Safety Advisories and Orders

It is important to note that there have been no failures on in-service NEB-regulated pipelines as a direct result of fittings not fully meeting mechanical properties specifications. However, the issue of these fittings entering the supply chain, and subsequently being installed on pipelines, is an industry wide concern. NEB staff conducted research, reviewed incident reports, and met with regulated companies to assess the situation. An industry wide Safety Advisory SA 2016-01 and Order MO-001-2016 were issued in February 2016 to advise industry of the fitting manufacturers, and to require companies to report on the extent of fittings from these manufacturers in their systems. It also required companies to report within 60 days on fittings known not to meet mechanical properties specifiations, from other manufacturers not identified in the Order. In May 2017, the NEB issued Safety Advisory SA 2016-01A, expanding the scope of the previous Safety Advisory to include two additional fitting manufacturers. In January 2018, the NEB issued Order MO-003-2018 [Filing A90077] with ongoing requirements for regulated companies to report any identified pipe or components – received, installed or in service – that do not meet mechanical properties identified in industry standards or company specifications.

Related Orders

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