La. Admin. Code tit. 43 § XI-4905

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section XI-4905 - Procedural Manual for Operations, Maintenance, and Emergencies (Formerly section 1905)

A. General. Each operator shall prepare and follow for each pipeline system a manual of written procedures for conducting normal operations and maintenance activities and handling abnormal operations and emergencies. This manual shall be reviewed at intervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once each calendar year, and appropriate changes made as necessary to insure that the manual is effective. This manual shall be prepared before initial operations of a pipeline system commence, and appropriate parts shall be kept at locations where operations and maintenance activities are conducted.

B. Amendments. If the commissioner finds that an operator's procedures are inadequate to assure proper operation of the system and to minimize hazards in emergencies, the commissioner may, after issuing a notice of amendment and providing an opportunity for an informal hearing, require the operator to amend the procedures. In determining the adequacy of the procedures, the commissioner considers pipeline safety data, the feasibility of the procedures, and whether the procedures are appropriate for the pipeline system involved. Each notice of amendment shall allow the operator at least 15 days after receipt of such notice to submit written comments or request an informal hearing. After considering all material presented, the commissioner shall notify the operator of the required amendment or withdraw the notice proposing the amendment.

C. Maintenance and Normal Operations. The manual required by Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for the following to provide safety during maintenance and normal operations:

1. making construction records, maps, and operating history available as necessary for safe operation and maintenance;

2. gathering of data needed for reporting accidents under §4101-4109 of this regulation in a timely and effective manner;

3. operating, maintaining, and repairing the pipeline system in accordance with each of the requirements of this Part;

4. determining which pipeline facilities are located in areas that would require an immediate response by the operator to prevent hazards to the public if the facilities failed or malfunctioned;

5. analyzing pipeline accidents to determine their causes;

6. minimizing the potential for hazards identified under Paragraph C.4 of this Section and the possibility of recurrence of accidents analyzed under Paragraph C.5 of this Section;

7. starting up and shutting down any part of the pipeline system in a manner designed to assure operation within the limits prescribed by §4911, considering the specific fluid in transportation, variations in altitude along the pipeline, and pressure monitoring and control devices;

8. in the case of a pipeline that is not equipped to fail safe, monitoring from an attended location pipeline pressure during startup until steady state pressure and flow conditions are reached and during shut-in to assure operation within limits prescribed by §4911;

9. in the case of facilities not equipped to fail safe that are identified under §4905.C.4 or that control receipt and delivery of the carbon dioxide, detecting abnormal operating conditions by monitoring pressure, temperature, flow or other appropriate operational data and transmitting these data to an attended location;

10. abandoning pipeline facilities, including safe disconnection from an operating pipeline system, and sealing abandoned facilities left in place to minimize safety and environmental hazards;

11. establishing and maintaining liaison with fire, police, and other appropriate public officials to learn the responsibility and resources of each government organization that may respond to a pipeline emergency and acquaint the officials with the operator's ability in responding to a pipeline emergency and means of communication;

12. periodically reviewing the work done by operator personnel to determine the effectiveness of the procedures used in normal operation and maintenance and taking corrective action where deficiencies are found.

D. Abnormal Operation. The manual required by Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for the following to provide safety when operating design limits have been exceeded:

1. responding to, investigating, and correcting the cause of:

a. unintended closure of valves or shutdowns;

b. increase or decrease in pressure or flow rate outside normal operating limits;

c. loss of communications;

d. operation of any safety device;

e. any other malfunction of a component, deviation from normal operation, or personnel error which could cause a hazard to persons or property;

2. checking variations from normal operation after abnormal operation has ended at sufficient critical locations in the system to determine continued integrity and safe operation;

3. correcting variations from normal operation of pressure and flow equipment and controls;

4. notifying responsible operator personnel when notice of an abnormal operation is received;

5. periodically reviewing the response of operator personnel to determine the effectiveness of the procedure controlling abnormal operation and taking corrective action where deficiencies are found.

E. Emergencies. The manual required by Subsection A of this Section must include procedures for the following to provide safety when an emergency condition occurs:

1. receiving, identifying, and classifying notices of events which need immediate response by the operator or notice to fire, police, or other appropriate public officials and communicating this information to appropriate operator personnel for corrective action;

2. prompt and effective response to a notice of each type emergency, including fire, occurring near or directly involving a pipeline facility, accidental release of carbon dioxide from a pipeline facility, operational failure causing a hazardous condition, and natural disaster affecting pipeline facilities;

3. having personnel, equipment, instruments, tools, and material available as needed at the scene of an emergency;

4. taking necessary action, such as emergency shutdown or pressure reduction, to minimize the volume of carbon dioxide that is released from any section of a pipeline system in the event of a failure;

5. control of released carbon dioxide at an accident scene to minimize the hazard;

6. minimization of public exposure to injury and possible damages by assisting with evacuation of residents and assisting with halting traffic on roads and railroads in the affected area, or taking other appropriate action;

7. notifying fire, police, and other appropriate public officials of pipeline emergencies and coordinating with them preplanned and actual responses during an emergency, including additional precautions necessary for an emergency involving a pipeline system transporting carbon dioxide;

8. in the case of failure of a pipeline system transporting carbon dioxide, use of appropriate instruments to assess the extent and coverage of the escaped vapors and to determine the availability of adequate oxygen in the area;

9. providing for a post-accident review of employee activities to determine whether the procedures were effective in each emergency and taking corrective action where deficiencies are found.

La. Admin. Code tit. 43, § XI-4905

Promulgated by the Department of Natural Resources, Office of Conservation, LR 12:115 (February 1986), repromulgated LR 49317 (2/1/2023).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:4(C)(17) and R.S. 30:1104(A).