Page 72 - Pipeline Risk Management Manual Ideas, Techniques, and Resources

Assessing third-party damage potential 3/51
No aboveground facilities 10 pts The effectiveness of a one-call system depends on several
Aboveground facilities 0 pts factors. The evaluator should assess this effectiveness for the
pipeline section being evaluated. Here is a sample point sched-
plus any of the following that apply (total not to exceed ule (with explanations following):
10 pts):
Effectiveness 6 pts
Facilities more than 200 ft from vehicles 5 pts Proven record of efficiency and reliability 2 pts
Area surrounded by 6-ft chain-link fence 2 pts Widely advertised and well known in community 2 pts
Protective railing (4-in. steel pipe or better) 3 pts Meets minimum ULCCA standards 2 pts
Trees ( 12 in. in diameter), wall, or other substantial Appropriate reaction to calls 5 pts
structure@.) between vehicles and facility 4 pts Maps and records 4 pts
Ditch (minimum 4-ft depthiwidth) between vehicles
and facility 3 pts Add points for all applicable characteristics. The best one-
Signs (“Warning,” “No Trespassing,” “Hazard” etc.) 1 pt call system is characterized by all of the above factors and will
have a point value of 15 points.
Credit may be given for security measures that are thought to The first variable is a judgment of the one-call system’s
reduce vandalism (intentional third-party intrusions). The effectiveness. To get any points at all, it should be a system
example above allows a small number of points for signs that mandated by law, especially when noncompliance penalties are
may discourage the casual mischief-maker or the passing severe. Such a system will be more readily accepted and uti-
hunter taking target practice. Lighting, barbed wire, video sur- lized. Beyond that, elements of the one-call systems operation
veillance. sound monitors, motion sensors, alarm systems, etc., and results can be evaluated.
may warrant point credits as risk reducers. Beyond minor van- The next two point categories are more subjective. The eval-
dalism potential, the threat of sabotage can be considered in a uator is asked to judge the effectiveness and acceptance of the
risk assessment. Chapter 9 explores that aspect of risk. system. The degree of community acceptance can be assessed
by a spot check of local excavators and by the level of advertis-
ing of the system. The evaluator may set up a more detailed
D. Line locating (weighting: 15%) point schedule to distinguish among differences he perceives.
This detailed schedule could be tied to the results of a random
A line locating program or procedure-the process of identify- sampling ofthe one-call system.
ing the exact location of a buried pipeline in order for third par- Another category in this schedule refers to standards estab-
ties to safely excavate nearby-is central to avoiding third-party lished by the Utility Location and Coordination Council of
damages. A one-call system is a service that receives notifica- America (ULCCA) for one-call centers. Local utility location
tion of upcoming digging activities and in turn notifies all own- and coordinating councils (ULCCs) are established by the
ers of potentially affected underground facilities. It is the American Public Works Association (APWA).
foundation of many pipeline-locating programs. A conventional The evaluator may substitute any other appropriate industry
one-call system is defined by the DOT as “a communication standard. This may overlap the first question of whether the
system established by two or more utilities (or pipeline compa- one-call system is mandated by law. If mandated, certain mini-
nies), governmental agencies, or other operators ofunderground mum standards will no doubt have been established. Minimum
facilities to provide one telephone number for excavation con- standards may address
tractors and the general public to call for notification and
recording of their intent to engage in excavation activities. This Hours of operation
information is then relayed to appropriate members of the one- Record keeping
call system, giving them an opportunity to communicate with Method ofnotification
excavators, to identify their facilities by temporary markings, Off-hours notification systems
and to follow up the excavation with inspections of their facili- Timeliness ofnotifications.
ties.” [68] Such systems can also be established by independent
entrepreneurs. In this text, one-call generically refers to all such The US. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) [64]
notification systems, although many go by other names such as reports that there are very practical distinctions between one-
no-dig, miss utilig, or miss-dig. call centers:
The first modern one-call system was installed in Rochester,
New York, in 1964. As of 1992, there were 88 one-call systems An assortment of communication methods are used to receive excava-
in 47 states and Washington, D.C., plus similar systems operat- tors’ calls and to issue notification tickets to the centers’ participants:
ing in Canada, Australia, Scotland, and Taiwan. A report by the centers may use telephone staff operators, voice recorded messages,
National Transportation Board on a study of 16 one-call centers e-mail, fax machines, Internet bulletin hoards. or a combination of
gives evidence of the effectiveness of this service in reducing methods. Service hours may be seasonally limited to a few hours a day
pipeline accidents. In 10 instances (of the 16 studied), excava- or extend to 24 hours a day. Some locations operate only seasonally
tion-related accidents were reduced by20 to 40%. In the remain- because of construction demand; most operate year-round. Most cen-
ters have statewide coverage but may not strictly follow State bound-
ing six cases, these accidents were reduced by 60 to 70% [68]. aries. A center may cover portions of several States (Miss Utility in
One-call systems operate within stated boundaries, usually Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia) or there may be sev-
in urban areas. Participation in and use of a one-call system is eral centers within a State (Idaho has six different one-call systems;
mandatory in most states in the United States. Washington and Wyoming each have nine). Centers may provide