Version No:

5

OG Status:

Fully Open

Subject File:

317

Author Section:

HID SI 3D

Issue Date:

30/04/2008

Review Date:

31/03/2010

To:

HID CI and SI Inspectors (Bands 1-3), HSE Duty Officers; FOD Divisional Directors; FOD Inspectors (Bands 1-3

Purpose

This guidance describes the arrangements for providing a HID initial response to ‘out of hours’ major incidents involving natural gas or pipelines on land. Not all such incidents will fall to HID to investigate. For example, natural gas incidents downstream of the emergency control valve at premises fall to FOD. In addition, in general, FOD take the lead in investigating third party damage incidents to gas and other pipelines resulting from the activities of utilities, agricultural undertakings or construction companies (see OC 440/28).

The purpose of this document is to have an arrangement of contacts to ensure that HID Chemical Industries Division and Specialised Industries Division are able to provide a presence on site in a reasonable time.

Background

1  HID’s Specialised Industries Division Gas & Pipelines Unit (SI3) is responsible for regulating natural gas processing, transmission, storage and distribution and other pipeline safety across the country.

2  The Unit has three operational gas and pipelines teams, a national inspection and operational support team and a process safety specialist support team. The location and geographical areas of interest of the various teams are shown in Annex A.

3  Under this structure, gas and pipelines inspectors are dispersed across the country, each team covering a large geographical area. Consequently, SI3 inspectors may not always be able to respond immediately to out of hours incidents. As a result, following a major incident in which early attendance by HSE is required, other HID units may be called upon to assist by providing an initial out of hours response.

Contact Arrangements

4  The first point of contact will be via the duty officer. The duty officer will decide whether HID inspectors need to be informed immediately or whether it can be deferred until the next working day. The criteria for this decision are set out in guidance for duty officers. Where the event meets the criteria triggering HSE attendance out of hours, the duty officer will first try to contact relevant SI3 staff before attempting to contact other HID Units. Contacts will be attempted by the duty officer in the following order:

1. the HID SI3 Band 1 in Sheffield. If this contact is successful, the SI3 Band 1 will decide upon the most appropriate action. This may include contacting SI3 Band 2 or Band 3 inspectors who may be able to respond immediately or contacting the HID CI or SI Band 1 in whose area the incident occurred; [Note: this stage of the procedure may also be followed during normal working hours where a timely HSE presence is required on site.]
2. the HID SI3 Band 2 responsible for the geographical area in which the incident occurred;
3. a Band 3 inspector from the relevant HID SI3 gas and pipelines team;
4. members of the SI3 national inspection team starting with the Band 2;
5. the Band 1 for the HID CI (1, 2 or 3) Unit in whose geographical area the incident has occurred; or
6. the relevant HID CI (1, 2 or 3) field team Band 2 responsible for the area in which the incident has occurred.

5  If a SI3 inspector attends the major incident then it should be investigated in accordance with HSE’s normal procedures for investigating major incidents. However, if an inspector from any other HID Unit attends the incident then their primary role is to represent HSE on site until the arrival of HID SI3 personnel, which may include:

• making initial contacts with the emergency services on site;
• making initial contacts with personnel from gas companies or pipeline operators;
• making contact with FOD inspectors who may have been called to a gas incident and where the source of gas leakage is yet to be determined (the leak could have originated from within the premises where it is a matter for FOD or from a mains or service pipe which is a matter for HID SI3);
• making initial contact with occupiers of affected premises or their relatives;
• safeguarding any evidence; and
• dealing with media queries, as appropriate.

Guidance and Training

6  Guidance on investigating gas incidents can be found in SPC/Enforcement/59 ‘Investigating Major Gas Incidents – Guidance to Inspectors’.

7  First response training for selected CI1, CI2 and CI3 inspectors on investigating natural gas fire and explosion incidents may be given periodically. 

Further Information

For further information contact HID SI3D National Inspection and Operational Support Team, City Gate west, Toll House Hill, Nottingham.

Annex A

HID Specialised Industries Division Gas & Pipelines Unit Head of Unit: Steve Wing, Sheffield
Operational Gas and Pipelines Teams Location, name of Band 2 and geographical areas of interest (based on Distribution Network Zones)			National Inspection Team	Process Safety Specialist Support
SI3A Doug Souden Aberdeen Covers: Scotland	SI3B Alan Thayne Norwich Covers: East Anglia, Southeast England, Southern England, Southwest England, Wales and London	SI3C Steve Chatfield Nottingham Covers: Northwest and Northeast England, the West and East Midlands and Yorkshire	SI3D Graeme Walker Nottingham	SI3E Ron Evans Sheffield