Crew safety top of mind in pipeline restart, says oil company

After a three-week shutdown, the Trans Mountain Pipeline was safely restarted on Sunday, the company said on its website:

Safety of our crews and protection of the pipeline system remain our top priorities and despite the adverse conditions we are moving forward with work necessary to safely restart the pipeline,” said Trans Mountain Corp.

“We have natural hazard assessments ongoing and are focused on supporting our field teams who are working day and night in dynamic wet weather conditions near high-energy river flows,” it said in the statement.

Previously, Trans Mountain Pipeline Corp said that it is still working to get its pipeline running again after it was shut down during extensive flooding and landslides in British Columbia.

“As part of this process Trans Mountain will monitor the line on the ground, by air and through our technology systems operated by our control centre,” the company said in a statement.

“The restart comes following the completion of all necessary assessments, repairs, and construction of protective earthworks needed for the pipeline to be returned to service.”

Trans Mountain said Saturday there’s no evidence of “serious damage” to the pipeline, or the release of any product in the aftermath of the extreme weather, Global News reported.

Trans Mountain Corp will also continue with additional emergency work at the pipeline, it said.

During the storm, Trans Mountain brought in more than 44,000 cubic metres of rock and gravel at critical sites and deployed several hundred sandbags to assist with shoring-up banks in flooded areas to allow the required assessment and repair work to continue.

Workers were using 30 sets of pumps and hoses to manage water accumulation. They also set up 15 separate light-stands with generators to allow monitoring and work to continue around the clock.

More than 470 people, six helicopters and some 100 pieces of heavy equipment, including three pieces of snow maintenance equipment and three sidebooms were in the Coquihalla and Coldwater regions to support getting the pipeline restarted, according to the company.

In the wake of the floods in B.C., WorkSafeBC reminded employers to prepare for emergencies that may be caused by severe weather events.

B.C. experienced heavy rains and flooding months after a wildfire swept through Lytton in B.C., destroyed most of the village and killed two residents on June 30. WorkSafeBC even called on B.C. employers to consider closing shop if workers cannot be protected from the risk of heat stress that month.