STANDARDS, CODES, AND REGULATIONS
• Increased awareness and knowledge of natural gas to assess situations more effectively.
STANDARDS, CODES, AND REGULATIONS
Most progressive organizations compile their best procedures and operations using standards, codes, and regulations to ensure a safe and professional operation. The utility industry also has its own standards to improve its safety and operation covering many subjects, including the production, transporta- tion and distribution of utilities, and response to gas emergencies. To understand these guidance documents, responders should be familiar
with the industry terminology and with the various organizations and agen- cies that produce them.
Standards and Codes
Like many organizations, utilities develop standards that use words like “shall” to indicate specific requirements of operations, performance, or tech- nical specification. Firefighters are familiar with standards such as those the National Fire Protection Association publishes.
Example Excerpt from a NFPA Firefighter Safety Standards Concerning Utilities
NFPA 1001 Standard for Professional Firefighters for Qualifications—5.3.18
The firefighter shall turn off building utilities, given tools and an assignment, so that the assignment is safely completed.
(a) Prerequisite knowledge: Properties, principles, and safety con- cerns for electricity, gas, and water systems; utility disconnect methods and associated dangers; and use of required safety equipment.
(b) Prerequisite skills: The ability to identify utility control de- vices; operate control valves or switches; and assess for related hazards.
Why should we have standards? Standards are designed to foster an im-
proved product or a better and safer system or operations. A group of people with a common goal, usually working with professional or trade organiza- tions, works to develop standards voluntarily. Then they are given to the gov- erning body of an organization for review, comments, and ultimate adoption of a final version. These become the “consensus” standards that the organi- zation uses as its operating guidelines for certain procedures or actions.
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