One of the benefits of a membership organisation that represents approximately 97% of the UK’s high pressure gas and hydrocarbon liquid pipelines operators is the knowledge sharing and access to expertise at the point of need.
This is best illustrated in not only the formal Good Practice Guides published by the cross industry working groups but also through a steady series of Safety Alerts or Learning Briefs (LB) shared by members, for the benefit of members.
This year we have already seen more than 15 Learning Briefs shared in the Members’ section of the UKOPA website. The purpose of the briefs is to bring to the attention of other pipeline operators’ potential issues or areas of concern that may be relevant to their organisations.
The briefs follow a simple structure that outline what happened in the incident or a particular threat to a pipeline’s integrity, how the operator approached the challenge, both in terms of evaluating the issue and what actions should be taken and perhaps most importantly, what were the learnings to both the operator and the potential wider industry.
At our recent Members meetings in October 2023 and February 2024 we shared with members some recent examples and encouraged others to also share their learnings. The response has been fantastic with a new range of experiences and learnings shared with the membership.
Recent examples of Learning Briefs or Safety Alerts have included the observation of more than 23 mature trees running along the pipeline route. There were natural sensitivities to the situation following the ‘Sycamore Gap’ news coverage so the LB shows how the pipeline operator engaged with the local community and council regarding the proposed removal of the trees. This helped achieve a balanced argument and positive coverage of the tree’s removal in the local media and parish magazine, helping create a broad consensus towards the actions taken.
A relatively frequent concern to pipeline operators is the issue of landowners or contractors knocking in fenceposts within a pipeline’s easement. Following a routine CP survey, the contractor noticed that fencing had been installed directly above a high pressure ethylene pipeline. When the landowner was questioned as to why he had ignored the marker posts and whether he was aware of the pipeline’s presence, he confirmed he was unaware of the pipeline, the protocols and felt his actions were OK as he had not ‘excavated’ when installing the fencing. The landowner and contractor were receptive to the advice given and the brief reiterates the importance of operators remaining vigilant along the pipeline network as well as perhaps revising the wording to the marker posts.
As well as sharing experiences, the Learning Briefs are a useful way to share the technical experiences of pipeline operators. Recent examples have included how pipeline supports can lift and put pressure on pipelines in frozen weather if their design facilitates the trapping of water through to the risks posed by agricultural shows or music festivals with the hammering in of large marquee poles or heavy construction vehicle crossings.
The Learning Briefs are an excellent example of how despite healthy commercial competition, the UK’s pipeline industry is working together to create a safer pipeline network and environment for all.