Pembina Logo
Safety Around Pipelines

Safety Around Pipelines

Damage Prevention & Public Awareness

Pembina's Damage Prevention and Public Awareness Programs are dedicated to enhancing the safety of those living and working near our pipelines.

We regularly keep in touch with our landowners, tenants, business owners, Indigenous communities, municipal and emergency officials, excavators and members of the community through educational outreach, so that all stakeholders understand their role in preventing damage to our pipelines.

Pembina conducts regular inspections, maintenance, and testing to confirm that our pipelines are operating safely and monitors the operating condition of the pipelines through our state-of-the-art control room.

Our commitment to excellence in safety is reinforced through our daily operations by developing stringent standards, reviewing potential hazards, conducting regular safety meetings, implementing contractor screenings and inspections.

If you have additional questions, contact us at 1-800-920-1979 or [email protected].

Content goes here. And content goes here. Content goes here. And content goes here. Content goes here. And content goes here.

CANADIAN STAKEHOLDERS          U.S. STAKEHOLDERS

Additional Resources

Canada

U.S.

Planning work around Pembina’s pipelines

Some of the biggest threats to pipeline safety come from daily activities happening in the community. Unauthorized construction, development, encroachment and digging activities can cause serious damage to pipelines and put those near them at risk.

To protect people and the environment, federal and provincial/state laws require anyone who is planning a ground disturbance or other activity near a pipeline Right-of-Way (ROW) to contact the local One-Call Centre in Canada (clickbeforeyoudig.com) or the United States (call811.com) in advance of any work.

The One-Call Centre will notify owners of the buried infrastructure in the area who will send out a company representative to locate and mark the facilities using paint, flags or other marks. A Pembina representative may contact you to discuss your planned activities.

Written consent from Pembina is required for:

  • Any ground disturbance activity within 30 meters (100 feet) from the pipeline
  • Operating vehicles or mobile equipment across the ROW, outside of highways or public roads
  • Construction of a facility across, on, along or under a pipeline or ROW
  • Using explosives within 300 meters (1,000 feet)
  • Storing anything on the ROW
  • Any activity that the company deems may negatively impact the safety of the pipeline

Plan ahead. Written consent may take several weeks to obtain and is separate from the One-Call process.

 

  1. Email [email protected] with your name, legal land description, and a description of the work you would like to do.
  2. Pembina will contact you and walk you through how to submit a request for permission to proceed with your activity in, along or adjacent to the ROW.
  3. Pembina will review your request once your information has been received. Pembina may:
    • Grant consent with standard conditions; or
    • Grant consent that requires specific conditions be met to ensure safety; or
    • Work with you to find solutions and resolve issues regarding the consent request; or
    • Deny consent in the rare situation that a feasible safety solution cannot be found.
  4. Once consent has been granted, you must:
    • Make a locate request to your local One-Call Centre at least three business days (five days in Ontario) before beginning the work. Pembina will arrange for a Company representative to be onsite to inspect the area at time of crossing.
    • Always keep the written consent and documentation onsite.
    • Follow all terms and conditions laid out in the consent, and all instructions from Pembina personnel onsite.

A pipeline Right-of-Way (ROW) is the strip of land where the pipeline is located. The width of the ROW may vary depending on factors such as pipeline diameter and the slope of the land.

The ROW enables Pembina employees and representatives to access the pipeline for inspections, maintenance, testing, and in the rare event of an emergency. Keeping the ROW free

from obstructions and encroachments allows for access to the pipeline without interference and is essential for pipeline integrity, monitoring. If you notice any unusual or suspicious activity on

or near the pipeline ROW, please report it by calling 9-1-1 AND Pembina’s 24-hour emergency number 1-800-360-4706.


You might see:

  • dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise green area
  • dirt being blown or appearing to be thrown into the air
  • a white vapor stream or mist-like cloud over the pipeline
  • unexpected frost or ice on the ground
  • discoloured snow or vegetation
  • A moist patch or pool of clear, light brown or yellow liquid

You might hear:

  • an unusual hissing, blowing, or roaring noise

You might smell:

  • a petroleum or hydrocarbon smell similar to gasoline or diesel fuel
What is a ground disturbance activity?

Ground Disturbance is any work, operation or activity that results in the disturbance of the earth.

  • Any activity that results in a disturbance of the earth to a depth greater than 30 centimetres (12 inches)
  • Any activity that reduces the earth cover over any pipeline to less than the cover provided when the pipeline was installed
  • Cultivation activity to a depth greater than 45 centimetres (18 inches) below the surface of the ground
  • Common ground disturbance activities include, but are not limited to: tree planting; building a fence or pounding in posts; excavating, trenching or digging; deep tilling; tunnelling, boring or drilling; auguring; topsoil stripping, levelling or grading; quarrying, seismic exploration or blasting within 300 meters (1,000 feet)  of the ROW; installing drain tiles; ditching; clearing / brushing; etc.

Response to a Pipeline Release

  • Leave the release area immediately.
  • Do not touch, inhale, or make contact with releasing liquids.
  • Do not light a match, start an engine, use a telephone, turn on/off light switches or do anything that may cause a spark in the area or vicinity of the release.
  • From a safe location immediately call 9-1-1 and Pembina at 1-800-360-4706 or appropriate emergency number, and report exactly what you have seen, heard or smelled and where this incident or event took place.
  • Warn others but do so without entering or re-entering the area where a pipeline release is suspected.
  • Do not drive any vehicle into a release or vapour cloud area.

 

What Does Pembina Do if a Release Occurs?

If you cause or witness even minor damage to a pipeline or its protective coating, please immediately notify Pembina. To prepare for the event of a leak, Pembina personnel regularly

communicate, plan and train with local emergency responders. Upon notification of an incident or leak Pembina will immediately dispatch trained personnel to assist emergency responders.

Emergency Preparedness

Pembina regularly communicates with the proper Emergency and Public officials to ensure that in the event of an emergency the proper steps are taken. If you are an agency that would like more information about this or to get a copy of the company’s Emergency Response Plan, please contact us at

1-888-428-3222.