Stop Work Order Lifted

The Stop Work Order on a project to connect Remote Gate Valves (RGVs) to the fiber optics system was lifted on Friday evening.

The conditions of the Stop Work Order were met after the project crews received Culture of Trust training and participated in a discussion about appropriate work site behavior. Additionally, the project crews reviewed Alyeska’s Safety Manual and received an overview of the Alyeska Quality Program. Culture of Trust is an Alyeska Pipeline training program to help workers identify and understand intimidation and harassment in the workplace and to teach appropriate workplace behaviors to avoid potentially intimidating situations.

Preparatory work on the RGV began over the weekend and crews are expected to be back on the job tomorrow.

Alyeska Pipeline and Houston/NANA J.V. called for the Stop Work Order on Wednesday, July 8, after safety and quality concerns were raised, and an employee concern was filed alleging intimidation and harassment of project personnel. The intimidation and harassment investigation will be complete by July 27.

Alyeska Pipeline held a system-wide safety meeting on Thursday, July 16 for all employees and contractors on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. An increase in the number of high potential incidents spurred Alyeska President Bob Malone to call the meeting. All Alyeska employees and contractors gathered at the various pipeline and urban facilities at 7:00 a.m. to listen to a message from Malone, Scott Eliason, President of Houston Contracting Company (Alyeska’s maintenance and equipment contractor), and Mike Kenny, President of Alaska Joint Crafts Council. Malone, Eliason, and Kenny spoke to the organization over the phone lines out of the Fairbanks Business Unit offices. “We have well trained personnel and we have established safety procedures and policies. We’re still having too many incidents. We need to stop and refocus ourselves on safety,” said Malone. “This meeting was a preventive step to reaffirm our commitment to safety for everyone in the TAPS family.”

After the message, individual organizations held safety meetings to discuss ways they could improve safety on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.

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