| UKOPA
Publications
Index Requirements
for the siting of wind turbines close to pipelines containing
hazardous fluids. From the earliest opportunity, UKOPA has been actively involved in discussions with stakeholders relating to the preparation of pipeline emergency plans by local authorities as required by the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996, and to proposed amendments to the Regulations which would introduce the legislative duty on local authorities to test such plans and to charge Pipeline Operators for the testing. The following papers have been drafted and published by UKOPA: UKOPA-05-0103 - Documentation of Work Completed During Consultation on the Proposed Amendment to Regulations 25 (Testing of Emergency Plans) and 26 (Charging for Testing) - Version 1.0 May 2001 To clarify and ensure consistency between operators to aid clear discussions with third parties,in particular the emergency services, UKOPA has drafted and agreed definitions of pipeline emergencies. These definitions have been submitted by UKOPA to CAPEPLG for external consideration. The paper assesses the impact on Transco of proposed amendments to the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 requiring the testing of emergency plans to be tested every three years. The benefits are considered with respect to the industry safety record and risks, as well as costs that would be incurred. Recommendations for the development of a more equitable for the preparation and testing of emergency plans are made. 00/0057 - Pipeline Emergency Response Officer (PERO) - Training Course Syllabus. A key issue identified in emergency planning issues was the different arrangements and responsibilities in place within local authority and pipeline operator organisations. UKOPA took a proactive stance in proposing a single role with clear responsibilities, which would be used by all operators and therefore provide a reliable single point of contact for emergency services. This was the Pipeline Emergency Response Officer (PERO). To develop and implement this, UKOPA worked with the Fire Services Training College to produce a certified training course to support PERO responsibilities. The syllabus of this course is designed to provide persons from the onshore oil, gas, chemical and petrochemical industries with responsibility for pipeline response with the skills and knowledge to safely and effectively deal with an incident and to support other emergency services. The Training course is supported by UKOPA members.
In
the early stages of discussions, stakeholder views were actively
invited. This paper was prepared by Shell on behalf of UKOPA,
and invited for presentation by the CBI.
During consultation on the proposed amendments to the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996, conflicting stakeholder views emerged. On behalf of UKOPA, Transco hosted a significant 'live play' test, run by Cheshire Local Authority, as a learning and discussion opportunity for all stakeholders. This is the UKOPA report of the Emergency Plan Test Pilot Exercise, carried out on 1st July 1999, with involvement of all emergency plan stakeholders. The purpose of the test was to provide evidence to contribute to discussions on proposed amendments to the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996, specifically relating to proposals to require testing of emergency plans and for the costs of testing to be paid by Pipeline Operators. The report presents a factual summary of the test pilot, a summary log of events and an account of the debrief session. The report also covers principles of agreement between the stakeholders involved in the pilot together with issues that need to be addressed before the proposed amendments to the Regulations are progressed.
One of UKOPA's primary aims is to influence the development of a consistent risk-based approach to land use in the vicinity of new and existing pipelines. A key factor is in achieving this is the availability of a UK pipeline database, containing failure data for all pipelines. UKOPA therefore launched a joint industry initiative to develop this database. The database development has been sponsored by Transco, Shell, Huntsman, BP and e.on uk (formerly Powergen).
02/0076 - UKOPA Competency Framework Version 2.3 August 2002 - draft UKOPA members recognise the need for and legislative requirements for personnel to be competent to carry out duties safety. Competency assessment is an emerging requirement. UKOPA has developed a Competency Framework Document for pipeline operation and maintenance activities which presents the key principles in a manner aimed at facilitating consistent understanding application.
02/0027 - UK Pipeline Operators' Views on Working with the
A primary aim of UKOPA is to provide a single, non-competitive forum for discussion with the Regulator (HSE) on common areas on interest and views relating to pipeline safety management. Recognition was achieved in the formation of the ACDS MHSC Working Group on Pipelines. This document presents the Remit, Terms of Reference and Membership of this established Group.
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