1. Gas Utility Operations Best Practices Program
October 14-16, 2014
Gas Utility Operations Best Practices Program
Leak Management Roundtable
Detroit, MI
Group Discussion Summary – TOPIC A: Quality Assurance and Performance Measures
Facilitator – TBD

2.
Note: The AGA Operations Best Practices Program is intended to highlight how particular companies may address a specific operational issue and may not include all of the data related to a highlighted practice. The need to implement and the timing of any implementation of highlighted practices will vary with each operator. Each operator serves a unique and defined geographic area and their system infrastructures vary widely based on a multitude of factors, including, condition, engineering practices and materials. Each operator needs to evaluate highlighted practices in light of their system variables. Not all highlighted practices will be applicable to all operators due to the unique set of circumstances that are attendant to their specific systems. Companies are not ranked through this program and no one practice is identified as the best for a particular topic. The information herein represents an unaudited compilation of information and could contain coding or processing errors. Anyone using this document should rely on his or her own independent judgment or, as appropriate, seek the advice of a competent professional. References to work practices, products or vendors do not imply an opinion or endorsement by AGA or a responding company. This document is not intended to provide legal advice or opinions. As always, you should consult your legal counsel for advice based on the law and your company’s specific facts and circumstances. Copyright & Distribution: Copyright © 2013 American Gas Association. All rights reserved. The AGA Gas Utility Operations Best Practices Program publications are copyrighted, confidential and proprietary to AGA and only available on the member-restricted side of the AGA website. Permission to reproduce or transmit in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system any publication or portion of a publication must be obtained in writing from the AGA General Counsel’s Office, AGA Full, Limited and International Members are granted a limited license to reproduce this publication for internal business purposes but not for regulatory or civil matters.

3. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Field Verification of Leak Survey
Most Company's perform quality checks 10% to 20%
Oklahoma Natural Gas performs 1% audit also GPS bread crumb technology
DTE Retirees are doing QA checks
DTE and ATCO uses ISO for the process only

4. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Field Verification of Leak Survey
Columbia Gas does 1% audit of survey within one month
Columbia Gas monitors monthly. If the contractors will not renew contract
Electronic method is used by Columbia Gas for QA survey 1%
Columbia Gas on finding defects in survey will call the contractor back out

5. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Environmental conditions
Most company’s do not survey when the frost is in the ground.
Two company’s Excel and DTE do
Excel and DTE resurveyed because of the harsh winter
One Gas will not survey in snow pack
Contractors will go home without pay if no work due to inclement weather

6. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Performance Measures for each Leak Surveyor
PGE monitors services and main footage completed per day
Most Company’s check leak detection daily / weekly/ monthly
Columbia Gas did two surveys this year because of the weather
Northwestern Energy - Montana will monitor by feet per hour for performance. Also complete all under ground leaks by frost
1800 feet per hour range

7. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Notification to leak surveyor of active leaks in the area
One session: Most company’s will give the contractor / employees the active leaks BUT
Another session: Most company’s send the survey crew with out the knowledge of leaks
One Gas uses GPS

8. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
QA program conducted in-house or by contractor
Gas Metro uses all in house labor
All company’s will monitor the contractor’s program. Each one does at different level. Some will go by timing (the time to complete) , a designated percentage after completion.
One company uses an outside contractor to do the inspections
Columbia Gas performs audits by group of employees that does nothing but QA audits
A mix of employees and contractors are used

9. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Calibration of gas leak investigation instrumentation
Calibration of equipment is done daily

10. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?OQ
Excel Contractor is required to have the OQ date on their ID tag
Columbia Gas has OQ date on ID card
Questar employees are required to carry a card of Employee qualifications

11. What QA program elements do you implement in your LM Program?
Consequences of a failed leak survey observation
All Company’s will retrain and disqualify the employees through OQ
Stand down meetings are performed with the employees
Excel-Monthly score cards are shared with employees

12. What Performance Measures are applied to your Leak Surveyors?
Performance Measures different for in-house vs. contractor leak surveyors?  
No. The measures are the same regardless of who is performing the survey
All metrics are equal for contractor and in house employees

13. What Performance Measures are applied to your Leak Surveyors?
Measurement of Leak Surveyor Productivity
Number of services and main footage completed daily
The number of leaks projected vs found
GPS data to track paths

14. What Performance Measures are applied to your Leak Surveyors?
Incentives for employee or contractor leak surveyors
Until -will pay an incentive for early completion
Most pay by unit / footage
Alagasco / Houston – pays an incentive
Questar contractor offers some type of incentive to their employee
Central Hudson will give a incentive to finish early
Due Sept 15 if they finish Sept 1st they get an incentive. If they finish Sept 30th they get penalized.

15. What Performance Measures are applied to your Leak Surveyors?
Miscellaneous Issues
In the last year seems to be high turnover in the contractor for surveyor - consensus by most
Regulators are changing. Getting tough

16. What Performance Measures are applied to your Leak Surveyors?
Miscellaneous Issues
PECO, Columbia Gas, UGI and DTE Grade four / three leaks are retimed yearly. One Gas does not
Peco, Columbia Gas , DTE Northwestern Energy Commission will walk with the survey crew
Peco has 10 contractor employees doing survey
Excel and UGI- rechecks all leak repairs after completion
Columbia Gas pin point their own leaks

17.
The American Gas Association, founded in 1918, represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver clean natural gas throughout the United States. There are more than 71 million residential, commercial and industrial natural gas customers in the United States, of which 92% — more than 65 million customers — receive their gas from AGA members. Today, natural gas meets almost one-fourth of the United States’ energy needs.