DistributionIntegrityManagementFrequentlyAskedQuestions

RevisionDate:February6,2013

A.ExcessFlowValveRequirements
TheIntegrityManagementProgramforGasDistributionPipelinesFinalRuleincludedarevisionto49
CFRPart192.383ExcessFlowValveInstallationwhichmandatedtheinstallationofexcessflowvalves
(EFV)incertainnewandreplacedresidentialservicelines.

A.1MustanoperatorinstallanEFVinbranch(split)servicelinesservingsinglefamilyresidences?
No.OperatorsarerequiredtoinstallEFVsinneworreplacedservicelinesservingsinglefamily
residences.Aservicelineservingasinglefamilyresidencemeansagasservicelinethatbeginsatthe
fittingthatconnectstheservicelinetothemainandservesonlyonesinglefamilyresidence.

Operatorsarenotrequired,butmaychoosetoinstallEFVsinotherapplicationsaspartoftheirrisk
mitigationstrategy.
LastRevision:8/2/10

A.2Mustoperatorsretrofitexcessflowvalvesintoexistingservicelines?
OperatorsareonlyrequiredtoinstallEFVswheresinglefamilyresidentialservicelinesarenewly
installedorarereplacedforotherreasons.Theruledefinesreplacedaswherethefittingthat
connectstheservicelinetothemainisreplacedorthepipingthatisconnectedtothisfittingisreplaced.
Replacementofotherportionsofaserviceline(e.g.,nearthemeter)wouldnottriggertherequirement
toinstallanEFV.
LastRevision:8/2/10

A.3Willexcessflowvalvesprovideprotectionforgaslinebreaksoncustomerpipinginsidea
residence?
EFVsrequiredbythisregulationarenotdesignedorintendedtoprotectagainstbreaksorleakson
customerpipinginsideahome.EFVsareintendedtocutoffthesupplyofgastothedownstreamservice
lineintheeventofmajordamage(e.g.,alineseveredbyexcavationdamage).
LastRevision:8/2/10

A.4WheremusttheEFVbeinstalledonaserviceline?
Anoperatorisrequiredtolocateanexcessflowvalveasnearaspracticaltothefittingconnectingthe
servicelinetoitssourceofgassupply.ExamplesofacceptablelocationsincludeinstallinganEFVthatis
builtintotheservicetee,installingashortsectionofpipebetweentheserviceteeandtheEFVtoallow
forthepipelinetobesqueezedoffupstreamoftheEFV,andinstallinganEFVoutfromunderpavement
tofacilitatefutureaccess.Operatorsmayusereasonablejudgmentindeterminingthemost
appropriatelocationforanEFV.
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A.5Willanoperatorhavetonotifyothercustomerclassificationsoftheavailabilityofexcessflow
valves?
No.Thenotificationrequirementwasrepealed.
LastRevision:8/2/10

A.6SinceinstallationofEFVsismandatedforallnewandreplacedservicelinesservingsinglefamily
residenceswhereEFVsarefeasible,whydooperatorsstillneedtoreportthem?
PHMSAisrequiredbythePipelineInspection,Protection,Enforcement,andSafetyActof2006(PIPES)
tocollectthisdata.
LastRevision:8/2/10

A.7DoestheoperatorreportthenumberofEFVsinstalledperyearorthetotalnumberofEFVs
installedonanoperatorssystemontheAnnualReportform?DoesthenumberincludeEFVsinstalled
onservicesotherthansinglefamilyresidences?
OperatorsaretoreportthetotalnumberofEFVsinstalledinthesystemonservicelinesservingsingle
familyresidencesandtheestimatednumberofEFVsintheirsystemattheendOftheyear.Bothmetrics
arereportedontheAnnualReportforminPartEExcessFlowValve(EFV)Data.Operatorsmay,but
arenotrequired,includeEFVsinstalledonbranchedservicesservingsinglefamilyresidencesinthe
total.PHMSAisrevisedtheAnnualReportformforthe2010calendaryeartoaccommodatethis
information.
LastRevision:2/9/11

A.8TheregulationexemptstheinstallationofEFVsonserviceswhichdonotoperateatapressureof
10psigorgreaterthroughouttheyear.Canyougiveexamplesoftypesofdocumentationthatwould
beacceptableindemonstratingthisissue?
Twopossiblemethodstodemonstratethatservicesoperateatapressurelessthan10PSIGinclude;(1)
distributionsystemdesigndocuments,validatedwithactualpressurereadings,whichshowthatthe
mainandthereforetheassociatedservicesaredesignedtooperatebelow10PSIG,or(2)actual
pressurerecordingsorreadingsonallfeedswhichareupstreamoftheservice(s)whicharelessthan10
psig.
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B.GeneralDistributionIntegrityManagementProgramQuestions

B.1DIMPFundamentals
B.1.1WhydidPHMSAmandateintegritymanagementrequirementsfordistributionpipelinesystems?
PHMSAsregulationsinpart192havecontributedtoproducinganadmirablesafetyrecord.
Nevertheless,incidentscontinuetooccur,someofwhichinvolvesignificantconsequences,including
deathandinjury.Itisnotpossibletosignificantlyreducehighconsequencepipelineincidentswithout
reducingthelikelihoodoftheiroccurrenceondistributionpipelines.PHMSAusedanintegrity
managementapproachsimilartothatusedfortransmissionpipelines,withappropriatemodificationto
reflectthedifferentnatureofdistributionpipelines,toaccomplishthissafetyimprovement.These
incidentsofteninvolveuniquecircumstancesorcharacteristicsofaparticularpipelinesystem/segment
oritsoperation.

ThePipelineIntegrity,Protection,Enforcement,andSafetyActof2006(PIPES)mandatedthatPHMSA
prescribeminimumstandardsforintegritymanagementprogramsfordistributionpipelines.Thelaw
providedforPHMSAtorequireoperatorsofdistributionpipelinestocontinuallyidentifyandassessrisks
ontheirdistributionlines,toremediateconditionsthatpresentapotentialthreattopipelineintegrity,
andtomonitorprogrameffectiveness.Insteadofimposingadditionalprescriptiverequirementsfor
integritymanagement,PHMSAconcludedthatarequirementforoperatorspecificprogramstomanage
pipelinesystemintegritywouldbemoreeffectivegiventhediversityindistributionsystemsandthe
threatstowhichtheymaybeexposed.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.1.2Whydontdistributionintegritymanagementrequirementsfocusonhighconsequenceareas?
Theintegritymanagementrequirementsfortransmissionpipelinesarefocusedonportionsofthe
pipelinewheresignificantconsequencescouldresultifanincidentoccurssocalledhigh
consequenceareas.Transmissionpipelinesoftentraverseruralareas.Thisapproachrequiressafety
improvementeffortstobefocusedonareaswhereconsequencesofaneventwouldbemore
significant,inareaswithgreaterhumandensity,ormoresensitiveenvironment.Distributionpipelines
arelargelyindeveloped,morepopulatedareas,sincetheyexisttodelivergastothosepopulations.As
thepopulationisincloseproximitytomuchofthesedistributionsystems,theconsequencesofan
incidentaresimilarthroughout.Fordistributionpipelines,PHMSAconcludeditismoreappropriatethat
operatorsconsidertheirentirepipelinesundertheirintegritymanagementprograms.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.1.3Whyarentdistributionpipelineoperatorsrequiredtophysicallyinspecttheirpipelinesasare
operatorsofothertypesofpipelines?
Theassessmenttechniquesusedonhazardousliquidandgastransmissionpipelines(e.g.,inline
inspection,pressuretesting,directassessment)arenottransferabletodistributionpipe.Additionally,
distributionpipelinesarenotsubjecttothesamepressuresastransmissionpipelinesandthustendto
leakratherthanrupture.Itisimportantthatdistributionintegritymanagementprogramsbefocusedon
identifyingtheconditionsthatcancauseleaksandaddressingthembeforethefailuresoccurandon
managingleakseffectivelywhenandiftheydooccur.
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B.1.4HaveStateAgenciesandPHMSAcommunicatedwithoperatorsaboutDistributionIntegrity?
Whathasbeendiscussed?
StatesperiodicallyhostPHMSATrainingandQualifications(TQ)pipelinesafetyseminarsforoperators
includingthoseofmunicipal,mastermeters,andsmallLPGsystems.Theseminarsincludedupdates
regardingproposedrulesandrecentfinalrulemakings.CommunicationsaboutDIMPcovered
informationsuchastheanticipatedfinalruledate,GPTCguidancedevelopment,thepurposeofthe
regulation,andtheproposedrequirementsfortherule.PHMSA'sRegionalofficesalsoholdsafety
seminarswhichcovernewandproposedrules,currentinitiatives,andadvisorybulletins.PHMSAand
someStateshaveandcontinuetospeakatnationalandstatewideoperatorassociationmeetingsaswell
asbothstatewideandlocalemergencyassistancemeetings.

