In an effort to establish consistency among operators, the Southern Gas Association (SGA) has developed a notification process to share information about Operator Qualification (OQ) issues. Through an email notification process, SGA will disseminate information on the progress operators are making toward achieving the OQ requirements. Currently, one utility organization is working closely with their state commission pipeline safety representatives to obtain consensus approval of an OQ Plan.

Some highlights that may be of interest are:

• Qualifications of field personnel from other companies can be accepted as long as there is documentation on training on company specific procedures.
• Plastic pipe joining and welding are not covered tasks under this regulation since they are addressed separately under other sections of the codes.
• "Testing Out" and "Train and Test" are acceptable methods for qualification.
• A 5 year calendar year re-evaluation frequency for all covered tasks. This keeps the company from being tied to a specific date for re-evaluation.
• Electronic records are acceptable.
• There is no requirement to maintain written examinations on file. Simply maintaining the results of the tests is sufficient.
• Examination results can be either Pass or Fail, no specific percentage is required.
• Open book testing is acceptable.
• It is acceptable to establish a generic set of Abnormal Operating Conditions and apply them to all covered tasks.
• Operators should define the "normal" operating conditions for field personnel.

Note that each state commission has no authority over any other state or the Federal DOT Office of Pipeline Safety. However, each commission decision provides a reference point for development of operator qualification programs in other states.