Safety is a core value at UGI Energy Services (UGIES) and is at the forefront of everything we do, whether in the field, on the road, or at the office.
This safe digging month, as we stress community safety around pipelines, we’d like to emphasize and share a brief overview of our own comprehensive pipeline safety procedures.
From initial project planning stages and through construction, and from ongoing operations and maintenance of pipelines and facilities, ensuring the safety of our pipelines, facilities, and employees is our highest priority.
- Leveraging Decades of Expertise
UGI Corporation has more than a century of experience in the energy industry and especially the natural gas sector. Our expertise allows us to understand and manage pipeline safety risks effectively while carefully selecting top-quality materials, conducting thorough evaluations during pipeline planning, and maintaining strict safety and compliance to ensure safety remains at the forefront of everything we do.
- Preventing Leaks
Our teams recognize, reduce, and remediate pipeline leaks by conducting routine aerial and ground leak investigations. Our qualified team members exceed minimum regulatory requirements by using advanced leak-detection devices. The frequency of these inspections is determined using a risk-based approach that prioritizes public safety.
- Investigating Incidents
Like any business, unwanted or unexpected incidents involving our employees, contractors, or pipeline systems sometimes occur. When that happens, our trained personnel investigate to determine the incident's direct and indirect causes. After these causes are identified, our team develops and implements robust corrective actions intended to reduce the likelihood of future incidents. Any learnings are further developed and shared with the rest of the team every month to continuously improve our processes and services.
- Vetting Contractors
We will never choose contractors simply based on cost. Each contractor we work with goes through a rigorous background check where we verify their qualifications, safety procedures and statistics, Operator Qualifications for contractor personnel, and compliance with mandated drug and alcohol requirements. Further, all contractors are evaluated through the Contractor Safety Management Plan before being allowed to work on UGIES assets.
- Training Engineers
To ensure our engineers can safely and effectively design and operate energy infrastructure, we require all engineers to complete a training and development program covering topics such as design standards, regulatory compliance, and safe operation of facilities.
- Conducting Audits
To ensure all our facilities operate by applicable standards and regulations, we regularly perform internal audits of records and procedures to confirm our compliance with federal and state regulations. This process helps reinforce the importance of following established practices and provides ongoing training in code compliance and proper documentation of records for our team.
- Managing Changes
Any technical or personnel changes that affect the operation of assets must go through a thorough Management of Change Process, which evaluates risk, identifies affected stakeholders, implements and documents solutions, and ensures all appropriate parties are notified of the changes. This helps keep our processes organized and ensures a smooth transition during necessary changes.
- Standardizing Materials
Our Material Standardization process provides all personnel with a list of approved materials to use in the design or operation of facilities. During this process, new materials can be systematically evaluated, material failures can be tracked for common causes, and common material brands and models can be utilized across our system.
- Identifying Geohazards
UGIES evaluates its pipelines to determine which assets could be at high risk for disturbance due to gravity, severe weather, seismic activity, and other natural conditions. We are also developing a geohazard program to mitigate and monitor pipeline assets moving forward, as well as a geohazard-specific emergency response plan that includes exercises and drills to refine these procedures further.
Pipeline safety is essential to keeping our communities, team, and facilities safe, while ensuring the reliability of our system to serve family and businesses’ energy needs. Interested in learning more about UGI Energy Services? Contact us today!
