Employee training: A critical component of our ER readiness

Enbridge’s North America-wide workforce plays a vital role in our safety preparedness

At Enbridge, safety is our highest priority. Emergency response is just one aspect of our comprehensive pipeline safety and maintenance program, which includes multiple layers of protection. And with a workforce of more than 11,000 across North America, Enbridge’s employees play a vital role in pipeline safety and emergency response.

As part of Enbridge’s commitment to the safe and reliable operation of our systems, we provide employees with the training and the information they need to recognize, respond to, and report a pipeline emergency. We also encourage our people to share this information with their friends, neighbors, and family members who may live and work near Enbridge’s pipelines.

Earlier this year, we began developing emergency response training for our employees who hold non-operational roles – such as human resources, accounting, legal, and regulatory affairs. This Basics of Emergency Response course, similar to Enbridge’s Emergency Responder Education Program for third-party responders, teaches our employees about:

• The common products transported by Enbridge and their associated hazards;
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE);
• Leak indicators for liquids and natural gas pipelines;
• Aboveground facilities;
• What to do and not do in an emergency;
• The role of emergency responders in an incident;
• The Incident Command System (ICS) and Incident Action Plan (IAP).

This course provides a consistent level of emergency response training, regardless of an employee’s location or role within the company. We also offer advanced training, including ICS and HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) courses, for Enbridge employees who are responsible for day-to-day operations and would be directly involved in responding to an incident.

Last year, in addition to a variety of online training, Enbridge held more than 475 emergency-response exercises, drills, and equipment deployments – many of which involved federal, state or provincial, and local first-response agencies. In the United States, our employees receive public awareness training, which includes pipeline safety messages that they can share with stakeholders along our pipeline systems.

This past September – which was designated as National Preparedness Month by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – we had an opportunity to increase awareness of pipeline safety and emergency response across our operations. More than 1,000 employees participated in a pipeline safety quiz that tested their knowledge of emergency response; other Enbridge employees took to social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to share a pipeline safety infographic.

These are just a few examples of the ways our employees get involved in pipeline safety and emergency preparedness.

At Enbridge, we connect North Americans to the energy, and the quality of life, they’ve come to expect – and for 65 years, we’ve been doing it safely and responsibly, with protection of people and the environment topping our priority list.

Our goal is always 100-per-cent safety. But in the unlikely event of an incident, our people are ready to respond safely, rapidly, and effectively.