2019 Pipeline SMS Annual Report Released

ALPHARETTA, GA, May 5, 2020 – Today, the Pipeline Safety Management Systems Industry Team released their 2019 Annual Report, reflecting on last year’s implementation progress and program highlights. The Industry Team serves to facilitate implementation of API Recommended Practice (RP) 1173, Pipeline Safety Management Systems (Pipeline SMS), among the liquids and natural gas pipeline industry. The annual report, which also includes an industry-wide survey, showed a majority of pipeline operators are using Pipeline SMS to improve their overall safety performance and reinforce internal safety culture.

“The past five years have been an increasing evolution for Pipeline Safety as we continue to strive for zero incidents,” said Angela Kolar, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer with Colonial Pipeline and the Industry Team Chair. “As you’ll see in this Annual Report, we’re seeing steady progress with the implementation of Pipeline SMS across the industry. More and more company leaders are committing to PSMS. The rate at which companies are performing gap assessments continues to rise and, more importantly, companies are implementing measures to address their identified gaps.”

The report features testimonials from pipeline operators on the benefits of Pipeline SMS implementation and on the value of the third-party assessment process. It also highlights the 2019 Annual Survey results, which:

• Surveyed over 55 percent of the transmission and distribution industries with nearly 150 respondents;
• Identified 47 more companies’ leadership committing to Pipeline SMS implementation in 2019;
• Showed over two-thirds of respondents having completed a gap assessment, with 100 percent of those respondents identifying an improvement opportunity; and
• Revealed that nearly 60 percent of respondents’ implementation progress is steady.

In 2020, the Industry Team is focusing its efforts around four key focus areas: increasing industry participation, ensuring proactive stakeholder engagement, providing ongoing support for operator journeys, and ensuring proper governance and oversight for the RP. View our industry’s implementation journey over the last five years through the 2019 Pipeline SMS Annual Report.