Pipeline Safety
At UGI Energy Services, we hold a steadfast commitment to the safety of our employees, pipelines and facilities.Safe Pipelines
Safety remains at the forefront of everything we do, from the initial planning stages through the construction and ongoing maintenance of UGI Energy Services (UGIES) pipelines and facilities.
Our oil and gas industry expertise allows us to understand and manage pipeline safety risks effectively. We carefully select top-quality materials, conduct thorough evaluations during pipeline planning, and maintain strict safety and compliance.
“Implementation of a Pipeline Safety Management System (PSMS) at UGI Energy Services has been vital in maintaining and enhancing our culture of safety and operational excellence. Our PSMS program includes a method of gathering feedback on best practices from our employees, peers, and stakeholders to determine where we can best apply our resources to improve our performance. The PSMS program has organized all of our departments in a way that allows us to cohesively and effectively pursue our goals.”
— Jeremy Kuhn, UGIES Manager of Pipeline Engineering and Compliance
UGI Energy Services’ Safety Actions
Leak Prevention
UGIES is dedicated to recognizing, reducing, and remediating leaks. This is achieved by qualified individuals conducting routine aerial and ground leak investigations that go above minimum regulatory requirements and use advanced leak detection devices. The regularity of these inspections is determined using a risk based approach that puts a high priority on public safety.
Incident Investigation
UGIES is committed to investigating incidents involving our people, contractors, and our pipeline systems. When an unwanted or unexpected incident occurs, our trained personnel perform investigations to determine the direct and indirect causes of the incident, before developing and implementing robust corrective actions across our business, intended to reduce the likelihood of future incidents involving similar causes. In addition, lessons learned are developed and shared with our workforce, each month, as a method of continuous improvement.
Contractor Oversight
UGIES ensures all contractors employed are competent and qualified in the work being performed. This includes verifying contractor safety procedures and statistics, verifying Operator Qualifications for contractor personnel, and ensuring compliance with mandated drug and alcohol requirements. All contractors are evaluated through the Contractor Safety Management Plan prior to being allowed to work on UGIES assets.
Engineering Training Program
UGIES requires all engineers to complete a training and development program upon beginning their career with the company. Engineers receive training in topics such as design standards, regulatory compliance, and safe operation of facilities. This program ensures engineers are capable of safely and effectively designing and operating energy infrastructure.
Internal Audits
UGIES is dedicated to operating all of its facilities in accordance with applicable standards and regulations. To ensure this, UGIES has dedicated resources which conduct frequent internal audits of records and procedures that confirm our compliance with federal and state regulations. This process reinforces to all personnel the importance of following established practices and helps to provide ongoing training in code compliance and proper documentation of records.
Management of Change Process
UGIES requires all technical and personnel changes affecting the operation of assets to go through a thorough Management of Change Process. This process provides the framework for evaluating risk, identifying affected stakeholders, implementing and documenting solutions, and ensuring all appropriate parties are notified of the changes.
Material Standardization
UGIES has implemented a Material Standardization process that provides all personnel with an approved list of materials they may use either in design or operation of facilities. This process creates a mechanism where new materials can be systematically evaluated, material failures can be tracked for common causes, and use of common material brands and models can be utilized across our system.
Geohazard Identification Program
UGIES engineering and operations personnel are working with a vendor to evaluate our pipelines and determine which assets could be at high risk for disturbance due to gravity, severe weather, seismic activity, and other natural conditions. UGIES is 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.