American Gas - April 2012 - (Page 11)

safety security reliability safety first answering Questions With Confidence This utility’s safety program takes a proactive, systematic approach to risk management. “The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus, his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.” —Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) ow do you ensure that the safety of your employees and the public remains a constant focus? How do you identify and manage risk in a systematic way? These are questions with which we in the energy sector are constantly grappling. Incidents like the fatal 2010 San Bruno explosion and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico served to raise public awareness of safety issues to a new level, and today, it’s no longer only regulators who are asking the industry tough questions. The attention of an informed and empowered public demands that we as a sector continuously raise our game when it comes to proactive and systematic risk management. We need look no further than the stalled Keystone XL project in the United States, and the proposed Northern Gateway project in Canada, where more than 4,000 people have signed up to make submissions during the public hearings that are now under way. Safety and risk assessment are in the headlines and on the minds of many “regular” North Americans. Spectra Energy is one of North America’s premier natural gas infrastructure companies serving three key links in the natural gas value chain: gathering and processing, transmission and storage, and distribution. Our continued success depends on the public’s trust in our ability to safely manage our assets and build new facilities to the highest standards. Safety is H our highest priority, a core value and a critical aspect of the high performance culture toward which we strive every day. It’s also, simply, good business because safe, reliable and responsible operations are essential to creating superior and sustainable value. While we discuss operational and personal safety as two distinct topics at Spectra Energy, we manage them together—because to our employees and contractors, especially those on the front lines, there is no distinction. Creating an environment That emphasizes safety So how do you create and support an environment where potential risks can be truly understood and assessed and the proper controls put in place to address them? In a nutshell, three key components are necessary: 1) Leadership that sets the tone by establishing safety as a core company value within the company charter. Because it’s true: Safety starts at the top. 2) Safety committees and management systems that ensure risks are identified and managed across the organization. Openness, Paul GrecO is director, corporate environmental health and safety, canada for spectra energy. Greco also serves as first vice chair of the aGa safety and Occupational Health committee. april 2012 AmericAn GAs 11

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - April 2012

American Gas - April 2012
Contents
President’s Message
In the News
Safety First
Ask AGA
Tech Talk
Engaging Consumers
Squeezing Every Btu
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Jobline
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - April 2012