In2007,priortotheDIMPNoticeofProposedRulemakingPHMSAandtheStates,throughNAPSR,
createdtheDIMPStateFederalTeam.PHMSAandtheStateshavebeenworkingtogethertoadvancea
consistentunderstandingoftheDIMP.Wehaveworkedjointlytoidentifyfrequentlyaskedquestions,
writeresponsesandtodevelopinspectionformsandguidance.Ourjointeffortspromotemoreuniform
andknowledgeableinspections.Additionally,PHMSAsTQorganizationisworkingtoprepareand
providetimelytrainingtostateandfederalpipelinesafetyinspectors.Thegroupcontinuestomeetand
worktogetherthroughtheimplementationphase.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.2StateandFederalEnforcement
B.2.1HowdoesPHMSAforeseethisrulebeingenforcedforcompliance?
InspectorswillreviewtheIMplanforqualityandcompletenessandensurethatoperatorsaredoing
whattheirplansays;andtheninspecttoseeiftheirplaniseffective.Theproceduresandrecordswill
bereviewedtoverifythattheoperatorperformedthemaswrittenandincompliancewithrequired
dates.Enforcementwillbeconsistentwithcurrentpracticebythejurisdictionalagencies.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.2.2Willoperatorsbecomparedagainstotheroperatorsornationalleakorsafetydata?
PHMSArecognizesthatoperatorsneedtodevelopaDIMPplanappropriatefortheapplicablethreats,
theoperatingcharacteristicsoftheirspecificdistributiondeliverysystem,andthecustomersthatthey
serve.PHMSAandStatepartnersintendtofocusoneachindividualoperatorsperformancetrends.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.3GPTCGuidance
B.3.1MustanoperatorfollowtheGasPipingTechnologyCommittee(GPTC)DIMPguidelines?
No.TheGPTCDIMPguidelinesprovideoptionswhichoperatorscanuseinimplementingthehighlevel
requirementsoftherule.TheGPTCDIMPguidelinesarenotincorporatedintotherule,andthusarenot
regulatoryrequirements.Operatorsmayuseotherapproachestomeetthehighlevelrequirementsof
theregulationaswell,butindoingsotheyshouldbepreparedtodemonstratetotheirregulatorsthat
theiractionsmeettherulerequirements.PHMSA,Statepipelinesafetyregulatorsandindustryall
participatedinthedevelopmentoftheGPTCguidelinesandhaveconfidencethatoperatorswhouse
themintheirprogramswillcomplywiththerequirementsoftherule.
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B.3.2HowwilltheGPTCguidancebeusedbyregulators?
TheGPTCGuideprovidesoperatorswithvaluable,consensuswrittenguidancethatcanassistthemin
preparingtheirDIMPplan.TheGPTCGuideisnotregulation.Anoperatorneedstofollowthe
procedurestheyincludeintheirplan.IftheirplanreferencestheGPTCguidance,theregulatormay
verifythattheoperatorhasimplementedthereferencedguidanceaswritten.However,asreferencedin
B.3.1above,anoperatormaychoosetousepracticesotherthanthoseintheGuidetomeet
compliance.Theinspectionisbasedontheregulation,notonGPTCguidance.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.4SHRIMP
B.4.1WhatisSHRIMP?
SHRIMP(Simple,Handy,RiskbasedIntegrityManagementPlan)isasoftwareapplicationdesignedto
assistoperatorsindevelopingplanstomanagetheintegrityoftheirdistributionpiping.Itisgeared
towardtheneedsofsmallutilitiesthatlackinhouseengineeringand/orriskmanagementexpertise.
TheAmericanPublicGasAssociation(APGA)SecurityandIntegrityFoundation(SIF)receivedfunding
fromPHMSAfordevelopment.ContactAPGAwww.apga.orgortheSIFwww.apgasif.orgforinformation
orquestionspertainingtoSHRIMP.
LastRevision:8/2/10

B.4.2IsthereathresholdsizeofanoperatorsdistributionsystemabovewhichtheSHRIMPtool
shouldnotbeused?

SHRIMPwasdesignedtofacilitatedevelopmentofadistributionintegritymanagementplanforsmaller
distributionsystemsthatarenotoverlycomplex.Whilethereisnosystemsizeorlevelofcomplexityfor
whichuseofSHRIMPisexcluded,anoperatormustdevelopaplanthatdemonstratestoitsoversight
agencyithasusedreasonablyavailableinformationtodevelopknowledge,identifythreats,and
determinehowtomanagesystemrisks.OngoinganalysisofSHRIMPforlarger,morecomplexsystems
indicatesthattheseoperatorswillverylikelyneedtosignificantlyexpanduponaSHRIMPgenerated
plantodemonstrateithasusedreasonablyavailableinformationtounderstandanddeterminehowto
managesystemrisks.Thesefindingsarebeingincorporatedintoinspectionguidance.
LastRevision:11/10/10

B.4.3WillmyplanbeincomplianceifIuseSHRIMP?
TheAmericanPublicGasAssociations(APGA)SecurityandIntegrityFoundation(SIF)developedthe
SimpleHandyRiskbasedIntegrityManagementPlan(SHRIMP)toassistsmalloperatorsincreatingtheir
writtenDIMPplan.UsingSHRIMPdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanoperatorwillbeincompliancewith
DIMPrequirements.SHRIMPcontainsgenericprocedures.Anoperator'splanneedstoreflecttheirown
procedures,informationsources,andpractices.TheAPGASIFisidentifyingareaswhereaSHRIMPuser
mayneedtoenhanceormodifytheplangeneratedbythisapplicationtobeincompliancewiththe
pipelinesafetyregulations.RefertoAPGASIFwebsite,www.apgasif.org,forthelatestinformation.
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C.SubpartPGasDistributionPipelineIntegrityManagement

C.1192.1001Whatdefinitionsapplytothissubpart?
C.1.1Whatwasusedasabasisfordefininghazardousleaks?
ThedefinitionforhazardousleakswasdrawnfromtheGasPipelineTechnologyCommittees(GPTC),
GuideforGasTransmissionandDistributionPipingSystems(TheGuide)inAppendixG19211,Section
5.5Leakgrades.GPTCANSIZ380isanaccreditedAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)
standardscommitteethatdevelopsandpublishesTheGuidetoassistnaturalgaspipelineoperatorsin
complyingwithPart192.PHMSAsOfficeofPipelineSafety(OPS)isrepresentedonthiscommittee.
Manyoperatorsnowusetheguidelinestoclassifyleaks.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.1.2Howwasthedefinitionexcavationdamagedeveloped?
PHMSAsdefinitionforexcavationdamagecloselymatchesthedefinitionusedintheCommonGround
Alliances(CGA)DamageInformationReportingTool(DIRT).CGAisanationalgroupinvolvingoperators
ofalltypesofundergroundfacilities,aswellasrepresentativesofexcavatorsandotherswhoplayan
importantpartinpreventingdamagetoundergroundfacilities.PHMSAhasomittedthephraseor
exposureusedintheDIRTdefinition,sincethisreferstodamagefromcausesotherthanexcavation
(e.g.,washout).
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.2192.1003Whatdotheregulationsinthissubpartcover?
C.2.1MustpeakshavingandLNGfacilitiesconnectedtoourdistributionpipelinesystembe
consideredinourDIMP?
ADIMPplanmustincludeallpartsofagasdistributionpipelinesubjecttoPart192.Liquefied
petroleumgas(LPG)facilitiesareregulatedunderPart192.WhereanLPGpeakshavingfacilityispartof
anoperatorsdistributionpipeline,itmustbeincludedinitsDIMPplan.

LNGfacilitiesareregulatedunderPart193andthereforearenotrequiredtobeincludedinaDIMPplan.
However,PHMSAencouragesoperatorstomanagetheriskfromalloftheirfacilities,andoperatorsmay
electtoincludeLNGplantsconnectedtotheirdistributionpipelinesintheirDIMPplansasameansof
doingso.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.3192.1005Whatmustagasdistributionoperator(otherthanamastermeterorsmallLPG
operator)dotoimplementthissubpart?
C.3.1IfanoperatorhasbothnaturalgasandLPGsystems,mustithavetwoseparateDIMPplansor
mayithaveasingleplan?
Theoperatorhasanoption.AnoperatormaychoosetohaveasingleDIMPplan,butitmustaddress
therequirementsforbothtypesofsystems.Theplanmusttakeintoaccountthedifferentthreats

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associatedwiththedifferentproducts.OranoperatormaychoosetohaveseparateDIMPplansforthe
naturalgasandfortheLPGsystem.
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C.3.2MustanoperatorhaveoneDIMPplancoveringallofitssystemsorcouldithaveseparateplans
fordifferentsystemsorserviceareas?
Anoperatormayhaveonemasterplanorseparateplans,solongasitsentireserviceareaiscovered.
However,datafrommultipleplansisrequiredtobeconsolidatedforannualreportingpurposesby
state.
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C.3.3WillcompaniesoperatinginseveralstatesneedtodevelopindividualDIMPplansforeachstate?
Multistateoperatorsmayhaveoneormoreplansbutmustbeabletofilterbystatetheirriskranking,
measurestoreducerisk,performancemeasuresandbaselines,andotherrelateddataandinformation.
Theoperatormustaddressanyadditionalrequirementsforeachstatesinceindividualstatesmayhave
theauthoritytoimposeadditionalrequirementsonintrastatelinesthestateregulates.
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C.3.4Whatistherelationshipbetweenanoperations&maintenancemanualandaDIMPplan?
AnO&Mmanualcontainswrittenproceduresdescribinghowoperatorsconductoperationsand
maintenanceactivitiesontheirsysteminaccordancewithFederalandStatepipelinesafetyregulations.
Theactivitiesaddressvariousthreatstoapipelinesintegrity.ADIMPplanisawrittenintegrity
managementplanwhichdescribestheanalysisoftheoperatorssystem,providesarelativeriskanalysis
basedonthreatstothesystem,andprescribesadditionaloracceleratedactionsasneededtoaddress
risksidentifiedintheplan.

Anoperatormayfinditconvenienttoincorporateadditionaloracceleratedactions,asdeterminedtobe
necessaryunderitsDIMPplan,intoitsO&Mmanual.Astheoperatorevaluatestheeffectivenessof
theseactions,itmayidentifyaneedtomodifythoseactions,potentiallyrequiringadditional
modificationstoitsO&Mplan.NotethatStatesmayrequirearevisionhistory,arecordofmodifications
totheO&Mmanual.
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C.3.5Isthereadeadlinebywhichoperatorsmustsatisfytheserequirements?
Yes,bynolaterthanAugust2,2011,operatorsofgasdistributionpipelines,includingmastermeteror
smallLPGoperators,mustdevelopandimplementanintegritymanagementprogramthatincludesa
writtenintegritymanagementplan.PHMSArecognizesthatimplementingIMplansinvolveslearning
leadingtoimprovementandexpectsthatprogramswillevolveovertimeasexperienceisgained.
However,theprogramdevelopedbyAugust2,2011,mustaddressalloftherequiredplanelements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.3.6HowdoesthenewDIMPruleimpactoperatorsofgaspipingsystemsonmilitarybases,Federal
Government,orIndianTribalGovernmentland?
PHMSAdoesnotregulatepipelinesystemsownedandoperatedbytheMilitary,FederalGovernment,or
anIndianTribalGovernment.A"person"isdefinedinSection192.3ofthepipelinesafetyregulationsas
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"anyindividual,firm,jointventure,partnership,corporationassociation,State,municipality,cooperative
association,orjointstockassociation,andincludinganytrustee,receiver,assignee,orpersonal
representativethereof."Thedefinitionof"person"doesnotincludethe"FederalGovernment",
"Military"or"IndianTribalGovernments".GaspipelinesystemsownedandoperatedbytheMilitary,
FederalGovernmentorIndianTribalGovernmentsareexemptfromcompliancewiththepipelinesafety
regulations.

However,ifthesystemisownedand/oroperatedbyaprivateentity,suchasacontractor,thenitmust
complywiththeregulationsunder49C.F.R.192.ThereforetheDIMPrulealsoimpactsgassystemson
militarybases,landownedbytheFederalGovernment,oronlandownedbyIndianTribalGovernments
ifthesystemisownedoroperatedbyprivateentities.
LastRevision:11/10/10

C.3.7Areoperatorsrequiredtoincludefarmtapsintheirdistributionintegritymanagementplan?
Inthepast,distribution,gathering,andtransmissionoperatorsconnectedlandownersdirectlyto
transmissionandgatheringpipelinesofteninexchangefortherighttoinstallthepipelineacrossa
landownersproperty.Thisconnectiontothegaspipelineiscommonlyreferredtoasafarmtap.
Althoughnewfarmtapsarenotinstallednearlyasfrequentlyastheywereinthepast,farmtapsare
verycommon.Thevastmajorityoffarmtapsmeetthedefinitionofadistributionlinegiventhatthey
donotmeetthecriteriatobeclassifiedasagatheringlineoratransmissionline.

