Pipeline safety administration should periodically review Risk Ranking Index Model, accountability office says
Based on the results of a recent study, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) periodically review the effectiveness of its Risk Ranking Index Model.
The GAO report also recommended that PHMSA document the decisions, underlying assumptions and data involved in the design of the RRIM.
PHMSA inputs information from operators into its RRIM to determine the frequency of inspections. The administration did not document the threat factors selected, their associated weights, or the thresholds for high, medium, and low-risk tiers used in the model, according to GAO.
PHMSA has not assessed the effectiveness of the model since it created in 2012 or established an evaluation process.
Because PHMSA is an agency with the Department of Transportation (DOT), GAO recommended that the Secretary of Transportation direct the Administrator of PHMSA to fulfill the suggestions of GAO’s report.
In order to complete the study, GAO analyzed PHMSA’s data from 2010 to 2016, reviewed PHMSA regulations, and interviewed PHMSA officials and representatives of nine states, eight pipeline operators, and eight stakeholders.
