Oil Pollution Emergency Plan - Onshore Pipelines

• Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) 1996

These regulations require operators to ensure that adequate arrangements are in place for dealing with incidents and emergencies involving a pipeline, particularly in the event of;

1. An accidental loss of fluid;
2. The discovery of a defect in the pipeline or of damage to it; and
3. Any other emergency affecting the pipeline.

In addition, if the pipeline is defined by Regulation 18 (Schedule 2) as a "Major Accident Hazard Pipeline" in that it is carrying fluids which are;

• flammable in air, have a boiling point below 5ºC at 1 bar absolute, and are conveyed in the pipeline as a liquid;
• flammable in air and are to be conveyed in the pipeline as a gas at above 8 bar absolute; or
• have a vapour pressure greater than 1.5 bar absolute when in equilibrium with vapour at either the actual temperature of the liquid or at 20ºC.

Then a Major Accident Prevention Document and Emergency Procedures must be prepared by the pipeline operator - See COMAH

NOTE: The main focus of these regulations is Health and Safety, however through provision of contingency planning for this purpose, management of environmental risks can be incorporated.

• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)

Requires the reporting of work related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities but not to all incidents.

• Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996

Relates to gas pipelines and is concerned essentially with the safe management of the flow of gas through public gas transporter' networks. However the regulations do require the production of Safety Case dealing with incident and emergency procedures.

A guide to the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996 HSE Books (ISBN 0717611825)

Further Guidance on Emergency Plans for Major Accident Hazard Pipelines, HSE 1997 (ISBN 0717613933)

A Guide to Regulation 13A of the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996 (HSE 2003)

No consent is required but operators must produce and maintain a Major Accident Prevention Document as outlined below.

No particular consent is required however the Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) do require operators to create and maintain emergency procedures, detailing the appropriate organisation, arrangements and procedures for different emergencies. These procedures should be prepared in consultation with relevant external bodies (e.g. emergency services and local authorities).

Operators of Major Accident Hazard Pipelines must prepare a Major Accident Prevention Document (MAPD) as defined by Regulation 23 which must demonstrate that;

1. All hazards relating to the pipeline with the potential to cause a major accident have been identified;
2. The risks arising from these hazards have been evaluated;
3. The Safety Management System (SMS) is adequate, and;
4. That adequate arrangements have been established for undertaking of audits and reports.

The Safety Management System should be in place throughout the lifecycle of the pipeline from concept design through to decommissioning. It must ensure that:

• systems are in place for coordination of personnel involved in safety;
• operating procedures for normal, abnormal and non-routine operations are in place;
• communication of procedures through operating manuals etc. is adequate;
• procedures are in place to monitor the safety performance of contractors;
• safety training is available to all relevant personnel;
• major accident hazards associated with the pipeline are systematically evaluated and this information fed into the SMS and MAPD;
• procedures are in place for the planning of modifications to be made to the pipeline.

Operators provisions for dealing with accidents involving a pipeline, including where applicable the Major Accident Prevention Document, must be approved by the Health and Safety Executive, (HSE).

Operators of Major Accident Hazard Pipelines must notify the Health and Safety Executive:

• at least 6 months prior to the commencement of construction;
• at least 14 days before the conveyance of fluid in the pipeline

Operators of Major Accident Hazard Pipelines must notify the HSE where changes occur in the:

• route or position of the pipeline;
• service conditions of the pipeline;
• pipeline materials and equipment.

Not Applicable.

Incidents must be reported immediately where;

• any uncontrolled or accidental release from a pipeline has the potential to cause the death of, major injury or damage to the health of any person;
• it results in the pipeline being shut down for more than 24 hours
• any incident associated with the sudden, uncontrolled release of specified quantities of flammable substances

For all incidents a record must be kept of the;

• date and time of the accident or dangerous occurrence;
• location of accident or dangerous occurrence;
• circumstances in which the accident or dangerous occurrence occurred;
• date on which the event was reported to the HSE;
• method by which the event was reported;
• pipeline designation;
• pipeline duty (contents);
• initial and potential size of leak;
• details of how the pipeline has been made safe.

This information should be followed up as soon as possible with a completed F2508 and/or F2508A (Forms can be found at the RIDDOR website) within 24 hours of the incident.

None at present

The Environmental Liability Directive was adopted in 2004 and was required to be implemented by 30 April 2007.  The Directive enforces strict liability for prevention and remediation of environmental damage to ‘biodiversity’, water and land from specified activities and remediation of environmental damage for all other activities through fault or negligence. 

The Environmental Liability Directive is now implemented in England and Wales (see Environmental Liability). The Scottish Government has completed its 2nd consultation and regulations are pending.