Thefarmtapispipelineupstreamoftheoutletofthecustomermeterorconnectiontothecustomer
meter,whicheverisfurtherdownstream,andisresponsibilityoftheoperator.Thepipelinedownstream
ofthispointistheresponsibilityofthecustomer.SomeStatesrequiretheoperatortomaintaincertain
portionsofcustomerownedpipeline.Thepipelinemaintainedbytheoperatormustbeincompliance
with49Part192.

Operatorsofdistribution,gathering,andtransmissionlineswithfarmtapsmusthaveadistribution
integritymanagementprogrammeetingtherequirementsofSubpartPforthisdistributionpipeline.The
DIMPplanisnotrequiredtoincludethecustomerownedpipeline(unlessrequiredotherwisebyState
law).Theoperatorhavingresponsibilityforoperationsandmaintenanceactivitiesforthefacilityis
responsiblefordevelopingandimplementingtheDIMPplan.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.3.8WhatdooperatorsneedtohaveimplementedbyAugust2,2011?
ByAugust2,2011,operatorsofgasdistributionsystems(otherthanamastermeterorsmallLPG
operator)musthavedevelopedandimplementedanintegritymanagementprogramthatincludesa
writtenintegritymanagementplan.Theplanmustincludetheoperatorsproceduresusedtodevelop
thesevenelementslistedin192.1007(a)(g)Ataminimum,anoperatormusthavetakenthefollowing
actions:
1. Developedanddemonstratedanunderstandingoftheirsystem;
2. Identifiedandconsideredthreatstoeachgasdistributionfacility;
3. Completedariskevaluationandrankingoftheirdistributionsystem;
4. Developedcriteriafordecidingwhenrisksrequiremeasurestoreducethem;
5. Determinedthemeasurestoreducerisk;
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6. Begunimplementingthemeasurestoreduceriskorhaveaplantoimplementmeasuresto
reduceriskwhichincludesanimplementationschedule;
7. Assessedtheeffectivenessoftheirleakmanagementprogramandtakensteps,ifnecessary,to
correctdeficiencies;
8. Establishedabaselinemeasurementforeachperformancemeasurerequiredby
192.1007(e)(1)(i)(v);
9. Developedperformancemeasurestoevaluatetheeffectivenessofmeasurestoreducerisk,
haveaplantocollecttheperformancemeasuredata,andbeguncollectingdatatoestablisha
baselinemeasurement;
10. DeterminedtheappropriateperiodforconductingDIMPprogramevaluations;
11. Reportedperformancemeasuresrequiredby192.1007(g)forcalendaryear2010;
12. Collecteddataasneededformechanicalfittingfailuresresultinginhazardousleaksbeginning
January1,2011;and
13. Identifiedrecordsrequiringretentionandhavemaintainedthem.
LastRevision:3/10/11

C.3.9CanPHMSAprovideagenericDIMPplanthatoperatorscanusetodeveloptheirplan?
PHMSAhasnotdevelopedagenericDIMPplan.CommerciallydevelopedDIMPtoolsareavailable.Any
toolwillneedtobecustomizedforeachspecificoperator.

PHMSAhasdevelopedatemplatethatcanbeusedbyMasterMeterandsmallLPGoperatorssubjectto
therequirementsof192.1015.ThattemplatecanbefoundontheDIMPResourcespageoftheDIMP
website
(http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/dimp/docs/GuidanceForMasterMeterAndSmallLiquefiedPetroleumGasPip
elineOperators_11_09.pdf).
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.3.10Whataretherequirementsfordistributionsystemsputinserviceafter8/2/2011?
Atthetimeanewdistributionsystemisputintoservice,anoperatormusthavedevelopedand
implementedanintegritymanagementprogramthatincludesawrittenintegritymanagementplanas
specifiedby49CFR192.1007or192.1015(b).
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.3.11Whataretherequirementsfordistributionsystemsacquiredafter8/2/2011?
OperatorsmusthaveaDIMPplaninplacebeforetakingovertheoperationofanacquiredpipeline
system.Forpurposesofdistributionintegritymanagement,anoperatoracquiringanexistingpipeline
systemwouldbeexpectedtoeitherusetheexistingplanafterverifyingitsadequacy,orintegratethe
newlyacquiredsystemintotheirintegritymanagementprogram.

Thenewoperatorinheritstheriskmitigationmeasuresimplementedandplannedforimplementation
fromtheoriginaloperatorsplanunlesstheyjustifyalternativemeasurestoreducerisk.

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C.4192.1007Whataretherequiredelementsofanintegritymanagementplan?
C.4.1WhatdoesPHMSAseeasthemostcriticalelementsoftheregulation?
Alloftheelementsarecritical.Theplanmusthavewrittenproceduresfordevelopingandimplementing
alltheelements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.2CantheDIMPplanincorporatebyreferencetheoperatorsproceduresfromtheirothermanuals
orplans?
Yes,operatorsmayreferenceandincorporateproceduresfromtheiroperatingandmaintenance
manualorotherplansintheirDIMPplan.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.aKnowledge
C.4.a.1Therulerequiresthatanoperatorknowitssystem.Mustanoperatorexcavatesimplyto
gatherinformationaboutpartsofitssystemwhereitmaynotnowhavecompleteknowledge?
No.Operatorsneedtogathertheinformationthattheyhavereasonablyavailabletodevelopan
understandingoftheirpipelinesystems.Thedatamaycurrentlyresideindifferentlocationsorbethe
responsibilityofdifferentgroupswithinthecompany.Partofthisdevelopmentincludesidentifying
informationthatisnotnowknown,butwhichisneededtodevelopanunderstandingofthe
characteristicsofthepipelineandnecessarytoassessapplicablethreatsandtoanalyzeitsrisk.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.a.2Therearesomecharacteristicsaboutanoperatorssystemthatmaynotbeknownduringthe
developmentoftheIMplan.WhatarePHMSAsexpectationsforfillingthosevoids?
Operatorsneedtouseopportunitiesthatarise,suchasthepipelinebeingexcavatedforoperation,
maintenance,orotherreasons,tocollectadditionalinformationneededtobetterunderstandtheir
pipelinesystem.Operatorsarerequiredtoincorporateintotheirplanandimplementproceduresto
gatherthisinformationwhentheopportunityexists.Thisinformationmayormaynotprompta
reevaluationoftheplan,butataminimum,willbeconsideredforanalysisduringthenextscheduled
evaluation.Recordsneedtobemaintainedandupdatedtoreflectchangestothesystem.Overtime,
PHMSAexpectsthatanoperatorsunderstandingofitspipelinesystemandthequalityoftheirrisk
analyseswillimprove.

Ifanoperatorsrecordshavebeendestroyedorarenolongeravailable,theoperatormustcollect
sufficientinformation,performappropriatetests,andcreaterecordsormapsforthesaferoperation,
maintenance,andemergencyresponseofthesystem.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.a.3Whoqualifiesasasubjectmatterexpert?
Subjectmatterexpertsaresimplypeoplewhohavespecificknowledgeoftopicsand/orfacilitiesunder
consideration.Thisincludestheoperatorsoperationsandmaintenancepersonnelthepeoplewho
construct,inspect,maintainandoverseeitsdistributionfacilitiesdaytoday.Forsomeoperators,this
mayincludecontractorpersonnelthathaveperformedconstructionoroperationandmaintenance
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activitiesforalongperiodoftimeorforuniqueand/orspecialcircumstances.Insomeinstances,an
operatormaywanttoinvolvesubjectmatterexpertsbeyonditsemployees.Forexample,ifanalysis
showsthatanoperatorishavingdifficultyminimizingthedetrimentaleffectsofstraycurrents,the
operatormaywanttoinvolveinitsprogramanoutsidepersonwithexpertiseorspecializedknowledge
inthisarea.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.a.4Whatdatawillberequiredtobecollectedfornewgaspipelinesgoingintheground?
TheDIMPregulationprescribestwominimumdataelementsthatmustbecapturedandretainedonany
newdistributionpipelines:thelocationwherethenewpipelineisinstalledandthematerialofwhichit
isconstructed.Pipeline,definedin192.3,meansallpartsofthosephysicalfacilitiesthroughwhichgas
movesintransportation,includingpipe,valves,andotherappurtenanceattachedtopipe,compressor
units,meteringstations,regulatorstations,deliverystations,holders,andfabricatedassemblies.
Additionally,operatorsmustcollectdataaboutnewgaspipelineswhichwillbeneededtoassesscurrent
andfuturethreatsandriskstothepipelinesintegrity.Thisincludesinformationaboutthe
characteristicsofthepipelinesdesign,operations,andtheenvironmentalfactorswherethepipelineis
installed.

Inaddition,anoperatormustalsoconsiderthedataitneedstocomplywiththevariousrecordkeeping
requirementsinPart192suchasthoseforpipelinedesign,testing,construction,corrosioncontrol,
customernotification,uprating,surveying,patrolling,monitoring,inspection,operation,maintenance,
emergencies,andoperatorqualification.TheGPTCGuide,AppendixG19217,providesoperatorswith
guidanceonexplicitrequirementsforreports,inspections,tests,writtenprocedures,recordsandsimilar
actions.Statesmayhaveadditionalrequirements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.a.5Whatcomprises"reasonablyavailable"information?
PHMSAdoesnotintendthatoperatorsexpendexcessiveeffort,revieweveryrecordavailableintheir
archives,orexploreeverynuanceabouttheirpipelines.Atthesametime,PHMSAexpectsthat
operatorswilldevotesufficientefforttodevelopasthoroughanunderstandingoftheirpipelinesasthey
canwhileusingreasonableeffort.

Theavailabilityofrecordswillvaryamongoperators.Someoperatorsmayretainrecordsformanyyears
andothersonlyforthelengthoftimerequiredbyPart192.Somedataisstoredelectronicallyandsome
ispaperbased.Additionally,somerecordsarestoredonsiteandotherrecordsmaybestoredoffsite,
suchasatregionalofficesorlongtermstoragefacilities.Anyrecordwhichtheoperatorcanaccessis
reasonablyavailable.AllrecordsrequiredbyParts191and192arereasonablyavailable.Operatorsneed
toreviewallrecordsthatarerelevanttothecurrentconditionofthepipeorhaveasignificantimpact
ontheintegrityofthepipe.Forexample,asteelpipemayhavebeenbroughtunderadequatecathodic
protectionfiveyearsagobutwasnotundercathodicprotectioninprioryears.Anyrecordsshowingthat
thepipewasnotundercathodicprotection,isrelevanttothecurrentconditionofthepipe.

