CALGARY, April 24, 2014 /CNW/ – The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) today released the final reports detailing its audit of TransCanada PipeLines Limited’s (TransCanada) Safety Management, Emergency Management, Environmental Protection, Third Party Crossings and Public Awareness programs. The Board finds that TransCanada has identified the majority, and most significant, of its hazards and risks, however there are areas where the company was found to be out of compliance. TransCanada will be required to submit a corrective action plan for Board approval within 30 days of this report being issued that clearly lays out how it will address non-compliant findings.
The NEB requires companies to be compliant with 100 per cent of the regulatory requirements for each Management System sub-element being assessed. If a part of a company’s program is found to be deficient with respect to any regulatory requirement, the entire sub-element will be found in non-compliance. A finding of non-compliance may not necessarily mean that there is an immediate hazard, however a corrective action is required in order for the company’s system to remain safe. If any non-compliance was deemed to pose an immediate hazard the Board would take appropriate enforcement action.
“NEB audits proactively identify those aspects of a company’s management system that are working well along with those that need to be improved,” said Gaétan Caron, the Chair and CEO of the NEB. “This process of continual improvement moves industry closer to achieving the Board’s target of zero incidents.”
The NEB conducts targeted compliance verification activities including at least 150 inspections of regulated companies each year. This is in addition to the 100+ technical meetings and exercises conducted on an annual basis. These tools are effective in allowing the Board to proactively detect and correct non-compliances before they become issues.
The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada’s energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest. For more information on the NEB and its mandate, please visit www.neb-one.gc.ca.
This news release is available on the NEB’s website at www.neb-one.gc.ca under What’s New!
To view the complete audit reports and associated appendices, please visit http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rsftyndthnvrnmnt/sfty/sfcmpctn-eng.html
Fact Sheet: The NEB Audit Process http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rthnb/nws/fqs/nbdtprcssfctsht-eng.html
Fact Sheet: The NEB’s Enforcement Toolkit http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rthnb/nws/fqs/nbnfrcmnttlktfctsht-eng.html
Fact Sheet: Pipeline Safety http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rthnb/nws/fqs/pplnsftyfctsht-eng.html
SOURCE National Energy Board