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Pipeline Incident Reporting

2010-2011 Pipeline Incident Reporting

Incident includes:

  • the death of or serious injury to a person;
  • a significant adverse effect on the environment;
  • an unintended fire or explosion;
  • an unintended or uncontained release of Low Vapour Pressure hydrocarbons in excess of 1.5 m3;
  • an unintended or uncontrolled release of gas or High Vapour Pressure hydrocarbons; or
  • the operation of a pipeline beyond its design limits.

Compulsory incident reporting under the Onshore Pipeline Regulations, 1999) serves to alert the NEB and industry of the current number of environmental and safety incidents and it is used by the NEB to provide compliance oversight. This information also supplements the voluntary reporting initiative for safety and environmental performance indicators captured in the latest report issued by the NEB, Focus on Safety and the Environment: A Comparative Analysis of Pipeline Performance, 2000-2008. This report is based on data which is normalized by length of pipelines worked on and worker hours. It also draws comparisons with other jurisdictions. In order to also provide a current picture of incidents the following information from 2010 and 2011 is provided as follows.

Serious Injury includes:

  • the fracture of a major bone;
  • the amputation of a body part;
  • the loss of sight in one or both eyes;
  • internal haemorrhage;
  • third degree burns;
  • unconsciousness;
  • the loss of a body part; or,
  • the loss of a function of a body part.

No serious injuries or fatalities occurred in 2010 on NEB-regulated facilities. However, in 2011 until September 30 there have been two fatalities and one injury. One worker broke an arm when jumping from a construction vehicle. The first fatality incident involved a contractor who was pinned between two vehicles. The second fatality incident resulted in a contractor being pinned between two pieces of construction equipment. Investigations into all incidents are ongoing.

Table 1 and Figure 1 each show that in 2010-11 a substantial number of gas and oil releases were reported to the NEB. This is the most common incident reported each year, attributed to the fact that under the OPR-99 all gas releases, regardless of volume must be reported to the NEB, whereas only liquid releases larger than 1.5 m³ must be reported. On average, unintended or uncontrolled gas releases account for almost half of all incidents.

Table 1: OPR-99 Reported Pipeline Incidents for 2010-2011

Type of Incident 2010 2011
(to 31 September)		 5-year
Average
Serious Injury 0 1 1
Fatality 0 2 0.4
Environmental Release
Gas Release
High Vapour Pressure Release (HVP)
Low Vapour Pressure Liquid Release
60
3
8
50
0
4
41
2
8
Fire 14 17 14
Operating Beyond Design 21 5 9
Total Incidents 106 79 76

Figure 1: OPR Incidents by Occurrence Type

Figure 1: OPR Incidents by Occurrence Type

NEB Safety Initiatives

The protection of the environment and safety of the public and the people who build and operate pipelines regulated by the NEB is of paramount importance to the Board. Injury frequencies, incident trends and other indicators provide data which allows the NEB to identify where improvement is needed.

The Board is committed to working with companies and other stakeholders to find ways to improve the safety performance of the pipeline industry so that incidents and injuries are reduced to as low a level as possible. The NEB uses a risk-based approach to regulation so as to better identify companies requiring higher levels of compliance oversight. This has led to a heightened NEB field presence.

Safety is, and always will be, of paramount concern to the Board. The Board is taking a proactive approach to addressing its concern through the recent release of an Action plan on safety and environmental protection. This may be viewed on the NEB safety website at:

The Plan includes sharing trends and learnings, clarifying expectations through updated regulations and building an effective reporting structure for safety and pipeline integrity information. Continuous improvement through these actions will ensure that pipelines remain the safest mode of energy transportation in Canada.

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Date Modified:
2011-12-05