Canadian Occupational Safety

August/September 2013 23 the spill was inexplicably ignored. It took 18 hours for an employee at the Michigan plant to notice the spill and for the company to become aware of it. When the fi rst responders did eventu- ally show up, they were prepared for a crude oil spill not a bitumen spill, which tends to sink in water, and is therefore a very diff erent beast to clean up. e poor response time and miscom- munication led to one of the biggest onshore oil spills in U.S. history. More than three million litres of oil leaked into the wetlands, Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River when all was said and done. e costs of the clean-up soared to an estimated $1 billion, more than Enbridge is insured for. e Enbridge spill had a terrible PR eff ect on the bid for the Keystone XL pipeline. Not only did it give the proj- ect's opponents more ammunition for their arguments, but it also put the onus on governments, regulators and the oil companies to prove to the public this type of accident is a rare occurrence rather than the norm. Tighter regulations Canada's neighbours to the south have always been a little less enthused by excessive government regulation, so it's not really a surprise that many consider the regulations surrounding pipelines to be on the weak side. While the U.S. Congress has been working to tighten regulations over the past decade, there's still a lot of work to be done. e National Wildlife Federa- tion's main concerns are refl ected in its recent petition for increased pipeline regulations. Basically, the organization — along with many others — wants stronger safety requirements for the transportation of bitumen, more dis- closure on the part of industry (in terms of what they're pushing through their pipelines), stronger industry spill response plans and more transpar- ent pipeline inspections, among many other things. "In the U.S., the current regulatory structure is weak, but it's also designed to deal with conventional crude. We've asked that the regulatory structure be fi xed — the current structure is inexcusable," says Murphy. "It's irre- sponsible to go forward with projects without protecting communities." Paul Parfomak, a specialist in energy and infrastructure policy, recently made similar recommendations to Congress in his report, Keeping America's Pipe- lines Safe and Secure. "Both government and industry have taken numerous steps to improve pipe- line safety and security over the last 10 years. Nonetheless, the (National Trans- portation Safety Board) has identifi ed improvement of federal pipeline safety oversight as a 'top ten' priority for 2013," he says in the report. " e leading pipeline industry asso- ciations have concurred. Whether renewed eff orts by industry, combined with additional oversight by federal agencies, will further enhance the safety and security of U.S. pipelines remains to be seen." But while the regulatory situation in the U.S. is one thing — and something that, if revamped, could cause great headaches for proponents of the Key- stone XL — pipeline safety in Canada has to be better, doesn't it? It's getting there. Recently, the federal government has taken great strides to make pipeline safety a priority in Canada — but only a er a scathing 2011 report by Canada's Federal Environment and Sustainable Development Commis- sioner, Scott Vaughan. e government body audited the National Energy Board (NEB), the body responsible for regulat- ing pipelines, cradle to grave. becoming more popular — particularly mechanized welding. Companies are also starting to pay more attention to how pipelines are laid across sensitive environmental areas. Today's pipelines use computers to monitor pressure, fl ow and energy consumption, allowing them to close emergency valves, shut off pumps or alert repair crews should a leak occur. Since spills are an oil company's worst PR nightmare, operators across the world are making changes to their operational and maintenance processes to ensure new and existing pipelines are managed more effi ciently. Still, with all these improvements, pipelines aren't perfect. e argument that they're the safest form of transport- ing oil could be true, but it's diffi cult to prove with data kept by the Transpor- tation Safety Board (TSB). While you can see the number of accidents that occur in a given year per transportation method, there's no common denomina- tor. For example, there are no numbers to say how many accidents occur per barrels transported. In 2012, there were seven reported pipeline accidents in Canada (where an "accident" denotes a major spill or rupture) according to the TSB — and these only include federally regulated pipelines. Pipelines that don't cross provincial borders are governed by provincial regulatory bodies. e situation is the same, if not worse, in the U.S. at's why Jim Murphy, senior counsel for the National Wildlife Federation, has put together a petition to strengthen regulations sur- rounding pipelines. " e safest pipeline is no pipeline," he says. "With the Keystone 1 pipeline (which became operational in 2010 and runs from Alberta to Illinois) they predicted one incident in the fi rst year. ere were 14, and some of them were quite sizable." While spills happen —many of which go unpublicized — others have the potential to wreak havoc on the environment and surrounding commu- nities. Probably the worst case against the Keystone XL, and pipelines in gen- eral, dates back to June 25, 2010, when a 40-foot segment of an Enbridge pipe- line ruptured in Marshall, Mich., and spilled bitumen into the river. While alarms sounded immediately at the company's Edmonton headquarters, 2000s New grades of steel and composites are also used to avoid corrosion and ensure strength T he Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), an association that represents Canada's transmission pipeline companies, talked to COS magazine about steps the Canadian industry is taking to ensure pipeline safety. How has pipeline safety evolved over the past few decades to better protect surrounding communities and keep spills and other accidents to a minimum? With respect to new construction, pipeline operators are continuously improving the way pipelines are built. Nowadays, they are built with more rigorous quality control and more advanced materials, including higher strength steel and higher performance coatings. With respect to existing pipelines, maintenance techniques and diagnostic instruments, such as high resolution computerized inline inspection, have also improved allowing for better detection of potential issues before they pose a safety threat. Also, pipeline operators have been selectively replacing sections of pipe, where necessary, to assure the level of safety is not compromised. How has worker safety changed in the pipeline industry over this same timeframe? What steps have been taken in recent years to better protect workers? All CEPA members have advanced safety management systems in place within their companies. These include provisions for regular training and explicit personal protection requirements. In addition, the leadership within our member companies emphasizes and sets the tone for a strong safety culture. This empowers workers to ensure their own safety and the safety of their colleagues in the field and in the office. What measures are in place in Canada to respond to a pipeline spill? How are first-responders trained? All CEPA member companies have dedicated emergency response personnel who work with first responders, landowners and other stakeholders to ensure all involved are well informed in the event of an emergency. CEPA members ensure the appropriate response equipment is stationed at strategic locations along a pipeline route, so it is best positioned to respond to emergencies. By regulation, companies are required to conduct annual spill response exercises, which include training exercises, so they can demonstrate their ability to handle any potential spill. And lastly, all CEPA members are financially secure companies, so in the rare chance of a pipeline spill, our member companies have insurance and other provisions in place to address the financial responsibilities of a pipeline spill. KEEPING THINGS SAFE U.S. Protesters rally against the Keystone XL oil pipeline REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

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