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At the forefront of damage prevention

Safety is extremely important to our entire company. We want the excavating community to know that we are more than willing to work with them to prevent damage to our facilities,” Debbie Brunt, Director of Engineering with New Mexico Gas Company, quietly began the discussion.

She went on to say, “We want to do everything we can to prevent unnecessary disruption of services to our customers and damages to our facilities, but even more importantly, we want to ensure the safety of all stakeholders working in the vicinity of our facilities.”

While New Mexico Gas Company is a new company to New Mexico, the overwhelming majority of the workforce is the same employees that folks in New Mexico had learned to trust over the years. The company maintains about 12,000 miles of natural gas pipelines across the state, and serves the majority of the state with more than 500,000 customers. With 23 years experience in the industry, Debbie believes the changes made over the past year will serve New Mexico well.

When asked about her daily role with the company, she explained, “Our department’s role is multifaceted. Of course, we are involved in designing plant and, at times, we are the construction engineers for the project.” Although not directly responsible for DOT compliance, “I am involved in reviewing and developing responses to policies and standards. We stay busy,” she said with a smile.

“I would say that as an industry and as a company, we are at the forefront of damage prevention,” Debbie stated. When asked why, she said, “Because safety is so important to us. It is part of our culture. To be sure, pipeline safety drives a lot of what we do. But beyond that we know we have a responsibility to the communities we serve to operate as safely as is possible.”

National trends show the biggest threat to the integrity of gas and pipeline systems is third-party damage. Consequently, over the years more stringent state and federal regulations have been enacted to create a stronger and more effective damage prevention programs at the state level.

For example, the Pipeline Safety Reauthorization Act of 1988 requires all states to establish one-call coverage for pipelines. The Department of Transportation and the states play a role in establishing qualifications and procedures for one-call centers. Locally, this led to the creation of New Mexico One Call some two years after the establishment of that act.

Debbie said, “We are proud to have been one of the founding members of New Mexico One Call (NMOC). Not only do we have a representative on the board of directors, but we also have partnered with them to provide safety training for stakeholders across the state.

“I believe it is vital to continue the education process for all stakeholders. Obviously, the first order of business is ‘Call before you dig.’ And that’s a great start; however, the law now requires that if damage occurs, the excavator must stop digging immediately and call 911 if appropriate and/or the operator of the damaged underground facility. For the gas operator, anytime there is scarring of the pipe or a line is severed, the excavator should contact the gas company. Covering up scarred gas pipe creates serious problems for us later on.”

These are some of the concerns that have led the federal government to require gas and pipeline companies to develop comprehensive pipeline integrity programs designed to maintain the reliability and safety of gas and pipeline systems.

“I believe the implementation of New Mexico’s excavation law has been very helpful in identifying expectations for all stakeholders,” Debbie said. “Additionally, the commitment of NMOC to training and the commitment of New Mexico Regional Common Ground Alliance (NMRCGA) to promoting effective damage prevention as a shared responsibility has been instrumental in creating a foundation that will allow us to be successful.”

No doubt great strides have been made in New Mexico’s pursuit of a stronger and more effective damage prevention program. Still, there is much more to be done. Education, communication, and coordination are key to accomplishing what many thought impossible just a few short years ago.

Ask Debbie Brunt. She’ll tell you, “It’s not just a matter of the law; it’s the right thing to do.”