Pipelines Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Major accident prevention document

23.—(1) The operator shall, before the design of a major accident hazard pipeline is completed, prepare, and thereafter revise or replace as often as may be appropriate, a document relating to the pipeline containing, subject to paragraph (2), sufficient particulars to demonstrate that—

(a) all hazards relating to the pipeline with the potential to cause a major accident have been identified;

(b) the risks arising from those hazards have been evaluated;

(c) the safety management system is adequate; and

(d) he has established adequate arrangements for audit and for the making of reports thereof.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall only require the particulars in the document referred to in paragraph (1) to demonstrate the matters referred to in that paragraph to the extent that it is reasonable to expect the operator to address them at the time the document is prepared or revised.

(3) Where the document referred to in paragraph (1) describes any health and safety arrangements or procedures to be followed, the operator shall ensure that those arrangements or procedures are followed unless in the particular circumstances of the case it is not in the best interests of the health and safety of persons to follow them and there has been insufficient time to revise or replace the document to take account of those circumstances and in such case, the operator shall ensure that such arrangements and procedures are followed as are in the best interests of the health and safety of persons.

(4) In this regulation—

“audit” means systematic assessment of the adequacy of the safety management system, carried out by persons who are sufficiently independent of the system (but who may be employed by the operator) to ensure that such assessment is objective; and

“safety management system” means the organisation, arrangements and procedures established by the operator for ensuring that the risk of a major accident is as low as is reasonably practicable.