Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. General.
Each operator shall prepare and follow for each pipeline system a manual of
written procedures for conducting normal operations and maintenance activities
and handling abnormal operations and emergencies. This manual shall be reviewed
at intervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once each calendar year, and
appropriate changes made as necessary to insure that the manual is effective.
This manual shall be prepared before initial operations of a pipeline system
commence, and appropriate parts shall be kept at locations where operations and
maintenance activities are conducted.
B. Amendments. If the commissioner finds that
an operator's procedures are inadequate to assure proper operation of the
system and to minimize hazards in emergencies, the commissioner may, after
issuing a notice of amendment and providing an opportunity for an informal
hearing, require the operator to amend the procedures. In determining the
adequacy of the procedures, the commissioner considers pipeline safety data,
the feasibility of the procedures, and whether the procedures are appropriate
for the pipeline system involved. Each notice of amendment shall allow the
operator at least 15 days after receipt of such notice to submit written
comments or request an informal hearing. After considering all material
presented, the commissioner shall notify the operator of the required amendment
or withdraw the notice proposing the amendment.
C. Maintenance and Normal Operations. The
manual required by Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for the
following to provide safety during maintenance and normal operations:
1. making construction records, maps, and
operating history available as necessary for safe operation and
maintenance;
2. gathering of data
needed for reporting accidents under §4101-4109 of this regulation in a timely
and effective manner;
3. operating,
maintaining, and repairing the pipeline system in accordance with each of the
requirements of this Part;
4.
determining which pipeline facilities are located in areas that would require
an immediate response by the operator to prevent hazards to the public if the
facilities failed or malfunctioned;
5. analyzing pipeline accidents to determine
their causes;
6. minimizing the
potential for hazards identified under Paragraph C.4 of this Section and the
possibility of recurrence of accidents analyzed under Paragraph C.5 of this
Section;
7. starting up and
shutting down any part of the pipeline system in a manner designed to assure
operation within the limits prescribed by §4911, considering the specific fluid
in transportation, variations in altitude along the pipeline, and pressure
monitoring and control devices;
8.
in the case of a pipeline that is not equipped to fail safe, monitoring from an
attended location pipeline pressure during startup until steady state pressure
and flow conditions are reached and during shut-in to assure operation within
limits prescribed by §4911;
9. in
the case of facilities not equipped to fail safe that are identified under
§4905.C.4 or that
control receipt and delivery of the carbon dioxide, detecting abnormal
operating conditions by monitoring pressure, temperature, flow or other
appropriate operational data and transmitting these data to an attended
location;
10. abandoning pipeline
facilities, including safe disconnection from an operating pipeline system, and
sealing abandoned facilities left in place to minimize safety and environmental
hazards;
11. establishing and
maintaining liaison with fire, police, and other appropriate public officials
to learn the responsibility and resources of each government organization that
may respond to a pipeline emergency and acquaint the officials with the
operator's ability in responding to a pipeline emergency and means of
communication;
12. periodically
reviewing the work done by operator personnel to determine the effectiveness of
the procedures used in normal operation and maintenance and taking corrective
action where deficiencies are found.
D. Abnormal Operation. The manual required by
Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for the following to
provide safety when operating design limits have been exceeded:
1. responding to, investigating, and
correcting the cause of:
a. unintended closure
of valves or shutdowns;
b. increase
or decrease in pressure or flow rate outside normal operating limits;
c. loss of communications;
d. operation of any safety device;
e. any other malfunction of a component,
deviation from normal operation, or personnel error which could cause a hazard
to persons or property;
2. checking variations from normal operation
after abnormal operation has ended at sufficient critical locations in the
system to determine continued integrity and safe operation;
3. correcting variations from normal
operation of pressure and flow equipment and controls;
4. notifying responsible operator personnel
when notice of an abnormal operation is received;
5. periodically reviewing the response of
operator personnel to determine the effectiveness of the procedure controlling
abnormal operation and taking corrective action where deficiencies are
found.
E. Emergencies.
The manual required by Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for
the following to provide safety when an emergency condition occurs:
1. receiving, identifying, and classifying
notices of events which need immediate response by the operator or notice to
fire, police, or other appropriate public officials and communicating this
information to appropriate operator personnel for corrective action;
2. prompt and effective response to a notice
of each type emergency, including fire, occurring near or directly involving a
pipeline facility, accidental release of carbon dioxide from a pipeline
facility, operational failure causing a hazardous condition, and natural
disaster affecting pipeline facilities;
3. having personnel, equipment, instruments,
tools, and material available as needed at the scene of an emergency;
4. taking necessary action, such as emergency
shutdown or pressure reduction, to minimize the volume of carbon dioxide that
is released from any section of a pipeline system in the event of a
failure;
5. control of released
carbon dioxide at an accident scene to minimize the hazard;
6. minimization of public exposure to injury
and possible damages by assisting with evacuation of residents and assisting
with halting traffic on roads and railroads in the affected area, or taking
other appropriate action;
7.
notifying fire, police, and other appropriate public officials of pipeline
emergencies and coordinating with them preplanned and actual responses during
an emergency, including additional precautions necessary for an emergency
involving a pipeline system transporting carbon dioxide;
8. in the case of failure of a pipeline
system transporting carbon dioxide, use of appropriate instruments to assess
the extent and coverage of the escaped vapors and to determine the availability
of adequate oxygen in the area;
9.
providing for a post-accident review of employee activities to determine
whether the procedures were effective in each emergency and taking corrective
action where deficiencies are found.
AUTHORITY
NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
30:4(C)(17) and
R.S.
30:1104(A).
