Pipeline Safety Management System
Safety is paramount at Miller Pipeline, for both our employees and the general public. We rely on our employees to report their concerns and incidents in the field to help us mitigate future risks.
What is a PSMS?
Our Pipeline Safety Management System (PSMS) is a systematic approach for building upon existing processes and establishing new processes that continuously improve the safety of employees, customers, and the communities that we serve. Our Core Values of Safety, Quality, Commitment and Reputation have built a strong foundation to continue building upon. We all play a critical role in continuing to enhance our Safety Culture. While PSMS is, overall, a system focused on improving safety culture through various actions, there are 4 CORE Values that you can exercise and support every day!
1. Follow our processes and procedures: a. Our internal procedures can be found on the Forms Page, under Best Practices. b. Know and refer to our customers’ standards, policies, and processes. c. Follow Federal, State and Local requirements.
2. Identify and report risk: a. Identify risks using Daily Huddles, Job Walks and while working. b. Report risks, near misses and improvement Ideas using the Good Catch Form c. Examples of the types of risks reported can be found here.
3. Continuously improve processes and procedures to protect one another, our customers, and communities: a. Share your ideas on processes, tooling, job setup, anything related to the work that you do using the Good Catch Form b. We will review all submissions, evaluate, prioritize actions, and communicate with you along the way.
4. Stop Work – Identify and proactively take action to prevent things that could go wrong: a. If you are unsure/unfamiliar, haven’t performed the task in a while, see someone else at risk, find something unknown, or are uncomfortable with the situation – STOP. b. Get the help or clarification that you need before proceeding. c. Help us all learn and report Near Misses using the Good Catch Form Following these Core 4 Values and guarding against the pressures to deviate from processes and standards will help keep you, your co-workers, our customers, and communities safe every day. Reporting Risks and Near Misses and learning from them is critical for all our safety and to our continued success overall. Reports made in good faith can be made without fear of retaliation or retribution. Our intent is to learn and improve, not assign blame, or stifle learning. If you have concerns, please use the Your Voice Counts form, where you can submit anonymously if you choose.
A safety management system (SMS) is a continuous improvement process that reduces hazards and prevents incidents. A key component of any SMS is the reporting of incidents and concerns. As a Miller Pipeline employee, you play a key role in the SMS process. Miller Pipeline employees are often closest to the utility’s assets and follow their processes and procedures in the field. As we perform work on these assets and use these processes, it is vital that we identify and report any risk or safety concern to the owner of the pipeline. This reporting allows Miller Pipeline and the utility operator to become proactive in risk mitigation while enhancing safety for the public and employees.
This list of incidents will be reported as part of SMS reporting and Customer Corrective Action Program (CAP) programs. Please review the list and become familiar with the incidents that will result in a submission. Keep in mind that emergency situations should be handled under current emergency procedures.
SMS and CAP are all about pipeline safety and as the people closest to the work we need your input. Your suggestions and insight are valuable tools to identify risks and process improvements. Once reported, submissions will go to the proper department for corrective action. Corrective action may include the following: mitigating the identified risk, communicating the risk to affected employees/stakeholders, providing feedback to the submitter that the risk(s) have been mitigated and steps taken to avoid a future occurrence. Just like Stop Work Authority, everyone plays a role in identifying and reporting risk and can do so without fear of retribution. SMS is about increasing safety, reducing risk, and continuous improvement, not assigning blame.
How to report a risk:
- Follow customer processes for reporting identified Risks on their system (CAP program)
- Enter anonymous submissions via the Your Voice Counts portal
While investigations will occur for all submissions, only those entries with appropriate contact information will receive feedback.
