Further guidance on emergency plans for major accident ...

1 Further guidance on emergency plansfor major accident hazard pipelinesThe Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 ContentsPart 1 - emergency planning Introduction General Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 Scope of an emergency plan for pipelines HSE's arrangements to notify a local authority Aim of an emergency plan Objectives of an emergency plan Preparation of an emergency plan emergency arrangements, procedures and plans Information in the event of an emergency Testing emergency plans and procedures8 Part 2 - emergency plans for pipeline Planning for pipeline failure Causes of pipeline failure Probability of pipeline failure and duration of pipeline leaks Hazards and effects of pipeline Fire and explosion Toxic effects Blast effects and projectiles Cryogenic effects Asphyxiation Noise Hazard range and emergency planning distance Worst credible, or reference.

2 Accidents 15 Appendix 1 Extracts from Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996 and guidance publication L82 17 Appendix 2 Sample format of letter used to notify local authorities of a pipeline20 Appendix 3 Content and structure of pipeline emergency plans - an example 21 Glossary25 References27 Further information28 This guidance is issuedby the Health andSafety the guidanceis not compulsory andyou are free to takeother action. But if youdo follow the guidanceyou will normally bedoing enough tocomply with the and safetyinspectors seek tosecure compliance withthe law and may referto this guidance asillustrating and Safety ExecutivePart 1 - emergency Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 (PSR)1require a local authority to prepareemergency plans for pipelines which have the potential to cause a major accident .

3 The Regulations also require a pipeline operator to establish emergency procedures forsuch Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance booklet L822provides advice onHSE s interpretation of the Regulations and how they will be enforced. The purpose ofthis document is to amplify that advice, especially in relation to the roles of localauthorities and pipeline operators in preparing emergency guidance document considers in more detail the nature of pipeline hazards,some technical aspects of major accident hazard pipelines and the likelihood andconsequences of pipeline failure to assist and inform local authorities when preparingemergency are considered a safe mode of transportation for conveying hazardoussubstances and are often safer than alternative methods, for example, by road and.

4 There are occasions when pipeline failure results in loss of containment oraccidental release of the pipeline contents. emergency plans are required to provide anadditional safeguard so that, in the unlikely event of an emergency involving a majoraccident hazard pipeline, protection could be provided to members of the publicwhose health and safety might be Safety Regulations 19965 These Regulations apply to all relevant pipelines and are designed to ensure thatpipelines are designed, constructed, operated, maintained and decommissioned conveying dangerous fluids , defined in Schedule 2 of the Regulations,are referred to as major accident hazard pipelines (MAHP)

5 And the followingsummarises the additional regulations which apply:nrequirements for emergency shut-down valves on certain major accident hazardpipelines connected to offshore installations (regulation 19);nnotification, by the pipeline operator, to HSE prior to construction, use, or changeto a pipeline (regulations 20, 21 and 22);npreparation of a major accident prevention document (MAPD) by the pipelineoperator in which hazards are identified, risks assessed and where there aresufficient particulars to demonstrate that the safety management system isadequate (regulation 23);nthe pipeline operator to ensure that appropriate emergency procedures,organisation and arrangements are in place (regulation 24);nregulation 25 requires a local authority which has been notified by HSE of amajor accident hazard pipeline to prepare an emergency plan .

6 Nregulation 26 allows a local authority which prepares, reviews or revises aplan to charge a fee to the operator of the of 28 pagesFurther guidance on emergency plans for major accident hazard pipelinesHealth and Safety Executive3 of 28 pagesFurther guidance on emergency plans for major accident hazard pipelinesHealth and Safety ExecutiveNote: Regulations 25 and 26, together with extracts from the guidance to theRegulations (L82) are reproduced in Appendix 3 defines the meaning of pipeline . An emergency plan has to applyto all parts of a major accident hazard pipeline - not just the buried pipe example, natural gas pipelines will include block valve sites, pig trap sites,offtakes, pressure reduction stations and compressor stations.

7 However, sites usedfor storage (eg gas holder stations) and gas terminals are not part of the pipeline .8 There is no explicit requirement in the Regulations to test an emergency plandrawn up under regulation 25 (but see also section ). This was recognised asanoutstanding issue by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) when theRegulations came into of an emergency plan for pipelines9 The Pipelines Safety Regulations, made under the Health and Safety at Worketc. Act 1974,3do not cover environmental consequences of pipeline failures. TheRegulations only require an emergency plan to be prepared to deal with eventsinvolving a major accident hazard pipeline and which are a danger to the healthand safety of However, a local authority may elect to extend the scope of its emergencyarrangements to cover environmental, economic and other consequences followingthe failure of a major accident hazard pipeline but any work undertaken inpreparation for these parts of the plan cannot be charged to the pipeline operatorunder regulation 26 of PSR.

8 Also, local authorities may take the view that certainkinds of environmental effects or damage have the potential to cause harm topeople and should be included in the local authority may elect to extend the scope of its arrangements to deal withthose pipelines not defined as major accident hazard pipelines, for example, thosecarrying flammable liquids (eg gasoline, hexane, kerosene, diesel, dead crude oil,methanol etc), but no charge can be made to operators of these pipelines underregulation 26 of The scope of emergency plans does not include actions to be taken in theevent of loss of gas supply to gas consumers.

9 These are matters covered by theGas Safety (Management) Regulations 19964which deal with the safe managementof gas supply. Many of these kinds of events will probably involve the medium orlow pressure gas distribution systems which operate at or below 7 bar gauge (ie 8bar absolute) and fall outside the scope of the additional duties under 's arrangements to notify a local authority13 Pipeline operators have a duty under regulations 20 and 22 of PSR to notifyHSE of their intention to construct, or make changes to, a major accident hazardpipeline and, in turn, HSE has to inform the relevant local authorities so that anemergency plan can be prepared or.

10 If a pipeline is no longer to be a major accident hazard pipeline by virtue of achange in the conveyed fluid or fluid properties etc, then the pipeline operator shallnotify HSE under regulation 22 of PSR. HSE will, in turn, inform the relevant localauthority(ies) that an emergency plan for that pipeline is no longer required underthe of 28 pagesFurther guidance on emergency plans for major accident hazard pipelinesHealth and Safety Executive14 These notifications are made to the Hazardous Installations Directorate (HID) Local authorities are then informed of new pipelines or changes to pipelines viathe HID Unit Inspection Teams which are located throughout the country (contactHSE s Infoline for details Tel: 0845 345 0055.)