Operatorsmustidentifyadditionalinformationthatisneededtofillgapsduetomissing,inaccurate,or
incompleterecordsanddevelopaplantocollectit.Theymaycollectthisinformationthroughtheir
normalactivitiesincludingthosethatgobeyondthoseactivitiesspecifiedinPart192.Forexample,
missingfacilitylocation,materialandconditiondatacanbegainedwhenthepipeislocatedand/or
exposed.
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Operatorscouldinvolvemaintenancepersonnelintheirinformationcollectionactivities,surveyingthem
aboutunusualcircumstancestheyhaveencounteredintheiractivitiesand/oraskingthemtoreview
resultingsystemdescriptionsandidentifyanyinformationtheybelieveisusefulthatisnotalready
included.
LastRevision:3/10/11

C.4.a.6Mustanoperatorsplanincludethesourcesusedtodemonstrateanunderstandingofitsgas
distributionsystem?
Anoperatorneedstobeabletodemonstratetoregulatorsthattheyhaveanunderstandingoftheirgas
distributionsystemdevelopedusingsourcesofinformationthatarereasonablyavailable.Theplan
shouldidentifytheinformationsources.Examplesofsourcesthatarereasonablyavailableinclude
documents,records,fieldnotes,maps,historicalproceduresanddesignstandards,billofmaterials,
procurementrecordsandspecifications,andinformationobtainedfromsubjectmatterexperts.These
sourcesareusedtoidentifythecharacteristicsofthepipelinesdesign,operationsandenvironmental
factorsthatarenecessarytoassesstheapplicablethreatsandriskstothedistributionsystem.
Operatorsalsoneedtoconsiderinformationgainedfrompastdesign,operations,andmaintenance.In
ordertoverifythatanoperatorhasmetthisrequirement,theinspectormayasktheoperatorfor
informationaboutthesourcessuchas:thenameofthedocuments,thetimeperiodcoveredbythe
documents,thedocumentslocationandformat(e.g.electronic,paper,orsubjectmatterexpert
interview,etc.),theformsusedtocollectdata,thefieldsontheforms,theinstructionsusedto
completetheforms,andahistoryofhowthisinformationcollectionchangedovertime.
LastRevision:3/10/11

C.4.bIdentifyThreats
C.4.b.1Mustanoperatoruseacomputerbasedriskanalysismodel?
No.Riskanalysisisaprocessofunderstandingwhatfactorsaffecttheriskposedbyapipelinesystem
andwhicharemostimportant.Foracomplexsystem,useofacomputerbasedriskmodelmaymake
thisprocesseasier,buttheuseofacomputerbasedmodelingsystemisnotrequired.Forasimple
distributionpipelinesystem,itispossibletodoacredibleanalysisthatleadstoanunderstandingof
factors/areasthatareimportanttoriskwithoutuseofsuchamodel.TheGPTCguidelinesinclude
suggestionsforsimplerapproaches.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.b.2Musteachofthe8threatsbeconsideredforeverypipelinetype?
Yes,anoperatorsDIMPplanmustconsidereachofthe8threatsforthepipelinesystem.Theeight
threatscategoriesarecorrosion,naturalforces,excavationdamage,otheroutsideforcedamage,
materialorwelds,equipmentfailure,incorrectoperations,andotherconcernsthatcouldthreatenthe
integrityofitspipeline.Somethreatsmaynotberelevanttoallpipetypesoralloperators
circumstances.Somethreatsmayapplybutarenotobvious.Forexample,corrosionisnotathreatto
plasticfacilitiesbutcouldbeathreattotracerwires,transitionfittings,ortoshortpiecesofmetalmain
orservicesinaplasticsystem.Materialorweldfailurescouldapplytoplastic(thebrittlefailureissue
andpotentialforfaultyfusionjoints,forinstance).Excavationdamageoccursregardlessofthepipe
material.
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C.4.b.3TheDIMPrequirementsincludeknowingtheconditionoffacilitiesthatareatriskforpotential
damagefromexternalsources.Crossboresofgaslinesinsewershavebeenreportedat23permile
inhighriskareaspredominatelywheretrenchlessinstallationmethodswereusedforgasline
installsandwheresewersandgaslinesareintheproximityofeachother.Doesthepotentialforcross
boreofsewersresultingingaslinesintersectingwithsewersneedtobedetermined?
Yes,thethreatofexcavationdamageincludesconsiderationofpotentialorexistingcrossboreofsewers
whichhaveresultedingaslinesintersectingwithsewers.Pursuantto192.1007(a)(2),theoperator
mustconsiderinformationgainedfrompastdesign,operations,andmaintenance.Ifoperatorsused
trenchlesstechnologieswithouttakingmeasurestolocatesewerlateralsandotherunmarkedfacilities
duringconstruction,theremaybeariskthattheirfacilitieswereinstalledthroughtheforeignfacility.If
thisexcavationdamagethreatappliestotheoperator,theymustevaluateitsrisktotheirsystem.
Dependingontheresultsoftheriskevaluation,theymayneedtoidentifyandimplementmeasuresto
reducethisrisktoexistingandfuturefacilities.
LastRevision:3/10/11

C.4.b.4Arepipelineoverbuildsathreat?Shouldtheotherconcernsthreatcategorycontain
pipelineoverbuilds(buildingputoverapipeline)?
Apipelineoverbuildoccurswhenanexistingpipelinefacilityisenclosedwithinorabuildingisbuilton
topofthepipeline.Pipelineoverbuildsareanenvironmentalfactortobeconsideredinevaluatingthe
degreeofrisktoapipeline.Agaslineunderabuildingmaybesusceptibletofailureduetothenatural
forceofsettlement.Overbuildsalsoprecludeproperaccessfortheperformanceofleakagesurveys,
whichisconsideredadetectionactivityasariskcontrolmeasure.Theconsequencesoffailurewherea
pipelineoverbuildhasoccurredmaybehighduetothepotentialforthemigrationofgasintothebuilding.
Ifanoperatoridentifiesthatpipelineoverbuildshaveoccurredandareathreattotheintegrityofits
pipeline,thenthethreatshouldbeidentifiedandevaluatedwithintheotherconcernsthreatcategory.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.b.5Weusedleakcauseswhichwehaveexperiencedinthepasttoidentifythreats.Forexample,
washoutsinoursystemhavenotcausedleaksinthepastsowashoutswerenotidentifiedasathreat.
Shouldwashoutsbeclassifiedasapotentialthreatduetothepossibilityofcoatingdamage?
Yes,sincetheoperatorexperienceswashouts,theyneedtoincludethisspecificthreatintheirrisk
evaluation.TheDIMPrulerequiresoperatorstoconsiderbothactualandpotentialthreats.Eventhough
washoutshavenotcausedleaksinthepast,thefactthatpipeislocatedinareassubjecttowashouts
indicatesthepotentialforleaksduetowashouts.Thepotentialfordamage(orlikelihoodoffailure)
fromwashoutisdifferentfordifferenttypesofmaterials.Unsupportedorwashedoutcastironismuch
moresusceptibletofailurethanunsupportedsteelorplastic.Thelevelofriskwouldalsobeinfluenced
bytheamountofforceandthefrequencyoftheforcethepipemayexperienceduetowashouts.The
measuretoreduceriskfromwashoutmayrequirepipetobeburieddeepenoughtomaintainthedepth
ofcoverprescribedinSection192.327Cover.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.b.6Sincewehavenotexperiencedanyissueswithpre1973Aldyl"Apipeinthepast,wedidnot
subdivideplasticpipeinourriskevaluation.Itisapotentialthreattousonlybecauseofother
operators'experience.Shouldwehavetreateditasanapplicablethreat?
Yes.SusceptibilitytoprematurebrittlelikecrackingofcertainAldylApipe,alongwithothervintages
andmanufacturersproducts,isawelldocumentedproblemintheindustryandthesubjectofthe
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PHMSAAdvisoryBulletinADB0702(72FR51301),UpdatedNotificationofSusceptibilitytoPremature
BrittleLikeCrackingofOlderPlasticPipe.ThisisathreatapplicabletoanyAldylApipeinservice
(underthegeneralcategoryofmaterial),whetherornotthethreathasresultedinleakagetodate.
Theoperatorneedstoconsiderthisasanapplicablethreat.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.4.b.7MustIconsiderhistoricalleakdataafterasectionofpipelinehasbeenreplaced?
Operatorsmustconsiderallreasonablyavailableinformationtoidentifythreats.Leaksareoftencaused
byfactorsexternaltothepipe,includingcorrosiveenvironments,straycurrents,etc.Replacingpipe
eliminatesleaksbutdoesnotnecessarilyeliminatethecausesofthoseleaks.Historicaldatacanbe
importantinevaluatingtherelativelikelihoodofleaksoccurringonthereplacedpipe,particularlyifthe
replacementpipeisofsimilarmaterialandvintage.Operatorswhodonotconsiderhistoricalleakdataas
partoftheirDIMPplanmustbepreparedtodemonstratetoinspectorsthatthedataisnolongerrelevant.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.4.b.8Weoftenreplaceasectionofpipelineratherthanrepairingindividuallytheleaksinthat
section.Inthiscase,mustwerecordthenumberandgradeofleaks?
Thenumberandseverityofleakscanbeimportantinformationinevaluatingtheriskposedbyapipelinein
agivenlocation.Operatorsshouldconsiderleakhistoryintheirthreatevaluationsandthusfieldrecords
shouldincludethenumberandgradeofleaksinsectionsofpipethatarereplaced.Operatorswhodonot
recordthisinformationmustbepreparedtoexplainwhythismissingdatadoesnotimpacttheirriskanalysis.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.4.b.9Weareexperiencingproblemsinrankingpotentialthreatssincesomeofthelowfrequency
eventshavenotoccurredonoursystems,todate.Weareconcernedaboutmixingapplesandoranges
byassigningafrequencyorprobabilitytoathreatthathasnotoccurredandrankingitalongwith
eventsthatdohavefrequency.Howshouldweaccountforlowornofrequencythreatsinevaluating
andrankingrisks?
TheDIMPrulerequiresoperatorstoconsiderbothexistingandpotentialthreatsinitsevaluationand
rankingofrisksforwhichriskreductionmeasuresareidentifiedandimplemented.Potentialthreats
include,butarenotlimitedto,nonleakeventssuchasnearmisses,overpressurizationevents,material
andappurtenancefailures,etc.Eventhoughcertainpotentialthreatsmaynothavecausedsystem
integrityissuesinthepast,thefactthatknownindustryrisksexistrequirethatanoperatoraccountfor
thethreatinitsDIMP.Anoperatormaynotrelyentirelyonleakhistoryforidentifyingpotentialand
existingthreats.Potentialthreatsincludenearmissandothernonleak,operationalevents.Ifan
operatoreliminatesapotentialthreatfromconsideration,justificationmustbeprovidedintheDIMPfor
itsexclusion.Priortoexclusionofapotentialthreat,operatorsshouldperformanalysisoftheOther
leakcausedatatoensurethepotentialthreathasnotbeenexperiencedtodate.
Whenanalgorithmisusedtocalculaterisk,thelowestnonzerovalueforthefrequencyorprobability
availablecouldbeusedalongwithanappropriateconsequencevalue.Thiswouldresultinalow
probabilitythreat,beingriskrankedappropriately,especiallyiftheeventcouldhavehighconsequences
andisofconcern.Inprogramsthatdonotutilizealgorithms,SubjectMatterExpertsshouldbeusedto
quantifythefrequencyorprobabilityofthepotentialthreatandthenquantifytheconsequencesofa
failuretoevaluateandrankrisks.
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C.4.cEvaluateandRankRisks
C.4.c.1Whatarethekeythingsanoperatorshouldbefocusingonwhendevelopinganeffectiverisk
assessmentmethodology?
Highqualitydataiscoretoaneffectiveriskassessment.Theintegritymanagementplanmustcontain
proceduresforhowtheoperatorevaluatesandranksrisks.Operatorsneedtohaveaplantoidentify
anddefinethedatanecessaryfortheanalyses.Additionally,processesshouldbeinplacetoprovidefor
dataaccuracy,completeness,andconsistency.Theyshouldhaveaproceduretovalidatedata
andimprovefuturedatacollected.

