Pipelines health and safety

Introduction

Onshore and offshore pipelines are an economic way of transporting large volumes of hazardous and non-hazardous substances across, into and out of the UK.

We believe that where pipelines are properly designed, built, operated, maintained and eventually decommisioned they are safe for the pipeline workforce and the general public.

What pipelines do we cover?

This topic website concentrates on pipelines covered by the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996 (PSR) and in particular on those pipelines known as major accident hazard pipelines (see below). PSR applies to pipelines in Great Britain and to those in territorial waters and the UK Continental Shelf. Pipelines to which PSR does not apply are defined in regulation 3 and Schedule 2 of PSR, for example sewers, drains and most pipelines carrying air or water.

These pages tell you:

• what HSE does to tackle pipeline issues
• more about key pipeline health and safety topics

You can also find out more about gas supply and offshore industry health and safety issues on our gas supply^[2] and offshore oil and gas^[3] industry webpages.

We do not cover the environmental issues that can be associated with pipelines or their possible consequences. These are covered by the Environment Agency^[4] in England & Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency^[5] (SEPA) in Scotland.                

Major accident hazard pipelines (MAH pipelines or MAHPs)

These include the high pressure natural gas supply transmission and distribution network.

They also cover other pipeline systems transporting oils, chemicals and other gases. Examples include ammonia and ethylene.

These substances are known collectively as dangerous fluids, as defined in schedule 2 of PSR.

Special requirements apply to MAH pipelines, including:

• Notifications^[6] regime
• Major accident prevention document
• Arrangements for emergency plans