American Gas - April 2010 - (Page 16)

SAFety FiRSt safety | security | reliability PHMSA Publishes Final CRM Rule Operators must review the final control room management rule to determine whether new requirements apply to their compressor stations. On Dec. 3, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued the final regulation for control room management (cRM). The result of a multi-year effort to address a mandate in the Pipeline Safety Act of 2006 and concerns expressed by the national Transportation Safety Board (nTSB), this rule addresses human factors and operator fatigue, reduces risk and promotes effective pipeline control room operations by requiring operators to: place to control pipeline operations in a safe and reliable manner. The language in the final rule reflects the intent of the congressional directive and accounts for the diversity of the different pipeline sectors. When PHmsA published the new crm rule establishing a new basis for managing fatigue in the pipeline industry, nTsB called the rule “a significant step forward for an industry that did not previously have any rules governing hours of service.” The board therefore closed the recommendation Acceptable Alternate Action and removed fatigue in the pipeline industry from the nTsB most Wanted List, Transportation safety improvements needed by Federal Agencies. assessing the Need Prior to the release of the crm rule, PHmsA and nTsB conducted studies to assess the control of pipeline operations. in accordance with the Pipeline safety improvement Act of 2002, PHmsA conducted the controller certification (ccerT) study to review pipeline control room operations and determine if additional certification was needed for pipeline controllers. concurrently, nTsB studied the safety of hazardous liquid pipeline scADA systems. Throughout the regulatory process, the natural gas industry worked with PHmsA and the liquids industry to develop a reasonable and effective regulation. Pipeline operators provided presentations during the two public meetings held by PHmsA and made control room personnel and facilities available for the ccerT study. The findings of the PHmsA study and three nTsB recommendations served as the foundation for the final rule. define controllers’ roles and responsibilities, develop a plan to address supervisory control and data acquisition (scADA) systems, and review reportable incidents or accidents to determine if control room actions were a contributing factor. The pipeline industry worked to educate stakeholders about the intent of congress and the measures that the industry already has inapril 2010 AmericAn GAs Modifying the proposed rule The proposed crm notice of Proposed rulemaking (nPrm) was issued on sept. 12, 2008. The nPrm was broad, overly prescriptive and did not account for differences in pipeline operations. its definition of a controller also was broad and included electriVICTORIA PLOTKIN is AGA manager of engineering services.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - April 2010

American Gas - April 2010
Contents
President’s Message Energy Secretary Chu: A Stand-up Guy
Industry News
Safety First PHMSA Publishes Final CRM Rule
Tech Talk Talking Technology
Full Speed Ahead
NGVs: A View from the Motor City
The Secret to Customer Satisfaction
If the Founding Fathers Operated a Natural Gas Utility…
Places to Be
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Noteworthies
Jobline
Facts on Gas

American Gas - April 2010