Operatorsmustconsidertherisks(likelihoodaswellastheconsequencesofafailure)thatmightresultfrom
eachthreat.Apotentialincidentofrelativelylowlikelihoodwhichproducessignificantconsequencesmaybe
ahigherriskthananincidentwithsomewhatgreaterlikelihoodwhichmaynotproducemajorconsequences.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.c.2Fromwhichdateareoperatorsrequiredtocollectdatafortheirplan?
Operatorsshouldusetheinformationtheyalreadyhaveandstartkeepingadditionaldatatodevelop
theirplan(e.g.,assessthethreats)assoonaspossible.Theyneedtoassembleandevaluateenoughdata
tobeabletoevaluatetherisk.Usefulandusablehistoricaldataisneededtoidentifythreatsandtrends.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.c.3Howarenewlyidentifiedthreatstothesystem'sintegrityexpectedtobehandledinan
operator'sDIMPplan?
ADIMPplanaddressessystemintegrityissueswhichoccurovertime.DIMPshouldaddresssystem
integrityissuesthroughdataanalysis.However,newlyidentifiedissuesmayrequireimmediateaction.
Oneexampleisifanoperatorstartsexperiencingproblemswithanewstyleoffitting.Anotherexample
isthediscoveryofamaterialpreviouslyunknowntobecontainedwithinthesystemthathasbeen
identifiedashighlysusceptibletofailure.Theserisksshouldbeaddressedimmediatelyandaddedtothe
DIMPplanassoonasfeasible.Theoperator'sresponseisdependentontheseverityandlocationofthe
threat.Ifanoperatordiscoversathreatwhichneedsimmediateriskreductionmeasures,theyshould
implementthenecessaryactions.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.c.4[Deleted.InadvertentduplicationofC.4.c.3inoriginalFAQset]
LastRevision:10/19/11

C.4.c.5Domultiplethreatsneedtobeconsideredforeachfacilitygrouping?Doallthreatsneedtobe
inonerelativeriskranking?
TheDIMPruledoesnotprescribeariskevaluationmethodology.Theoperatormaychoosea
methodologywhichconsidersmultiplethreatstoeachgroupoffacilitiesbuttheruledoesnotrequire
this.Theruledoesprescribethattheriskrankingmustconsidereachapplicablecurrentandpotential
threat.Anoperatormaychoosetogroupfacilitiesdifferentlyforeachthreat,inwhichcase,allthreats
neednotbeconsideredforallgroupings.Thefinalevaluationmustdeterminetherelativeimportance
ofeachthreatandestimateandranktherisksposedtoitspipeline.
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C.4.c.6Whatisexpectedofmultistateoperatorinregardstoariskranking?
Multistateoperatorsneedtobeabletofiltertherelativeriskrankingoftheirentiresystembyeach
individualstate,ortheymayhaveaseparaterelativeriskrankingforeachstate.Theyalsoneedto
providethemeasurestheyaretakingtoreduceriskbystateorbeabletofilterthemeasurestheyare
takingsystemwidetothosetheyaretakingineachstate.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.4.c.7Weplantoperformariskrankingbystate.Regardlessoftheoutcomeoftheriskranking,we
willnotdecreasethehistoricallevelofexpendituresineachstate.However,asystemwiderisk
rankingwillbeusedtodeterminewhereexpendituresbeyondhistoricallevelswillbeallocated.Does
thatmeettheintentofthestatebystateriskranking?
Theoperatorsetstheriskthreshold,anddetermineswheremeasuresdesignedtoreducetherisksof
failureofitsgasdistributionpipelineareneeded.Thecriteriashouldbethesamefortheentiresystem
regardlessofthestate.Actionsshouldbecommensuratewithrisk.Iftheriskisviable,theoperatormust
takesomeactiontoreduceit.

TheintentofthestatebystaterankingisforStatePipelineSafetyProgramstoreviewtherisksand
measurestoaddresstheminthestateforwhichtheyhavejurisdictionalauthority.SinceState
regulatorsdonotinspectsystemsinotherstates,theydonothavefirsthandknowledgeofthatportion
ofanoperator'ssystem.SomestatesmayhaveadditionalregulatoryrequirementsbeyondDIMP.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.4.dIdentifyandImplementMeasurestoAddressRisks
C.4.d.1Mustanoperatorimplementadditionaloracceleratedactionstoreduceriskfromitspipeline?
TheDIMPruleisintendedtoimprovesafetyperformance.Improvingperformancemayrequire
operatorstoimplementadditionaloracceleratedactionstomanageidentifiedsystemrisks,butinother
instancessuchactionsmaynotberequired.Someoperatorshavealreadyimplementedadditionalrisk
controlandmitigationactivitiesvoluntarily.Itispossiblethattheseongoingactionsalreadyadequately
addresstherisksthataresignificanttosomepipelinesystems.

WhattheDIMPRuledoesrequireisforoperatorstoperiodicallyconsiderpotentialimprovementsto
theirIMprogram.Operatorsmustperformariskanalysistounderstandthefactorsthatareimportant
totheirriskandshouldcomparetheresultsofthisanalysistotheactionsnowbeingtakentoassure
pipelinesafety.Ifgapsareidentified(i.e.,instancesinwhichsomefactorimportanttoriskisnotnow
beingadequatelyaddressed)thenappropriateriskcontrolpracticesmayneedtobeimplemented.
Operatorsalsomayfinditappropriatetoreducesomenonmandatedactionsnowbeingtaken(e.g.,
whichaddressrisksoflowerimportance)andtoreallocatethoseresourcestoaddresshigherpriority
risks.Operatorsmuststillcomplywithalltherequirementsoftheregulations.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.2Howwillsmalloperators,withlimitedstaff,beabletoimplementtherequirementsforrisk
analysisandselectionofriskcontrolmeasures?
Thelevelofanalysisrequiredandriskcontrolmeasurestobeimplementedarerelatedtothe
complexityofanoperatorsdistributionpipelinesystemandthevariabilityofthreatsacrossasystem.
Operatorswithsmallstaffstypicallyoperatesmaller,simplersystems,sothattheeffortrequiredto
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conductriskanalysisandtoselectriskcontrolmeasuresshouldbelessthanthatrequiredofoperators
ofmorecomplexsystems.

PHMSApublished,GuidanceonCarryingOutRequirementsintheGasDistributionIntegrity
ManagementRulePipelineSafety:IntegrityManagementProgramforGasDistributionPipelines,to
helplargeandsmall,mastermeter,andLPGoperatorsimplementtherequirementsofsubpartPofPart
192.GuidanceforlargeandsmalloperatorsbeginsatsectionIandformastermeterandLPGoperators
atsectionVofthisdocument.ThedocumentislocatedonthePHMSAsDIMPwebsiteunderDIMPKey
Documentshttp://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/dimp/documents.htm.

TheGasPipingTechnologyCommittee(GPTC)DIMPguidelinesprovideguidanceonrelativelysimple
approachestoriskanalysis.TheAmericanPublicGasAssociation(APGA)SecurityandIntegrity
Foundation,withpartialfundingfromPHMSA,developedtheSimple,Handy,RiskBased,Integrity
ManagementPlan(SHRIMP),acomputerbasedprogramthatisintendedtoassistsmalloperatorsin
preparingaplantomeetrulerequirements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.3Ifanoperatoralreadyhasaleakmanagementprogram,doestheoperatorhavetoimplement
anewprograminresponsetothisregulation?
Notnecessarily.Operatorsmaynotneedtoimplementnewleakmanagementprograms.Rather,
operatorsshouldreviewtheircurrentleakmanagementprogramtoassurethatitiseffectiveandwhen
needed,adjusttheirprogramtocomplywiththeregulation.Leakmanagementisanimportantfactorin
managingtherisksassociatedwithdistributionpipelinesystems.PHMSArecognizesthatdistribution
pipelineoperatorscurrentlyhaveleakmanagementprogramsinplaceandthattheseprogramsare
generallyeffective.Forexample,corrosionisaleadingcauseofdistributionpipelineleaks,butcorrosion
isonlythecauseoffourpercentofreportabledistributionincidents;PHMSAbelievesthateffectiveleak
managementisamajorreasonforthisperformanceoperatorsidentifyandaddresssevereleaks
beforeincidentsoccur.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.4Whynotsimplyrequireoperatorsofgasdistributionpipelinestoreplaceoldpipe?
Therulerequiresthatoperatorsanalyzetheirpipelinesystemstoidentifythehazardsthataffectthem
andevaluatetherisksposedbyeachthreat.Operatorsmustdetermineandimplementmeasures
designedtoreducetherisksfromfailure.Pipereplacementiscertainlyoneactionanoperatorcould
taketomitigatesomeriskstoitssystem.

