Event Summary
A Pipeline Safety Management System is only effective if leaders can see how it is performing—and act on that insight. This course is designed for leadership, PSMS owners, and audit teams who are responsible for oversight, accountability, and continuous improvement of PSMS.
Participants will gain a practical understanding of how Safety Assurance works within API RP 1173, including how quality control, quality assurance, audits, evaluations, and performance monitoring come together to provide a complete picture of system effectiveness. The course focuses on using assurance activities not just to identify gaps, but to drive informed decisions and meaningful improvement.
The training also emphasizes the role of management review in translating data into action. Participants will explore how to structure effective reviews, interpret performance indicators, prioritize corrective actions, and ensure resources and accountability are aligned with risk. Throughout the course, real-world examples illustrate how organizations move from reactive findings to proactive learning and continuous improvement.
By the end of the course, participants will understand how to use Safety Assurance and management review processes to strengthen safety culture, support regulatory expectations, and ensure PSMS remains a living system that evolves with the organization.
Attendees will receive 2 Professional Development Hours (PDH) upon completion.
Course Objectives
- Explain how audits, assessments, evaluations, and other assurance activities work to monitor performance, providing a picture of system conformance and effectiveness.
- Explain how to conduct effective Management Reviews that prioritize corrective actions, assign accountability, and align resources with risk.
- Apply continuous improvement principles to ensure lessons learned result in sustained changes to processes, behaviors, and system performance
Who Should Attend
Leadership, PSMS Coordinators/administrators, audit teams
Meet the Instructor
Mark Weesner
P-PIC
Mark has over 45 years in the energy industry, including 37 years with Exxon and ExxonMobil and the last 8 years as an independent engineer/consultant. Mark has wide-ranging experience in engineering, risk management, process improvement, project management, refining and pipeline operations, economic analysis, pipeline safety management systems, regulatory compliance, integrity management, and emergency response. Mark is a certified in advanced Incident Command and Complex Incidents. He served on the API Committee that developed and published Recommended Practice RP 1173: Pipeline Safety Management Systems.
Over the last 8 years, Mark has conducted Pipeline Safety Management System Audits, Assessments, and Maturity Evaluations for both gas and liquid pipeline operators.
