownership, and improve the available data on where it is located.”

Tasmania’s Department of Economic Development is setting up a working group to determine how to address the issue.

He asked industry bodies, councils and relevant authorities to get involved.

A list of areas where gas was used in the old city, including Launceston, can be found on the website Consumer, construction and professional services website.

Worksafe Tasmania recommends that contractors check TasWater, TasNetworks and Dial Before You Dig Australia for records of gas pipelines in the old town before commencing work.