Simplybecauseapipelineisold,doesnotmeanthatitisarisktopublicsafety.Sometypesofolderpipe
operatesafelyandhavenotbeeninvolvedinincidents.Meanwhile,somenewerpipes,including
particularkindsofplasticfittings,haveprovenproblematicandhavecausedincidents.Stateregulators
haveoccasionallyrequiredoperatorstoimplementpipereplacementprograms,butthesereplacement
programshavebeentargetedtospecificproblematicpipebasedonthelocalcircumstancesfacing
particularoperators.Operatorsalreadyarerequiredtoinitiateprogramstoreconditionorphaseout
segmentsofpipelinesdeterminedtobeinunsatisfactorycondition.Threatssuchasexcavationdamage,
whichistheleadingcauseofdistributionpipelineincidents,wouldnotbeaddressedbyapipe
replacementprogram.Therulerequiresgasoperatorstoanalyzetheriskoftheirpipeline,giventheir
uniquecircumstances,includingtheageoftheirpipelinesystem.Operatorsshouldusetheserisk

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analysestoidentifyactionstoreducerisk,includingthepossibilityofreplacingselectedpipe.Regulators
mayoverseeanoperatorsriskmanagementdecisions.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.5WhatkindofissuesshouldanoperatorfocusoninaddressingthethreatofExcavation
DamageaspartofitsDIMPPlan?
Excavationdamageistheleadingcauseofsignificantpipelineincidents(causinginjuryorfatality).
PHMSApublishedadocumententitled,DamagePreventionAssistanceProgram(DPAP):Strengthening
StateDamagePreventionPrograms.Buildingonthenineelementsofeffectivedamageprevention
programsfoundinthePipelineInspection,Protection,EnforcementandSafetyActof2006(PIPES),this
documentprovidesguidancetostakeholdersforstrengtheningstatedamagepreventionprograms.
Whilenotallofthesenineelementsarewithintheoperatorsdirectcontrol,certainoperatorsworking
withstateregulatorsandotherstakeholdergroupshavefoundwaystofacilitateprogressinaddressing
thenineelements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.6Inordertoeliminatetheneedforaleakmanagementprogram,howquicklywouldan
operatorneedtorepairallleaks?
Therulestatesthataleakmanagementprogramisnotneededifallleaksarerepairedwhenfound.All
hazardousleaksmustberepairedpromptly.Toeliminatetheneedforaleakmanagementprogram,an
operatorwouldneedtocontinuetoworkoneachleak,hazardousandnonhazardous,untilitis
eliminatedasopposedtoschedulingtherepairorperiodicallymonitoringtheleak.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.d.7Cantheinstallationofexcessflowvalvesbeamethodtomitigaterisks?
Excessflowvalvesareonemeanstoreducetheconsequencesofapotentialincidentwhenproperly
designedandinstalled.Thevalveautomaticallyshutsofftheflowofgasinaservicelinewhenthegas
flowinthelineexceedsthevalvesetting.Thevalvetripswhenthereisseveredamagetothepipeline,
significantlyincreasingthegasflowrate.Suchsignificantincreasesingasflowratearemostoften
causedbyexcavationdamagethatrupturestheservicelinedownstreamofthevalve.Theriskofthe
excavationdamagestillexists.EFVsareanefficientmeansofreducingtheconsequencesindensely
populatedareas,onservicestopublicordifficulttoevacuatebuildings,orareaswhereoperatorscannot
reachrapidlyshutofftheflowofgasinanemergency.TheGPTCDIMPGuidanceidentifiestheuseofan
EFVasapossibleriskmitigationmeasure.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.d.8Whatcriteriashouldanoperatorusetoidentifywhenameasuretoreduceriskisneeded?
Theoperatormustdefinethethresholdlevelatwhichadditionalmeasurestoreduceriskmustbe
implemented.Theoperatormustbeabletojustifythebasisusedforestablishingthethresholdlevelfor
eachidentifiedrisk.Itisnotsufficientsimplytorestatethedecisionwithoutdescribingwhyitwas
made.RegulatorycomplianceinspectionsofanoperatorsDIMPplanwillincludeanevaluationofthe
operatorsselectionofriskmitigationmeasuresandwilldeterminewhethertheappropriateadditional
measureshavebeenimplemented.
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C.4.d.9DoallactionsoperatorstaketoreduceriskneedtobeincludedintheirDIMPplan?
AnoperatormustincludeinitswrittenDIMPplanallmeasuresitselectedtoreduceriskfromfailureon
thoseportionsofitsgasdistributionpipelinethatmetitscriteriaforneedingameasuretoaddressthe
riskidentifiedthroughtheirriskevaluationprocess.Ifanoperatorimplementedriskreductionmeasures
priortothepromulgationoftheDIMPruleonpipingthatdoesnotmeetitscriteriaforneedingadditional
actiontoreducerisk,theoperatormayincludetheseothermeasuresinitsDIMPplan,howeveritwillneed
toalsoincludeinthePlanmethodstoevaluatetheeffectivenessofthesemeasures.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.d.10Wehaveheardthatoperatorswillberequiredtoimplementspecificmeasurestoreduce
risk.Canyoudescribetherequiredactions?
Operatorsdeterminewhichriskreductionmeasurestheywillimplement.Theyarerequiredtocollect
andanalyzeperformancemeasuredatatodemonstratethatthemeasurestoreduceriskareeffective.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.d.11Howcananoperatordemonstratethattheirleakmanagementprogramiseffective?
Operatorsneedtoevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheirleakmanagementprogramthroughaselfaudit
program.Thebasicelementsofaleakmanagementprogramare:
1. Locatetheleaksinthedistributionsystem(yourplanneedstodescribeyourleakagedetection
procedures)
2. Evaluatetheactualorpotentialhazardsassociatedwiththeseleaks(yourplanneedstodescribe
yourleakclassificationcriteria)
3. Actappropriatelytomitigatethesehazards(yourplanneedstodescribeyourleakrepairor
monitoringschedule)
4. Keeprecords(ofleaksurveys,leaks,andselfauditdata)
5. Selfassesstodetermineifadditionalactionsarenecessarytokeeppeopleandpropertysafe
(Thepurposeofaperiodicselfassessmentistodetermineiftheleakmanagementprogramis
effectiveand,ifnecessary,toidentifychangesnecessarytoensurethatitiseffective.Yourplan
needstoincludehowyouperformyourselfassessmentandtheresultsoftheselfassessment.)
AnoperatormusteitherincludetheleakmanagementprogramproceduresinitsDIMPplanor
referencetheproceduresinyourO&M.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.eMeasurePerformance,MonitorResults,andEvaluateEffectiveness
C.4.e.1WhyhasPHMSAselectedtheperformancemeasuresthatithasforperiodicreporting?
Measuringperformanceperiodicallyallowsoperatorstodeterminewhetheractionsbeingtakentoaddress
threatsareeffective,orwhetherdifferentactionsareneeded.ItisalsoimportantforPHMSAandtheStates
tomeasurethesafetyimprovement(i.e.,performance)achievedbythisnewregulation.Ultimately,a
decreaseinthenumberandconsequencesofdistributionpipelineincidentswillbethetruemeasureof
success,butitwilltakemanyyearsofaccumulatingdatatodeterminewithconfidencethatthereisa
decliningtrendinincidents/consequences.PHMSAneedsdatathatwillbeusefulinashortertimeframeto
showwhetherimprovementsarebeingrealizedoriffurtheradjustmentstorequirementsareneeded.
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PHMSAhasconcludeditwouldbemostusefulforoperatorstoreportfourperformancemeasures.
PHMSArecognizesthattherewillbesomevariabilityinthecriteriafortheseperformancemeasures
amongoperators.Theperformancemeasuresareintendedtomeasureindividualoperator,state,and
nationaltrends.

Thetotalnumberofleakseliminatedorrepairedbycauseandthenumberofhazardousleaks
eliminatedorrepairedbycausearetwoofthereportableperformancemeasures.Leakscanleadto
incidentsandhazardousleaksrepresentthehighestriskleaks.PHMSAandStatepartnersexpect
effectiveintegritymanagementprogramstoproduceareductioninthenumberofleaks.Thetotal
numberofleaksscheduledforrepairhashistoricallybeenpartoftheAnnualReportsubmittedby
operatorsofdistributionpipelines.

Theotherreportableperformancemeasuresarethenumberofexcavationdamagesandthenumberof
excavationtickets.Excavationdamageistheleadingcauseofsignificantdistributionpipelineincidents.
Thenumberofexcavationticketsisanindicatorofthetotalamountofexcavationactivityinanarea.
Thisdatawillbeusedtonormalizethereportednumberofexcavationdamagesinanalyzing
performancesinceexcavationdamagesoccurasanunintendedconsequenceofdigging.PHMSAand
Statepartnerswouldexpecteffectiveintegritymanagementprogramstoproduceapositivetrendinthe
levelofexcavationdamageperthenumberofdamagesperticket(orper1000tickets)overtime.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.e.2Doeseverymeasuretoaddressriskrequireaperformancemeasure?
Eachriskreductionmeasureorgroupofmeasuresanoperatoridentifiesthroughtheirriskevaluation
processneedstohaveaperformancemeasure.Operatorsmustestablishabaselineforevery
performancemeasure.Operatorsmustbepreparedtoexplainwhyeachperformancemeasurewas
chosenanddescribehowtheperformancemeasuredataisorwillbecollected.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.fPeriodicallyEvaluationandImprovement
C.4.f.1Howoftendoesanoperatorneedtoevaluateitsprogram?
Operatorsmustevaluatetheirprogramataperiodappropriatefortheirsystem,butatanintervalnot
exceedingfiveyears.AnoperatorshouldreevaluateitsIMprogramwhenevernewknowledge,new
threatsorotherinformationwouldsubstantiallyaltertheoperatorsDIMPprogram.Thiscouldrange
fromonceeachcalendaryeartolessfrequently,butmustnotexceedonceeveryfiveyears.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.f.2Whatconstitutesaperiodicevaluation?
Theoperatorsprocedureneedstodescribetheactionstheoperatorwilltakeduringtheprogram
evaluation.Itshouldincludethefollowingactions:
Descriptionofthefrequencyofreviewbasedonthecomplexityofthesystemandchangesin
factorsaffectingtheriskoffailure,nottoexceed5years
Verificationofgeneralinformation(e.g.contactinformation,formnames,actionschedules,etc.)
Incorporationofnewsysteminformation
Reevaluationofthreatsandrisk
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 Reviewofthefrequencyofthemeasurestoreducerisk,whereapplicable
Reviewoftheeffectivenessofthemeasurestoreducerisk.Thisincludes,atminimum,reviewing
theresultsoftheperformancemeasure(s)foreachmeasuretakentoreducerisk.
Reviewofthemeasuresimplementedtoreduceriskandrefine/improveasneeded(i.e.addnew,
modifyexisting,oreliminateifnolongerneeded)
Reviewofperformancemeasures,theireffectiveness,andiftheyarenotstillappropriate,
refine/improve
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.4.gReportResults
PerformanceMeasures
C.4.g.1Whenmustoperatorsstartcollectingandmaintainingrecordswithdataneededfor
performancemeasures?
ReportableperformancemeasuresaretobesubmittedviatheGasDistributionAnnualReportfor
CalendarYear2010whichcoversactivitiesfromJanuary1,2010thruDecember31,2010.The2010
calendaryearAnnualReportisduebyMarch15,2011.
LastRevision:2/9/11

C.4.g.2WhenareperformancemeasuresdueonAnnualReports?
Thereportableperformancemeasuresaretobesubmittedviathe2010GasDistributionAnnualReport
formwhichisduebyMarch15,2011.Anoperatoralsomustreportthisinformationtothestate
pipelinesafetyauthorityifastateexercisesjurisdictionovertheoperatorspipeline.

