Pipeline Damage Prevention, Public Awareness and Emergency Preparedness

Ensuring safety together

Pipelines are a vital means to safely and reliably transport oil and natural gas across the country. Ensuring their safety, however, is a collective responsibility. Those living or working near pipelines play an important role in maintaining pipeline safety. 

Damage prevention

Shell has a Damage Prevention Program to prevent excavation activities from harming, denting or scratching our pipelines. Our Damage Prevention Program includes numerous efforts, including valve and equipment inspections, right-of-way maintenance, cathodic protection systems to deter corrosion, running tools or tests to detect potential anomalies, and electronic surveillance systems to monitor operations. Additionally, we conduct frequent ground and aerial surveys along the right of way to observe any excavations or abnormal operating conditions.

The public also plays an important role in damage prevention. To avoid damaging underground utilities like pipelines, anyone planning to dig or excavate is required to contact their state One-Call center 48 to 72 hours before digging to have the utility locations marked. The public can do this by visiting call 811

 or click before you dig

. This act significantly reduces the risk of damage. Even after marking, dig carefully around the marks.

Public awareness

Public awareness of pipelines in the community also plays a critical role in damage prevention and emergency preparedness. Our Public Awareness Program focuses on increasing public awareness and knowledge of pipeline safety and associated operations to support public safety, environmental protection, and property protection. Shell provides safety information on an ongoing basis to the affected public and excavators that live and work along its pipeline right-of-way and to public and emergency officials located in the counties or parishes that may respond to an incident. Additionally, Shell hosts public awareness outreach programs for public officials, emergency officials and excavators to remain vigilant and continuously improve in these efforts. If you would like to participate, please contact us at SPLC-public-awareness@shell.com.

The safety information we provide is tailored to various stakeholder groups. Explore the links below to access resources specific to your needs:

• Community Members:
  • Affected Public Brochure - General (PDF)
  • Affected Public Brochure - School Administrators (PDF)
• Emergency Responders:
  • Emergency Officials – Police (PDF)
  • Emergency Officials – Firefighters (PDF)
  • Emergency Officials – Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) (PDF)
  • Emergency Officials – Shoulder to Shoulder (PDF)
• Excavators and Contractors:
  • Excavators Brochure - General (PDF)
• Public Officials:
  • Public Officials Brochure – General (PDF)
  • Public Officials Brochure – Shoulder to Shoulder (PDF)

Pipeline emergency response training

The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) has developed a pipeline emergency training portal that features online training at no cost to first responders.

• Learn more about the NASFM Pipeline Emergency Response Training

How you can help with safety

• Stay Informed: Learn about the pipelines in your area and how to detect and report a leak. For more detailed information, visit Pipeline101
  .
• Follow Digging Guidelines: Always call 811 before you dig to avoid damaging underground pipelines.
• Report Suspicious Activities: If you see any unusual activities near pipelines, report them immediately to the authorities.
• Educate Others: Share information about pipeline safety with your family, friends, and community.

By working together, we can safeguard our communities and the environment.

Contact us

If you have any questions or need to notify us of a pipeline emergency or concern, please contact us at 1-800-922-3459.

For more information about our assets, please contact SPLC-public-awareness@shell.com

.