What is the role of the one-stop shop for pipe network safety? Gesip examines this question in this article.
Although pipelines are the safest way to transport large quantities of hazardous materials, incidents still occur (in 2004, in Ghislenghien in Belgium, in March 2020, in Vaux-le-Pénil).
These events have serious consequences and are mainly caused by external damage to the transmission pipeline, generally due to work carried out near the structure.
Consequently, any work project near structures, whether planned with or without trenches, requires precise knowledge of the location of these pipes in addition to a good knowledge of the soil and the environment. The risk of damage to a structure due to human error must, as far as possible, be taken into account during its design as well as during its operation.
The role of the one-stop shop for pipeline safety
The regulations strictly control the work carried out in the vicinity of hazardous material transport pipelines. It is advisable to comply with the requirements of articles L. 554-1 to L. 554-39 and articles R. 554-1 to R. 555-61 of the environment code and their application orders, in particular the order of February 15, 2012. These articles provide a general framework for the safety of work near networks.
Consulting the one-stop shop
The one-stop shop contains all the contact details of network operators in France as well as a summary map of the networks.
It allows project owners and contractors to identify instantly and free of charge :
- the list of network operators concerned by the future work site;
- the more or less precise locations of these networks.
Its consultation was thus made compulsory by the regulation and allows to proceed :
- to the Declarations of Project of Work (DT);
- declarations of intent to start work (DICT).
Thus, the one-stop shop formalizes the exchanges between the project owner, the project manager and the external companies. The introduction of a teleservice in 2011 has made this procedure much more fluid.
Declarations of work near networks (DT-DICT)
In order to prevent the risk of damage to buried, aerial or underwater networks, any work planned in the vicinity must be declared to the operators of these networks.
After querying the "networks and pipelines" teleservice, which lists the operators, the project owner and the person carrying out the work declare their work project to the operators concerned. These operations are carried out before launching the consultation file for companies.
More specifically, the DT must be sent by the project owner and the DICT is sent by the contractor to each of the network operators concerned. In return, the network operator must provide the best mapping available for its network and provide the appropriate safety instructions; it must also progressively improve the mapping of its networks.
One-Stop Shop and Authorization for Work Near Networks
The environmental code also imposes requirements in terms of employee training. The AIPR, i.e. the Authorization for Work Near Networks, must be issued by the employer to ensure the level of knowledge and skills of personnel, whether operators, supervisors or designers. The law defines several profiles of operators who must have an AIPR depending on their role.
The designers
These are employees or agents of the client or project manager who are involved in the preparation or monitoring of work projects. The client or project manager must ensure that at least one of these employees holds an AIPR "designer".
The framers
These are the employees of the company involved in the preparation or execution of the work as site manager or work supervisor. The person carrying out the work must ensure that at least one of these employees holds an AIPR "supervisor".
The operators
All employees working directly in the vicinity of overhead or buried networks must hold an "operator" AIPR.
The GS CANA course proposed by Gesip for training in the safety of pipeline networks
Gesip, a community of experts with 70 years of experience, works to improve industrial safety by transmitting knowledge and monitoring regulations. In this respect, Gesip has developed know-how and skills in the prevention of risks related to the transport of hazardous materials through the organization of GS CANA courses.
This course is intended for people from the industry who have functions in crisis management at a carrier or pipeline operator.
This course has several skill acquisition objectives:
- Know how to implement the organization of a Security and Intervention Plan (SIP),
- Train to implement the organization of the Operating Command Post (OCP),
- Know how to use the tools of a Safety and Intervention Plan (SIP) and the Operator Command Post (OCP),
- To know how to react in case of disaster management on a pipe for any type of fluid (flammable liquid, gas, chemical products),
- Appreciate the difficulty of effective communication and recognize the pitfalls to avoid.