After a welcome by Energy Pipelines Co-operative Research Centre (EPCRC) Chairman Jim McDonald, APA Group’s Mark Fothergill gave an industry perspective on the importance of the EPCRC. Mr Fothergill was followed by PIRSA’s Michael Malavazos, who outlined the centre’s importance from a regulatory standpoint.
The centre was officially opened by Federal Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird and Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry the Hon. Richard Marles.
Mr Marles highlighted the importance of both pipelines and a centre dedicated to research in the sector. “Pipelines provide an essential link between the gas fields and the marketplace. And they are likely to play a key role in transporting carbon in the future,” he said.
“If we want a long-term, secure and reliable method of energy transfer – and if we want to put in place a pipeline infrastructure that can support carbon capture and transportation projects – then we need to start…being proactive, and addressing these issues now means the long-term benefits will be immense.”
EPCRC Chief Executive Officer Valerie Linton gave a closing address, before inviting everyone to attend the EPCRC Launch Seminar.
Launching industry concerns
APIA Research and Standards Committee (RSC) Chairman Leigh Fletcher gave the first address, providing a history of the RSC and its achievements.
He spoke of the development of AS2885, which he said was often noted as the world’s best pipeline standard. He said that this is because the standard is well understood by those who use it, because they aided its development. He said that the pipeline industry needs to ensure that this thorough understanding of the standard continues in the future.
Mr Fletcher said that the industry needs the EPCRC for innovation, reduced cost, improved safety, safety of the public, reinforced security of supply, education, training and learning, to continue to manufacture products in Australia, and to be intelligent purchasers.
Ms Linton then outlined the different research programs that the EPCRC is to undertake in more detail. She said that the centre is an industry-led CRC, with each research program having a steering committee, and encouraged everyone to be involved. She said that the EPCRC currently consists of 43 members from the APIA RSC and four participating universities.
One of the research programs is researching the role of sociology in ensuring pipeline safety. Headed by Professor Andrew Hopkins, the program will look into the organisational structure of companies to analyse how these organisations drive the behaviour of their employees, and how this effects decisions that are made within a company that could affect the safety of employees, pipeline security and the public.
Addressing the crowd, Mr Hopkins said “Unless you get the human side of it right, nothing is going to work.”
Professor Hopkins highlighted the need for the most senior people in a company, who may not know about the technicalities of pipelines, to listen to the technical people that work for them. He also said that companies’ bonus structures need to be addressed. For example, if a company has a bonus structure based on annual lost time injuries, this is not conducive to a safe work environment, as large accidents will not occur every year, making people complacent.
He also noted that equipment and job practices need to be designed “in such a way that takes into account the mistakes that people make” and that practices should be “designed in such a way that inadvertent error cannot have serious consequences”.
Professor Hopkins said that he would like the findings of his research program to end up in AS2885, and expand organisational insights within the standard.
To close the seminar, a panel discussion was held, including Peter Tuft, Max Kimber, Professor Hopkins and Mr Malavazos. The panel fielded questions regarding the further development of AS2885, and other industry issues that needed to be addressed within the EPCRC research programs.
An earth-shattering APIA dinner
Pipeliners caught up later that night for the APIA Wollongong Dinner, held at the North Beach Novotel.
Mr McDonald again addressed the crowd, speaking this time of his experience on the Amadeus to Darwin Pipeline following the 1988 earthquakes. The earthquakes had magnitudes of between 6.3 and 6.8, which resulted in a damaged section of pipeline that needed to be replaced. A section of the pipeline had telescoped inside itself, and needed to be replaced, but had not ruptured.
Mr McDonald then explained the repair process, and the co-operation of everyone involved, with some great pictures of the operation.
EPCRC Chief Executive Officer Valerie Linton encourages everyone to get involved in the EPCRC research programs.
For more information visit www.epcrc.com.au or contact Ms Linton on {encode=”valerie.linton@epcrc.com.au” title=”valerie.linton@epcrc.com.au”}