Page 12 - Pipeline Risk Management Manual Ideas, Techniques, and Resources

Preface

The first edition of this book was written at a time when formal complete and useful databases to further our knowledge and to
risk assessments of pipelines were fairly rare. To be sure, there support detailed risk modeling efforts.
were some repairheplace models out there, some maintenance Given this as a backdrop, one objective ofthis third edition is
prioritization schemes, and the occasional regulatory approval to again provide a simple approach to help a reader put together
study, but, generally, those who embarked on a formal process some kind of assessment tool with a minimum of aggravation.
for assessing pipeline risks were doing so for very specific However, the primary objective of this edition is to provide a
needs and were not following a prescribed methodology. reference book for concepts, ideas, and maybe a few templates
The situation is decidedly different now. Risk management is covering a wider range of pipeline risk issues and modeling
increasingly being mandated by regulations. A risk assessment options. This is done with the belief that an idea and reference
seems to be the centerpiece of every approval process and every book will best serve the present needs ofpipeline risk managers
pipeline litigation. Regulators are directly auditing risk assess- and anyone interested in the field.
ment programs. Risk management plans are increasingly com- While I generally shy away from technical books that get too
ing under direct public scrutiny. philosophical and are weak in specific how-to’s, it is just simply
While risk has always been an interesting topic to many, it is not possible to adequately discuss risk without getting into
also often clouded by preconceptions of requirements of huge some social and psychological issues. It is also doing a disserv-
databases, complex statistical analyses, and obscure proba- ice to the reader to imply that there is only one correct risk man-
bilistic techniques. In reality, good risk assessments can be agement approach. Just as an engineer will need to engage in a
done even in a data-scarce environment. This was the major give-and-take process when designing the optimum building or
premise of the earlier editions. The first edition even had a cer- automobile, so too will the designer of a risk assessment/man-
tain sense of being a risk assessment cookbook-“Here are the agement process.
ingredients and how to combine them.” Feedback from readers Those embarking on a pipeline risk management process
indicates that this was useful to them. should realize that, once some basic understanding is obtained,
Nonetheless, there also seems to be an increasing desire for they have many options in specific approach. This should be
more sophistication in risk modeling. This is no doubt the result viewed as an exciting feature, in my opinion. Imagine how
of more practitioners than ever before-pushing the bound- mundane would be the practice of engineering if there were lit-
aries-as well as the more widespread availability of data and tle variation in problem solving. So, my advice to the beginner
the more powerful computing environments that make it easy is simple: arm yourself with knowledge, approach this as you
and cost effective to consider many more details in a risk would any significant engineering project, and then enjoy the
model. Initiatives are currently under way to generate more journey !