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Home > News Releases > News Releases 2010 > National Energy Board Reports Drop in Worker Injuries

National Energy Board Reports Drop in Worker Injuries

09/15
For immediate release
19 August 2010

CALGARY - A new safety report from the National Energy Board (NEB) says that fewer pipeline workers are getting hurt on the job. However, the deaths of two workers killed while working on NEB-regulated pipelines in 2008 is cause for concern, said the report.

The NEB's annual Focus on Safety and Environment: A Comparative Analysis of Pipeline Performance 2000-2008 says that the injury rate fell by nearly 50 per cent from an average of 1.9 injuries for every 100 workers in 2007 to one injury for every 100 people working on NEB-regulated pipelines in 2008.

For the first time in ten years, two people were killed while working on NEB-regulated pipeline facilities. In March 2008, an electrician employed by a pipeline company died while working with high voltage electricity. In June 2008, a pipeline construction worker died in a vehicle accident.

"The number of injuries and the two recent fatalities on NEB-regulated pipelines highlight the need for pipeline companies to endorse a culture of safety within their organizations," said NEB Chair and CEO Gaétan Caron.

"We will continue to hold companies accountable for the continual improvement of safety on NEB-regulated pipelines."

The biggest improvement in worker safety in 2008 came from the gas pipeline sector, which makes up 65 per cent of the pipelines regulated by the NEB. The worker injury rate for gas pipelines plummeted from 2.2 injuries per 100 workers in 2007 to 0.6 injuries per 100 workers in 2008.

NEB-regulated pipeline companies reported on 56 incidents in 2008, including a twofold increase in the frequency of pipe body gas releases. There were 0.24 gas releases per 1 000 km of pipeline in 2008, compared to 0.11 gas releases per 1 000 km of pipeline in 2007. All unintended or uncontrolled gas leaks must be reported to the NEB.

The report also noted there was a jump in the number of unauthorized activities, such as landscaping or construction, on pipeline right of ways. The report points out that an initiative to improve the reporting on these kinds of activities was launched by a major pipeline company in 2008 which may explain the increase.

While there were no ruptures on NEB-regulated pipelines in 2008, there were three pipeline ruptures reported in 2009.

The NEB is an independent federal agency that regulates several parts of Canada's energy industry. Its purpose is to promote safety and security, environmental protection, and efficient energy infrastructure and markets in the Canadian public interest, within the mandate set by Parliament in the regulation of pipelines, energy development and trade. As part of its mandate, the NEB monitors the supply of all energy commodities in Canada and reports its findings. The NEB Internet site is regularly updated with new energy information for the Canadian public.

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For further information:

Sarah Kiley
Communications Officer
National Energy Board
E- mail: sarah.kiley@neb-one.gc.ca
Telephone: 403-299-3633
Telephone (toll free): 1-800-899-1265
Telecopier: 403-292-5503
Telecopier (toll free): 1-877-288-8803
TTY (Teletype): 1-800-632-1663

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