Safety

In December 2010, INGAA’s Board of Directors established a board-level task force to pursue ways to further improve the industry’s safety performance and restore public confidence in the natural gas pipeline infrastructure. In March 2011, INGAA members formally adopted a set of Guiding Principles for pipeline safety.

Five Guiding Principles for Pipeline Safety

1. Our goal is zero incidents -a perfect record of safety and reliability for the national pipeline system. We will work every day toward this goal.
2. We are committed to safety culture as a critical dimension to continuously improve our industry’s performance.
3. We will be relentless in our pursuit of improving by learning from the past and anticipating the future.
4. We are committed to applying integrity management principles on a system-wide basis.
5. We will engage our stakeholders - from the local community to the national level - so they understand and can participate in reducing risk.

 

Priority Issues for the Pipeline Safety Task Force

• Stakeholder Outreach: Two-way communication with meaningful performance measures.
• Risk Management: Applying risk-management concepts beyond the current plan, which centers on high-consequence areas, to include a comprehensive threat analysis.
• Integrity Management Tools: Actively promote the Pipeline and Informed Planning Alliance, a joint government-industry-stakeholder group, and enhance corrosion and anomaly management.
• Pipelines Built Prior to PHMSA Regulations: Develop an inventory and protocols for managing integrity.
• Technology Development and Deployment: Improve crack-detection tools and management; work with PHMSA to produce an R+D roadmap; and define assessment alternatives for non-piggablelines.
• Management Systems: Apply safety culture principles to drive and enhance safety practices across the industry.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response: Update isolation valve evaluation; enhance public awareness of pipelines.
• New Construction: Fully implement the 2010-2011 INGAA Foundation Pipe Quality and Construction Action Plans.