Following are a few examples of our activities:

• In response to changes in federal regulations regarding hazard prevention, Liquids Pipelines implemented a revised program that engages workers, utilizes a risk assessment model to determine high-risk job activities, and uses a consistent format to reflect what hazards have been identified and what controls have been put in place to control or eliminate the hazards.
• As a follow-up to DuPont Safety Resources’ comprehensive review in 2005 of Liquids Pipelines’ Health and Safety Management Systems, the business unit has implemented a Safety Observation Program across the organization that engages employees and management and encourages open communication to work activities being performed at the work site.
• Enbridge Gas Distribution publishes an annual “Scorecard” to inform employees about the business unit’s annual strategic objectives for the year and key performance indicators. Their longer-term goal is to consistently perform within the top quartile versus comparable North American gas utilities. In 2006, the three employee-safety measurements on the business unit’s Scorecard included:
  • lost-time injury severity, which tracks the number of workplace injuries that result in lost workdays.
  • days-away injury-severity, which tracks time lost due to work-related injuries; and
  • reportable vehicle incidents, which measures vehicle accidents per million kilometres driven, including personal injuries or property damage.
  At the end of 2006, Enbridge Gas Distribution had experienced 45 per cent fewer lost-time injuries and 45 per cent fewer lost-time days than it had targeted, and had performed slightly better than its vehicle accidents target, resulting in another gas-industry-leading year for safety performance for the Ontario gas distribution utility.

Addressing soft tissue injuries

We are concerned about the slips, trips and sprains that our employees may experience on the job and we have ongoing programs to address these soft-tissue injuries.

In 2006, Liquids Pipelines developed an ergonomics awareness package to educate employees of potential risk factors based on a study by third-party experts of potential ergonomic risks by field employees. The package includes recommendations about both individual job positions identified during the study and risks common to the activities. We made a presentation about the new initiative to all employees followed by a question and answer session.

Promoting safe driving practices

We aggressively promote safe driving practices in all our business units.

Company-wide, we experienced a higher overall number of motor vehicle incidents (preventable plus non-preventable): 134 in 2006, versus 124 in 2005. Preventable vehicle incidents in our United States Gas Transportation Business increased in 2006 for both the pipeline and trucking business. Despite the increase, the pipeline and trucking businesses experienced incident rates 32 per cent and 33 per cent below historical averages respectively. The pipeline business achieved its performance despite experiencing a 15 per cent increase in mileage.

At Liquids Pipelines, a “Space Cushion” driving awareness program was developed and implemented across the business unit to address such motor vehicle incidents as reversing and collisions with stationary objects. Liquids Pipelines was honoured to receive the Canadian Energy Pipelines Association’s 2006 award for the lowest recordable motor vehicle incident frequency rate among our industry peers.

In 2006, Toronto-based Enbridge Gas Distribution implemented a new policy that requires any of the business units’ drivers who experience a “preventable” vehicle accident to successfully participate in a half-day, in-class defensive driver training session followed by a two-hour on-road driver evaluation. The new in-class training proved to be so beneficial that the business unit decided to put its entire operations field staff through the training.

Employees at Inuvik Gas drove a total of over 96,000 kilometres in 2006 with no accidents.

Increasing hydrogen-sulphide awareness

Liquids Pipelines employees who work in areas where there is higher potential for hydrogen sulphide exposure go through a unique training program called H₂S Alive, which provides a wide range of information including the properties of hydrogen sulphide, initial response strategy requirements, hydrogen sulphide detection and respiratory protective equipment, rescue techniques, and case study scenarios.

Our United States Gas Transportation Business has several operations in Texas and Mississippi that handle gas with hydrogen sulphide concentrations at or above levels of concern. All of these locations have hydrogen-sulphide-specific plans that address comprehensive emergency response procedures such as evacuation routes, shut down procedures, and effective communications with local stakeholders. Employees at these locations receive training annually on the specific hazardous and emergency response procedures associated with hydrogen sulphide.

Managing contractor safety

We are committed to the ensuring the safety of the contractors who work in Enbridge facilities and on Enbridge projects.

In 2006, third-party consultant Det Norske Veritas (DNV) conducted an external review of Liquids Pipelines’ contractor safety management system. DNV conducted over 150 interviews and consolidated and analyzed information during the last quarter of 2006. A report was to be provided to Liquids Pipelines’ executive management group in 2007. Enbridge Gas Distribution tracks the safety records of its four major construction and service contractors. These contractors all reported zero lost-time injuries (LTIs) in 2006, and one of the four contractors recorded two LTIs (with 20 lost-time days) during 2005. We believe the contractor auditing process, initiated by the business unit in 2006 as part of its Distribution Management System, provides an appropriate level of diligence in reviewing safety performance, programs, and practices of its significant contractors, both prior to initiation of a service contract and while the contractor is actively providing services to Enbridge.

In 2006, the United States Gas Transportation Business further enhanced its Contractor Safety Program by requiring that all contractors’ safety records and programs be evaluated before they start work on Enbridge projects. We implemented this system to further ensure safe operating practices on Enbridge projects during this time of high growth for our company.

Addressing emerging issues

As our business grows and changes, we make an effort to identify emerging issues and manage them proactively.

Coker naptha

In 2006, Liquids Pipelines developed and presented to workers a training program related to coker naptha products. As new products come on line, we will develop additional training programs for workers and contractors if appropriate.

Industrial hygiene

Another emerging issue concerns employee health risk associated with environmental stressors, such as noise, temperature extremes, ergonomics, and chemical exposures. This field is commonly known as industrial hygiene. In 2006, Enbridge’s Certified Industrial Hygienist initiated the development of a formalized industrial hygiene program for Liquids Pipelines. The business unit completed specific program components, including a monitoring protocol and the program’s introduction. Liquids Pipelines implemented employee exposure testing for laboratory activities, open system tasks, tank gauging, and welding. We utilized a third-party contractor to complete a comprehensive laboratory air-monitoring program, which assessed employee exposures to various chemical agents during crude-oil laboratory analysis and evaluated the effectiveness of fume hoods and the conditions of laboratory ventilation systems. The comprehensive laboratory air monitoring program determined personal exposure levels and characterized area concentration profiles for both a short-term (15-minute) and eight-hour ‘time-weighted average’, which is a measure of employee exposure over a defined time period.

Ergonomics assessments and training for new field-based laptop computers

In 2006, Enbridge Gas Distribution introduced field-based laptop computers to its operations staff to improve efficiency of managing work in the field and the accuracy and timeliness of entering completed work into the business unit’s computer systems. Our safety staff evaluated the computers from an ergonomics perspective. Aspects evaluated included potential for strain injuries from repetitive data entry, controlling risk of drivers accessing the units while driving, issues associated with computer-mounts being added to company vehicles, and identifying optimal ergonomic positions for staff to hold and use the portable laptop computers when no proper desk-workstation was available. We provided ergonomic training to all field staff who are using the laptop computers, and we provided to employees digital photos of "Dos and Don'ts" to demonstrate ergonomic principles to minimize risk of ergonomic strain and discomfort.