PG&E Earns Two Prestigious International Safety-Focused Asset Management Certifications For Gas Operations

SAN FRANCISCO, May 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that it has achieved two international certifications for best-in-class operational standards for its gas operations. PG&E is one of the first utilities in the world to hold both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 55001: 2014 and Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55-1: 2008 certifications. The certifications were awarded by the independent, internationally recognized auditor, Lloyd's Register.

PG&E President Chris Johns said, "I am proud of the determination of our Gas Operations team for this accomplishment and the progress it represents. The men and women of PG&E have worked tirelessly to transform the safety and reliability of our gas system and earn back the trust of our customers."

In early 2014, Lloyd's Register travelled throughout PG&E's 70,000-square-mile service area reviewing safety practices, information and risk management policies, employee qualifications, emergency response protocols and more than 20 additional critical areas of asset management. The certification process also involved a series of rigorous, independent audits and interviews of more than 150 PG&E management, field employees and contractors.

Executive Vice President Nick Stavropoulos, who has overseen the modernization of PG&E's natural gas system said, "These certifications are evidence of our continually improving safety culture and our robust asset management program. We are proud of our progress and the great strides we're making toward world-class safety performance. But we still have more to do to become the safest, most reliable gas company in the country." 

The underlying requirements of the ISO 55001: 2014 and PAS 55-1: 2008 standards are the foundation of PG&E's safety management system. They require the highest level of rigor for managing the company's large number of physical assets, which include transmission and distribution pipelines, pressure regulator stations, gas storage facilities, meters and more.

PG&E is also strengthening its safety culture by investing in workforce development and supplying the latest tools and technology to enhance the safety and reliability of its gas service. Continuous improvement is at the heart of a safety culture and PG&E encourages all employees to raise issues and submit them through the company's Corrective Action Program, where issues are tracked until resolution.

ISO 55001: 2014 and PAS 55-1: 2008 are renewed every three years with regular observation assessments to maintain certification. PG&E's Gas Operations must sustain the performance demonstrated at the time of initial certification and continue to improve in order for the certifications to be renewed.

PG&E joins other major companies around the world that have earned ISO 55001: 2014 or PAS 55-1: 2008 certification, including ScottishPower, London Underground, Fingrid, Scotia Gas Networks, EDF Nuclear, London Gatwick Airport and Western Power Distribution.

About ISO 55001: 2014

ISO 55001: 2014 was developed by ISO to enable organizations to implement effective and efficient management systems for physical assets. The certification provides assurance that an organization can achieve its asset management objectives consistently and sustainably over time. ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standards bodies of 162 countries and has published more than 19,500 international standards covering almost all aspects of technology and business.

About PAS 55-1: 2008

PAS 55-1: 2008 was developed by the Institute for Asset Management and published by the British Standards Institution. This rigorous specification is focused on optimized management of physical assets with widespread recognition among utilities, transport, mining, process and manufacturing industries worldwide.

About Lloyd's Register

Lloyd's Register (LR) is a global engineering, technical and business services organization wholly owned by the Lloyd's Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and engineering. Founded in 1760 as a marine classification society, LR now operates across many industry sectors, with over 9,000 employees based in 78 countries.

LR has been a key player in the development of ISO 55001: 2014 and PAS 55-1: 2008 and has supported over 50 companies worldwide across a variety of sectors.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)