Mar.15,2011OperatorsuseproposedrevisedGasDistributionAnnualReportform,PHMSAF7100.1
1(1205).Itcontainsfieldsforreportableperformancemeasuresforthe2010calendaryear.Mechanical
fittingfailuresarenottobereportedforcalendaryear2010.

Mar.15,2012AnnualReportforcalendaryear2011mustcontaintherequireddataforreportable
performancemeasuresfromJanuary1,2011thruDecember31,2011.
LastRevision:2/9/11

C.4.g.3CanPHMSAfurtherdefinethenumberofexcavationticketsonthenewform?
Thedefinitionofanexcavationticketvariesamongstateonecallprograms.Requiringoperatorsto
trackticketsintwowaysonematchingtheironecallprogramdefinitionandonematchingacommon
nationaldefinition,wouldentailconsiderableadditionaleffortwithoutcommensuratebenefit.PHMSA
encouragesoperatorstousethecriteriacurrentlyinplacewiththeStatelawandonecallcenterwhich
determineswhennotificationsshouldbemade.

Thetotalnumberofexcavationticketsincludesallreceiptsofinformationbytheundergroundfacility
operatorfromthenotificationcenter.Operatorsmaychoosetoincludeornotincludereceiptsof
informationdirectlyfromexcavatorsorothers.Anoperatorsreportingcriteriashouldremainconsistent
fromyeartoyear.
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C.4.g.4Formunicipaloperatorsorjointutilityoperators,shouldthenumberofexcavationtickets
includeallexcavationticketsorjustthosesenttothegasdepartment?
Thenumberofexcavationticketsshouldonlyincludeacountofthereceiptsofinformationfromthe
notificationcentertothegaspipelineundergroundfacilityoperator.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.g.5Aremultipleticketsforasinglejobcountedasasingleexcavationticket?
Somestatelawsrequireexcavatorstocallinadditionalrequestsforongoingjobspriortothelifeofthe
firstexcavationrequestexpiring.Inreportingdatatheseadditionalrequestsforexcavationprojectsof
extendeddurationmaybecountedsincethereisexcavationworkassociatedwiththoserequests.
However,operatorsdonotneedtochangethecriteriaforcountingexcavationticketsforthepurposeof
reportingperformancemeasures.Iftheycurrentlycountmultipleticketsforasinglejob,theymay
continuethatpractice.ThedefinitionofticketshouldremainconsistentwithStatelawandonecall
centerdefinition.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.g.6Whatiftheexcavationdamageoccursonanexcavationwithnoticket?
Theoccurrencemustbereportedinthenumberofexcavationdamagesbutnotcountedasan
excavationticket.Thelackofaticketlikelymeansthatdamagepreventionactivitiesassociatedwith
onecallprogramsdidnotoccurandthatdamagemaythushavebeenmorelikely.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.4.g.7Wehavealotofsteelriserswhichcanbetightenedtoeliminateleaks.Wehavenotreported
theseonForm7100inPARTCTOTALLEAKSANDHAZARDOUSLEAKSELIMINATED/REPAIRED
DURINGYEARinthepast.AretheseleaksconsideredreportableleaksperDIMP,andshouldthis
threatbeconsideredinaDIMPplan?
Theoperatorneedstofollowtheirproceduresandreportallleakswhichupondiscoveryaredetermined
tobehazardouseveniftheleakissubsequentlyeliminatedorrepairedbylubrication,adjustment,or
tightening.

TheAnnualReportinstructionsdonotallowforexcludinghazardousleakseveniftheycanbeeliminated
orrepairedbylubrication,adjustment,ortightening.TheAnnualReportinstructionsstatethefollowing:
aleakisdefinedasanunintentionalescapeofgasfromthepipeline.
Anonhazardousreleasethatcanbeeliminatedbylubrication,adjustment,ortightening,isnota
leak[andthusnotreportedontheAnnualReport].(emphasisadded)
49CFR192.1007(e)(1)(i)requiresthatoperatorsreportthenumberofhazardousleakseithereliminated
orrepairedasaDIMPperformancemeasure(orthetotalnumberofleaksifallleaksarerepairedwhen
found).Ifanoperatorrepairsallleakswhenfoundratherthangradingthem,thenallreleasesthatcan
beeliminatedbylubrication,adjustment,ortighteningmustbereportedashazardousleaks.Ineither
case,thisinformationisreportedviaPartCoftheAnnualReport.

Thefrequencyofnonhazardousreleasesthatarenotreportedcouldindicatearecurringproblem(e.g.,
fittingsissue,poorconstructionpractices,humanerror)thatshouldbeconsideredinanoperators
DIMPprogram.
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C.5192.1009Whatmustanoperatorreportwhenamechanicalfittingfails?
C.5.1WhyisPHMSAcollectingdataaboutmechanicalfittingfailures?
PHMSAhasseensomeregionalissueswithmechanicalfittings.PHMSAplanstoanalyzethe
nationaldatafromtheAnnualReportstodevelopbetterinformationaboutthetypesandcausesof
fittingfailures.Thisinformationwillbecommunicatedtooperatorssothattheycanactappropriately.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.5.2DoStatesalreadycollectthetypeofinformationthatistobecollectedformechanicalfitting
failures?
Notfully.MechanicalfittingfailureinformationhasbeencollectedinAnnualReportsandIncident
Reportsasasubsetofthematerialandweld,equipment,andotherfailuresections.The
informationcollectedonthereportableincidentformwaslimitedtothetypeofjointandthecauseof
thefailure,eitherconstructionormaterialdefectandwasonlyreportedifthemechanicalfittingfailure
resultedinareportableincident.OntheAnnualReport,themechanicalfittingfailureswouldbe
includedinthecountofLeaksEliminated/RepairedDuringYear,categorizedbythreat.The
informationnowbeingcollectedformechanicalfittingfailuresismoredetailedbutexcludesinstances
thatresultinnonhazardousleaks.TheincidentreportwasupdatedonJanuary31,2010.Foracopyof
thereport,gotoPHMSAswebsiteathttp://www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/forms.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.5.3Shouldbothsteelandplasticmechanicalfittingfailuresbereported?Howaboutthedifferent
stylesofplasticmechanicalfittings?Domechanicalfittingfailuresincastironsystemsneedtobe
reported?
Alltypesofmechanicalfittingfailuresshouldbeincludedregardlessofmaterial.Theobjectiveofthe
datacollectionistoidentifymechanicalfittingswhich,basedonahistoricaldata,aresusceptibleto
failure.TheAdvisoryBulletins,ADB8602issuedonFebruary26,1986,andADB0802(73FR11695)
issuedonMarch4,2008,identifiedissueswithmechanicalfittingswhichcouldleadtofailure.The
bulletinadvisedoperatorstoperformcertainactions.Determiningtheapparentcauseofthese
mechanicalfittingfailuresisimportanttodetermineifandwhattypeofadditionalactionsmaybe
needediftrendsareidentified.PHMSAintendsforoperatorstoreportalltypesandallsizesof
mechanicalfittingfailureswhichresultinahazardousleak.Thefailurecanoccuronafittingconnected
toapipeorafittingthatjoinssectionsofpipe.Mechanicalfittingsincludestab,nutfollower,andbolt
typefittings.Thereportingrequirementsapplytofailuresinthebodiesofmechanicalfittingorfailures
inthejointsbetweenthefittingsandpipe.

Operatorsaretoreportmechanicalfittingfailuresastheresultofanycauseincludingexcavation
damage.Mechanicalfittingsaretobeincludedregardlessofthematerialtheyjoin.Forexample,include
mechanicalfittingswhichjoinsteeltosteel,steeltoplastic,andplastictoplastic.Examplesoftheuseof
mechanicalfittingsmaybefoundinthefollowingapplications:servicetees,tappingtees,transition
fittings,couplings,risers,sleeves,ells,Ys,andtees.Failuresonfittingsthatarejoinedbysolvent
cement,adhesive,heatfusion,orweldingarenottobereportedasmechanicalfittingfailures.

PHMSAdoesnotintendtocollectinformationaboutfailuresofcastironbell&spigotjointsunlessthe
leakresultedfromafailureofamechanicalfittingusedtorepairorreinforceajoint.
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C.5.4Sincethereisanewformformechanicalfittingfailureswhichresultinahazardousleak,do
thesefailuresstillneedtobereportedunderPartCoftheAnnualReport?
Yes,operatorsneedtoincludeallmechanicalfittingfailureswhichresultinhazardousleakseliminated
orrepairedaspartofthetotalleaksreportedontheAnnualReportinPartCTOTALLEAKSAND
HAZARDOUSLEAKSELIMINATED/REPAIREDDURINGYEAR.Additionally,theymustreportdetailed
informationabouteachmechanicalfittingfailurewhichresultsinahazardousleakonaseparateGas
DistributionMechanicalFittingFailureForm(PHMSAF7100.12).

PHMSAcreatedthenewMechanicalFittingFailureReportform[PHMSAF7100.12]toaddressthenew
annualreportingrequirementestablishedbyDIMPforhazardousleaksonmechanicalfittings.Operators
maysubmitdataatanytimeandatanyfrequencythroughouttheyear(preferred),ortheymaysubmit
allmechanicalfittingfailurereportsinonesubmission.Regardlessofthemethodtheyselect,the
reportsmustbesubmittedbyMarch15,2012forfailureswhichoccurredincalendaryear2011.Ifan
operatordoesnotexperienceanymechanicalfittingfailurewhichresultsinhazardousleaks,theydonot
needtosubmitaMechanicalFittingFailureReportform.TheonlinesystemforthenewMechanical
FittingFailureReportform[PHMSAF7100.12]isnowinoperation.

