Webinar

Normalization of Deviance

February 12, 2025 - 10 AM CT

It has been said that pipeline safety regulations are “written in blood,” meaning that many can be traced back to a specific incident or multiple incidents where people were hurt or killed. This perception is undoubtedly accurate and is a sobering reminder that workers in the pipeline industry must remain continuously vigilant to avoid complacent thinking and shortcuts that can lead to disaster.

Takeaways:

• First, we’ve all done it, even if you don’t think you have! To set the stage, we’ll discuss an example of where you and I have normalized not following a critical safety procedure.
• Long-tenured employees are not immune to normalizing deviance and, in many cases, may be more susceptible than junior team members.
• Workers must understand the “why” behind procedures to follow them. Educating your employees on the reasons behind procedures can make a difference.
• Performing the same daily tasks for years can lead to boredom, which may initiate the cycle of complacency and shortcuts, which can ultimately lead to disaster. Leaders must find ways to keep employees interested and engaged in their duties. 

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On-Demand Webinar

Takeaways from Recent PHMSA OQ Enforcement Actions

Regulatory enforcement actions become precedent. We’ll share details of recent settled enforcement actions that may change how Operator Qualification is conducted at your company. For instance, do you use a process to document the names of individuals who perform covered tasks? How about when an unqualified person works under span of control? Have regulatory inspectors asked for this information yet? If not, they soon might. We’ll provide the case numbers and reference documents so you can thoroughly understand each issue.

Takeaway:
Operators must continually improve their OQ programs. One way to gain regulatory insight is to review and incorporate lessons learned through settled enforcement actions. EWN has analyzed the regulatory documents and has solid, easy-to-implement recommendations ready. 

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On-Demand Webinar

Audit Preparation & Best Practices

Undergoing a regulatory inspection can be stressful! 

What problems will the inspectors find that we are unaware of, and how will we respond if we are caught off-guard? Believe it or not, proper preparation for a regulatory inspection can put your mind at ease and may even cause you to look forward to the inspection when it’s viewed as a sort of “grade card” and an outside perspective to help improve your company.  

Let’s face it: fear of the unknown is genuine. The solution to conquering this anxiety is knowing what to expect as you eliminate surprises in advance through due diligence. 

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On-Demand Webinar

Evaluators and Evaluations

Conducting OQ evaluations is the most critical component of Operator Qualification; however, there is no knowledge base evaluators and administrators can go to for answers. EWN has the guidance information you need based on years of operator and contractor evaluator experience and OQ inspection experience from a regulatory perspective.    

We’ll go through lessons learned during an evaluator’s adventures in OQ, starting from the OQ Rule's inception through today. We’ll share the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of OQ evaluations to help your evaluators improve. 

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On-Demand Webinar

Conducting Effective Pipeline Emergency Evacuations with Brian Dresel

This webinar will focus on a real-world fatal gas explosion case study to share best practices of incident response, including a review of the incident’s timeline, actions taken by operator employees, communicating the evacuation, and how incident command could have made the response more effective and efficient.

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On-Demand Webinar

Incorporating Unique Operator Characteristics with Brian Dresel

In this webinar, we explore the importance of incorporating unique operator characteristics into Operator Qualification (OQ) programs. This practice enhances the safety, training, and qualification of pipeline workers, making OQ programs more defensible. We address the challenges operators and OQ vendors face in integrating unique requirements without disrupting existing processes, and how to efficiently onboard contractors and mutual assistance providers by customizing vendor materials. 

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On-Demand Webinar

Managing Safety Through Culture

This webinar will highlight how cultivating a strong safety culture is paramount for ensuring the integrity and reliability of pipeline systems. It will underscore that safety culture isn't just a set of rules and procedures but rather a collective mindset and behavior ingrained within the organization from top management to frontline workers.

On-Demand Webinar

Leadership and You

An engaging and informative webinar where we discuss the key elements of effective leadership, as shared by a military veteran turned business leader, Colonel John Olshefski (Retired). With over five decades of experience in the workforce, John has valuable insights to share on how to lead with integrity, respect, and success.

On-Demand Webinar

Assessing Third-Party OQ Evaluators

During this on-demand webinar, hear from EWN's Brian Dresel on how to assess third-party OQ evaluators, how to balance the use of third-party and in-house evaluators, key considerations when selecting an evaluator, and more.

On-Demand Webinar

Suspension and Disqualification

In this webinar, hear from industry experts, Brian Dresel and Crystal Stromberg, on the key differences between suspension and disqualification and how they should be incorporated into your written OQ program. 

On-Demand Webinar

The Recent Evolution of the Four-Part Test

Join us to hear from our industry experts, Brian Dresel and Crystal Stromberg, on the current changes taking place in our industry and how you can be prepared. 

On-Demand Webinar

Assessing Contractor Qualification Programs

Are you responsible for ensuring your contractors are qualified? If so, you'll want to check out this on-demand webinar with Brian Dresel on assessing contractor qualification programs. We also discuss some of the latest industry initiatives to improve the reliability and security of the contractor qualification processes.

On-Demand Webinar

Abnormal Operating Conditions

In this webinar, explore the establishment of Abnormal Operating Conditions (AOCs), distinguishing between general AOCs and task-specific AOCs. We also talk about the significance of standards like ASME B31Q, API 1161, and the involvement of Operator Qualification (OQ) providers in the AOC process. All of this and more!

On-Demand Webinar

Introduction to TRACER

In this webinar learn more about TRACER and how you can manage your assets in the EWN System just as effectively as you manage your people.

On-Demand Webinar

TRACER Demo

Safety is paramount; there’s no negotiation on that. The question is how to increase security without increasing the time and cumbersome procedures that usually come as a package deal. Now you can track and manage your assets, equipment, and tools with TRACER. 

On-Demand Webinar

Content is King

PHMSA expects continuous improvement; so should you. Using out-of-date content in your OQ program is not a best practice. Learn why it's important to have content that is current and how EWN helps ensure you do.

On-Demand Webinar

Lessons Learned from Incidents

Incidents have cost time, money, and even lives. Join us as Brian Dresel describes how to review incidents to ensure they don't happen again. Rather than just hoping an incident doesn't happen, be proactive and learn how you can avoid repeating history.

On-Demand Webinar

Responding to Gas Leaks

When there’s a gas leak, your team's and others' lives are at stake. Unfortunately, there isn’t an exact science or perfect set of rules for how they should respond to the incident. Brian Dresel describes the S.A.F.E. steps for responding to gas leaks in this webinar. Learning these steps can benefit inexperienced workers and keep veterans from becoming complacent.

On-Demand Webinar

Evaluate Your Evaluator

In this session, Tim Kline will discuss best practices and applicable steps for evaluating the people and programs that are responsible for putting the boots on the ground for your company.