ENERGY Pipelines CRC

The goal of this research program was to sustain the world’s best practice safety and reliability performance of Australian energy pipelines. In aiming to maintain this exceptional safety record in an expanding environment, the Energy Pipelines CRC took the unique step of engaging seriously with the social science research available from high hazard industries about how to prevent accidents.

The experience from other sectors says that accidents are rarely the result of previously unknown technical mechanisms but occur when technical knowledge is not applied for a range of social and organisational reasons. The challenge in accident prevention is therefore related to those social and organisational factors.

Education was an integral part of this program and two seminar series, one for senior pipeline company executives and another for a more general industry audience will ensure that knowledge of the sociology of safety had a far reach into by the industry.

The Steering Committee overseeing RP4 was chaired by Ed De Prinse (APA Group) and the Program Leader was Dr Jan Hayes (RMIT University). Previous chairs included P{eter Tuft (independent) and Mike Malvazos (SA Government)