NEB finalises order for online emergency management programme information

In response to a public consultation process last fall and careful consideration of the letters received, the NEB has made several changes to the Order (MO-002-2017) and corresponding guidance.

Comments made by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, the City of Vancouver and Équiterre resulted in changes to the guidance in a number of areas, including: training and exercises; stakeholder liaison to prepare for emergencies; hazard identification, risk assessment and controls; and addressing regional specific, site specific and situation specific concerns.

The NEB also agreed to extend the deadline for companies to publish their emergency management programme online by four months from the originally planned deadline of 31 March.

The Order directs companies to confirm with the NEB by 15 August 2017 that all the required emergency management programme information has been published online.

 

All NEB-regulated company emergency management programmes must include the following key elements:

 

• Policy and commitment.
• Goals and objectives.
• Public safety information.
• An emergency procedures manual.
• Hazard identification, risk assessment and controls.
• Clean-up and remediation information.
• Stakeholder liaison to prepare for emergencies.
• Continuing education.
• Training and exercises.
• Incident management system.

Earlier this month, the NEB also proposed changes that will require companies to provide additional emergency response detail during the pipeline application phase of a project.

Peter Watson, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, National Energy Board, stated: “The NEB is ensuring that Canadians have full access to emergency management programme information of the companies we regulate. The NEB provides strict regulatory oversight of pipeline safety and environmental protection through the entire life of every NEB-regulated pipeline.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/equipment-and-safety/31012017/neb-finalises-order-for-online-emergency-management-programme-information/