Event Summary
Damage prevention is one of the most critical—and most shared—responsibilities in pipeline safety. This course is designed for field personnel, supervisors, and safety professionals who are directly involved in or support damage prevention activities on active gas distribution systems.
The training focuses on how API RP 1173 Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS) is applied in real-world damage prevention work, using Tactical Guides and Quick Tips to translate management system expectations into practical, field-focused actions. Participants will explore how PSMS supports consistent planning, communication, and execution before, during, and after excavation activities.
Through field-based examples, the course highlights how key PSMS elements—such as risk management, operating procedures, competence, contractor oversight, communication, and safety assurance—apply to damage prevention activities. Emphasis is placed on recognizing hazards, coordinating work with excavators and other stakeholders, managing field changes, and reinforcing procedural discipline to prevent strikes, near misses, and service interruptions.
Attendees will receive 2 Professional Development Hours (PDH) upon completion.
Course Objectives
- Participants will be able to explain the role of field personnel in an effective Pipeline Safety Management System (PSMS).
- Participants will be able to apply PSMS Tactical Guides and Quick Tips to support planning, execution, and follow-through of damage prevention activities.
- Participants will be able to identify key PSMS considerations relevant to Damage Prevention planning and field activities.
- Participants will gain understanding of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and how it is used in the planning, execution, oversight, and continuous improvement of field work activities.
- Participants will also receive an overview of key roles and guiding principles for consideration in operationalizing PSMS in the field
Who Should Attend
Damage Prevention staff, including Managers, Supervisors, Planners, and field personnel
Meet the Instructor
Dan McNamara
P-PIC
Dan is a retired gas utilities operations and pipeline safety management professional with over 40 years of experience leading large field operations organizations in safely operating, maintaining, and constructing gas distribution assets. Dan is also an industry expert on pipeline safety management systems and led to the initial implementation of PSMS at National Grid.
His gas utility operations experience and pipeline safety background working for both a global investor owned Utility, and for a utility contractor, give him a full understanding and unique perspective of the challenges facing a utility, as well as its contractors in safely operating and constructing a gas distribution network in densely populated urban areas with aging infrastructure.
Prior to joining P-Pic, as a senior fellow, Dan was the VP of Pipeline Safety for a large gas utility construction contractor in the Northeast that specialized in gas utility construction and maintenance in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Dan started his utility career at Colonial Gas Company in Lowell, Massachusetts as a field technician and progressed through all levels of gas operations leadership at the former Boston Gas and KeySpan Energy companies, and ultimately National Grid. Dan retired from National Grid in 2018 as a VP of Pipeline Safety Management.
Dan joined P-Pic in early 2021 and was assigned to a year-long project at Deloitte as a utility operations and pipeline safety subject matter expert, supporting Deloitte in the development of an asset and work management platform. For the past three years Dan has participated in multiple API 1173 pipeline safety assessments in support of the NGA PSMS Collaborative, as well as similar assessments for utility clients. Dan has been instrumental in assisting NGA/SGA in the development of PSMS Tactical Guides and other materials focused on helping to embed PSMS into daily planning and work execution activities.
Education
- B.S. Political Science
- Trinity College Hartford Ct
Certifications
- AGA Executive Leadership Program
- Harvard Business School on Negotiations