NOTE:OnlinesubmissionviaPHMSAPortalisrequiredunlessanalternativereportingmethodisgranted
byPHMSA.MoreinformationisavailableatPHMSAs,OfficeofPipelineSafetywebsite,PipelineSafety
Community,locatedathttp://www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipelineandclicktheOnlineDataEntryhyperlink
listedinthefirstcolumn.
LastRevision:3/10/11

C.5.5Ifabovegroundmechanicalfittingfailuresarehazardousbutrepaireddotheyneedtobe
reported?
Yes,allmechanicalfittingfailureswhicharehazardousupondiscoverymustbereported.Ifamechanical
fittingfailureresultsinahazardousleak,regardlessofhowitiseliminated,reportthefailureonthe
annualreport(PartC)andsubmitamechanicalfittingfailurereport.
LastRevision:7/15/11

C.5.6Whataretheexpectationsofoperatorsindeterminingacauseformechanicalfittingfailures
whichresultinahazardousleak?
Operatorsshouldfollowtheirprocedurerequiredby192.617,Investigationoffailures,foranalyzing
failures,includingtheselectionofsamplesofthefailedfacilityorequipmentforlaboratoryexamination,
whereappropriate,forthepurposeofdeterminingthecause(s)ofthefailureandminimizingthe
possibilityofarecurrence.Operatorsmusttrytodeterminetheapparentcauseoftheleak.Anoperator
mayhaveexperiencedsimilarfailuresinthepastandcanreadilydeterminetheapparentcause.
Hazardousleaksonmechanicalfittingfailuresforwhichtheapparentcauseisnotreadilydetermined
willrequireadditionalinvestigationcommensuratewiththelevelofrisk(likelihoodandconsequences)
ofafailureofsimilarfittings.
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C.6192.1011Whatrecordsmustanoperatorkeep?
C.6.1WhatrecordsdoesanoperatorneedtomaintaintodemonstratecompliancewithSubpartP?
Pursuantto192.1011,anoperatormustmaintainrecordstodemonstratecompliancewiththe
requirementsofsubpartPforatleasttenyears.Therecordsmustincludecopiesofsuperseded
integritymanagementplansdevelopedundersubpartP.Totheextentthatrecordsdemonstrate
compliancewiththeDIMPRulerequirements,theyaretobemaintainedbytheoperatorsuchthatthey
arereadilyretrievable,protectedfromdamage,andsecuredsufficientlytopreventunauthorizeduse.
Therecordsincludebutarenotlimitedto:
Awrittenintegritymanagementprogram
Knowledgeofthesystemdocuments
Threatidentificationandriskassessmentdocumentation
Measurestoaddressriskdocumentation
Performancemeasuresusedtoevaluatetheeffectivenessofriskmitigationmeasures
documentation
CorrespondencewithPHMSAorState/LocalRegulatoryAgenciesrelatedtoDIMPimplementation.
OperatorsarerequiredtoreviewandevaluatetheirDIMPprogramsperiodicallyandatleastevery5
years(192.1007(f)).Operatorsmustretainrecordsrelatedtothesereviewsfor10yearsaftertheyare
conducted.IfthereviewresultsinrevisionoftheDIMPplan,thenrecordsassociatedwiththatrevision
mustberetainedfor10years.IfthereviewreaffirmstheexistingDIMPplan,withoutchange,thenthe
recordsassociatedwiththeoriginalDIMPplan,particularlydocumentsdemonstratingknowledgeofthe
system,mustberetainedforanothertenyears.
LastRevision:8/24/11

C.6.2MustIretainallrecordsIconsiderindevelopingmyDIMPunder192.1011?
AnoperatormustmaintainrecordsdemonstratingcompliancewiththerequirementsofSubpartPforat
least10yearsincludingthoserecordsthatspecificallydetailcompliancewiththeelementsin192.1007.
Thisincludesdocumentsrelatedtothedevelopment(orsubsequentreview)ofyourDIMPplan.
LastRevision:5/1/12

C.6.3AmIrequiredtosubmitmyDIMPPlantoanyFederalorStateRegulator?
ThepipelinesafetyregulationsdonotrequireanoperatortosubmititsDIMPPlantoPHMSA.Acopyof
theDIMPPlanmustbeavailableforinspectorstoreviewduringapipelinesafetyinspection.

SomestatesmayhaverequirementsregardingDIMPPlansubmissions,orDIMPplansmaybeincluded
ingeneralrequirementstosubmitallrequiredplans.Operatorsshouldcontacttheirstateregulators
forquestionsconcerningstaterequirements.

PHMSA,orstatesnotrequiringfiling,maystillrequestacopyoftheDIMPplanforpurposessuchas
reviewpriortoaninspectionorasanaidinrespondingtoinquiries.
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C.7192.1013Whenmayanoperatordeviatefromrequiredperiodicinspectionsofthispart?
C.7.1HowcanoperatorsusetheirDIMPprogramstojustifyreductionsinotherperiodictestand
inspectionrequirements?
Part192includesrequirementstoperformcertaintestsandinspectionsperiodically.Forexample,leak
surveysmustbeconductedannuallyinbusinessdistrictsandatmosphericcorrosionsurveysmustbe
conductedeverythreeyearsonexposedpipe.Theseactivitiesareintendedtoaddressapotentialthreat
todistributionpipelineintegrity.Asoperatorscompleteriskanalysesandimplementmeasuresdirected
ataddressingthreatsofparticularimportancetotheirpipelinesystems,therelativevalueofthese
requiredperiodicactivitiescouldbeshowntodecreaseinspecificareas.

Theruleincludesaprovisionwhichallowsoperatorstosubmitproposedadjustmentstothefrequency
ofperiodicactionsnowrequiredinPart192,basedontheresultsoftheirriskassessmentintheir
integritymanagementprogramsandengineeringanalysis.Proposedchangeswillbereviewedbythe
regulatoryauthorityexercisingoversightoftheoperatorandcanbeapprovediftheauthorityagrees
thattheproposedchangesprovideanequalorimprovedoveralllevelofsafety.Thisprovisionis
intendedtoallowoperatorstoshiftresourcesfromgenericallyrequiredperiodicriskcontrolactivitiesto
activitiesthataremorespecificallyfocusedontheissuesofimportancetotheirparticularpipeline
systems.Theproposalmustprovideanequalorgreateroveralllevelofsafety.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.7.2WhatwillPHMSA(orStates)requireforproposalsforalternateinspectionintervals?
Proposalsmustbesubmittedtoeachapplicableoversightagency(usuallytheState).EachStatewill
implementthisprovisionundertheStatesprocedures.Requirementsforconsiderationofanalternative
intervalmaydifferamongStateregulatoryauthorities.Theregulatoryauthoritywillberesponsiblefor
reviewingeachproposal,determiningsafeintervalsbasedontheinformationintheoperators
proposal,andapprovingorrejectingtheproposal.

Proposedalternativeinspectionintervalsmustdemonstrateanequalorimprovedoveralllevelofsafety
includingtheeffectofthereducedfrequencyofperiodicinspections.Aquantitativeestimateofriskis
notrequired.PHMSAisdevelopingcriteriaforevaluatinganoperatorsalternativeintervalproposalin
thestateswherePHMSAexercisesenforcementauthorityoverdistributionpipelines.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.8192.1015Whatmustamastermeterorsmallliquefiedpetroleumgas(LPG)operatordoto
implementthissubpart?(Answersfrom192.1007applytothissectionunlessotherwisenoted).
General
C.8.1AreallLPGoperatorsandnaturalgasoperators,regardlessofthesizeoftheirdistribution
system,subjecttotheDIMPregulation?
ThedistributionintegritymanagementregulationappliesLPGandnaturalgasoperatorsofallsizes
exceptasprovidedin192.1(b).

TherequirementsunderDIMParethesameformastermeteroperatorsandsmallLPGoperators.
Section192.1015isspecifictotheseoperators.Amastermeteroperatormeansapipelinesystemfor
distributinggaswithin,butnotlimitedto,adefinablearea,suchasamobilehomepark,housingproject,
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orapartmentcomplex,wheretheoperatorpurchasesmeteredgasfromanoutsidesourceforresale
throughagasdistributionpipelinesystem.Thegasdistributionpipelinesystemsuppliestheultimate
consumerwhoeitherpurchasesthegasdirectlythroughameterorbyothermeans,suchasbyrents.
LPGoperatorsservingfewerthan100customersfromasinglesourceareconsideredsmallLPG
operators.PHMSAusedthecriterionfromsection191.11whichexcludesLPGoperatorsservingfewer
than100customersfromasinglesourcefromtherequirementtofileanAnnualReport.

LPGoperatorsserving100ormorecustomersfromasinglesourcemustmeetthesamerequirements
applicabletoallnaturalgasoperators.Section192.1007isspecifictotheseoperators.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.8.2WhyaremastermeterandsmallLPGoperatorssubjecttodifferentrequirements?
Therequirementsforthesesmalleroperatorsrecognizethelesscomplicatednatureoftheirfacilities.
MastermeterandsmallLPGsystemsaregenerallysmallandcoverlimitedgeographicareas.These
operatorsoftenhavemoredirectcontroloverexcavationintheareainwhichtheyoperate,providing
morepositivecontroloverwhatisthegreatestrisktoadistributionpipelinesystem.Thesystemsare
alsolessdiverse,usuallyinvolvingonlypipe,meters,andserviceregulators.Therehavebeenfew
significantincidentsonmastermeterandLPGdistributionsystems.Thisjustifiesareducedsetof
integritymanagementrequirements.
LastRevision:8/2/10

C.8.3WhatdomastermeterandsmallLPGoperatorsneedtohaveimplementedbyAugust2,2011?
ByAugust2,2011,mastermeteroperatorsandsmallLPGoperatorsmusthavedevelopedand
implementedawrittenintegritymanagementprogramthatincludesawrittenintegritymanagement
plan.Theplanmustincludetheoperatorsproceduresusedtodeveloptheelementslistedin
192.1015(b)(c).Ataminimum,theseoperatorsmusthavetakenthefollowingactions:
1. Developedanddemonstratedanunderstandingoftheirsystem;
2. Identifiedandconsideredthreatstoeachgasdistributionfacility;
3. Completedarelativeriskrankingofeachidentifiedthreattothedistributionsystem;
4. Developedcriteriafordecidingwhenrisksrequiremeasurestoreducethem;
5. Determinedthemeasurestoreducerisk;
6. Begunimplementingthemeasurestoreduceriskorhaveaplantoimplementmeasuresto
reduceriskwhichincludesanimplementationschedule;
7. Aremonitoringthenumberofleakseliminatedorrepairedonitspipelineandtheircauses.
8. DeterminedtheappropriateperiodforconductingDIMPprogramevaluations;and
9. Identifiedrecordsrequiringretentionandhavemaintainedthem.
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Elements
C.8.aKnowledge
C.8.bIdentifyThreats
C.8.cRankRisks
C.8.dIdentifyandImplementMeasurestoMitigateRisks
C.8.eMeasurePerformance,MonitorResults,andEvaluateEffectiveness
C.8.fPeriodicallyEvaluationandImprovement

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