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Reducing Risk by
Reducing Exposure
Ask any decision-maker in the pipeline industry about their
company goals, and you’ll probably get an answer along these lines:
“Maximize throughput and efficiency as much as possible while
protecting both our personnel and the environment.”
Meeting that goal requires a cost/benefit analysis that oil
and gas companies face every day, even during relatively simple
maintenance procedures. Pigging, for example, is a process necessary
for maintaining pipeline integrity. It cleans the inside of the line
– removing wax, debris, and water – helping to ensure an efficient
pipeline. But pigging also involves a lot of human interaction with
the pipeline, which always carries a certain level of risk.
Automated pigging systems allow multiple pigs to be loaded at
once and launched at predetermined intervals. Automation reduces
human contact with the pipeline by up to 85 percent over non-
automated pigging, which requires opening the pipeline each time a
pig is launched. Automating this procedure lowers the level of risk to
both employees and the environment.
Reducing Risks
Pigs are heavy – ranging from just a few pounds to several hundred.
Even with safety procedures in place, human error while handling
pigs can cause accidents. “I spoke to one customer who had a
technician on sick leave for over a year,” says Abdel M. Zellou, a
market development director for T.D. Williamson. “He had a back
injury related to loading and unloading pigs.”
Accidents don’t just happen at the maintenance site – they
happen on the road, too. Automation cuts down on potential
indirect injuries by reducing the time spent traveling over bumpy
roads to remote locations.
S A F E T Y M AT T E R S
I N N OVAT I O N S • V O L . V I I I , N O. 1 • 2 0 1 6
Automation as a Benefit
to Health, Safety, and
the Environment