Pipeline Safety: New Risk Assessment Program Could Help Evaluate Inspection Cycle
RCED-89-107
Published: Mar 07, 1989. Publicly Released: Mar 10, 1989.
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Highlights
In response to a congressional request, GAO examined the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of Pipeline Safety's development of the inspection cycle for natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, focusing on whether the: (1) office based the pipeline inspection cycle on sound risk assessments; and (2) Pipeline Inspection Priority Program (PIPP) would identify pipelines with the greatest potential safety risks.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | To ensure that PIPP identifies and prioritizes pipeline inspections on the basis of a sound assessment of risk, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), to: (1) provide training to field staff on how to access and validate the pipeline priority program data; and (2) issue guidance to regions on how to characterize the pipeline units' safety risks. |
Additional guidance and training has been provided to field personnel on using risk analysis as a basis for inspection planning and scheduling. Phase I PIPP data provided by operators has improved to a level that makes it useful as a management tool. Phase II PIPP data provided by agency inspectors was completed in November 1990 and is now fully operational.
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| Department of Transportation | Once the pipeline priority program becomes operational, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, RSPA, to use the information on the number and regional location of high-risk pipelines to determine whether its pipeline inspection cycle and current inspector staffing level are appropriate. |
New inspection cycle guidelines have been developed as part of the new risk assessment program. Inspector staffing levels to carry out this program have been determined, and this information has been used in preparing staffing level requests in RSPA budget submissions.
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Topics
Employee trainingHazardous substancesInspectionManagement information systemsNatural gasPipeline operationsProgram managementSafety regulationStaff utilizationTransportation safetyRisk assessment