A new independent, industry managed, non-profit standards body – known as PIDX, Inc – has been established to replace API’s Petroleum Industry Data Exchange (PIDX) Committee, which was created in 1987. The new non-profit will be committed to the development and maintenance of global eBusiness standards for the oil and natural gas industry.
PIDX, Inc. will house the intellectual property, resources, and documentation formerly managed by the API PIDX Committee. The new organization will be overseen by a new industry board of directors, made up of senior leaders from the oil companies, its suppliers and technology support companies, who will provide overall strategic leadership to the PIDX executive team. This team is essentially the same dedicated men and women who led API’s PIDX Committee.
Ms. Lynn Chou, a PIDX, Inc. board member and Chevron downstream CIO, said, "API has been very helpful and dedicated to make this transition successful. Both API and PIDX welcome this unique opportunity to assist the industry to be more effective through the use of eBusiness standards."
"Throughout 2010, API management and the current PIDX executive committee worked closely to manage the transition of API’s PIDX organisation from API to this new non-profit entity in an orderly fashion," said David Miller, API’s standards director. "PIDX is in very capable hands and the industry looks forward to its continued global work." "The new PIDX will very much focus on the global needs of our industry from Kuwait City to Houston and from Sao Paulo to Beijing," said Ms. Christina De Luca, a PIDX, Inc. board member and BP vice president of procurement R & M. "You will see PIDX branded under the name of PIDX INTERNATIONAL, as a commitment to our global reach," said Ms. De Luca.
For more than two decades, PIDX volunteers have developed and maintained standards as needed by the industry and its constantly evolving technologies and processes. PIDX has held meetings in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and for the last eight years has been exclusively supported by member hosted meetings.
"The PIDX membership thanks API for its stewardship over the last 20+ years and we look forward to an exciting new future developing global eBusiness standards that are needed in our industry," said PIDX, Inc. president Tony Aming, who is also Baker Hughes’ business process instrumentation and supplier eProcurement manager, enterprise applications.
The Safety and Fire Protection Subcommittee (SFPS) mission is to provide proactive safety and occupational health leadership and expertise to the industry, API committees and member companies. The SFPS seeks to advance and improve the industry’s overall safety and occupational health performance by combining resources to identify and address important public, employee and company issues.
The objectives of the SFPS are to promote safe, healthful, efficient and environmentally sound practices in the petroleum industry, and to initiate, monitor and respond to governmental actions in these areas. The foundation of these activities is the development and maintenance of technical standards and communication and sharing of information related to petroleum industry safety, fire protection, and occupational health. Below is a list of the subcommittees and the areas they work with.
Safety Task Force
- Safe Entry & Cleaning of Petroleum Storage Tanks
- Guidelines and Procedures for Entering and Cleaning Petroleum Storage Tanks
- Safe Access/Egress Involving Floating Roofs of Storage Tanks in Petroleum Service
- Guidelines for Safe Work in Inert Confined Spaces in the Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries
- Contractor Safety Performance Process
- Contractor & Owner Safety Program Implementation
Fire Protection Task Force
- Fire Protection in Refineries
- Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning, and Stray Currents
- Safe Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Practices in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries
- Management of Atmospheric Storage Tank Fires
- Interim Study - Prevention and Suppression of Fires in Large Aboveground Atmospheric Storage Tanks
- Guide for Safe Storage and Handling of Heated Petroleum-Derived Asphalt Products and Crude-Oil Residua
- Ignition Hazards and Safe Work Practices for Abrasive Blasting of Atmospheric Storage Tanks in Hydrocarbon Service
- Flame Arresters in Piping Systems
- Application of Water Spray Systems for Fire Protection in the Petroleum Industry
- Safe Hot Tapping Practices in the Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries
- Preparing Tank Bottoms for Hot Work
- Flame Arresters for Vents of Tanks Storing Petroleum Products
- Spark Ignition Properties of Hand Tools
- Ignition Risk of Hydrocarbon Vapors by Hot Surfaces in the Open Air
- Fireproofing Practices in Petroleum and Petrochemical Processing Plants
- Safe Operating Guidelines for Vacuum Trucks in Petroleum Service
- Overfill Protection for Storage Tanks in Petroleum Facilities
- Fire Protection Considerations for the Design and Operation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Storage Facilities