The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued an advisory bulletin this month on existing regulations and best practices that will help to avoid large scale product loss from pipelines.
The report discusses in detail the 2010 Enbridge pipeline rupture that led to an estimated ‘843,444 gallons’ of crude oil being released into the ‘surrounding wetlands and flowed into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River’. The report highlights the deficiencies in the company’s integrity management program, operator training, and public awareness program.
Based on API recommended practice and National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) evaluation of the event, PHMSA outlines the following areas where pipeline owners and operators must implement the most up to date recommendations for pipeline safety:
- Integrity management
- Control center operations
- Public awareness programs
- Proactive self-assessment
‘Operators should pro-actively implement improvements to their pipeline safety programs based on these observations and recommendations so that the entire industry can benefit from the mistakes of one operator.’
Read the full report and advisory bulletin here.