MERRILLVILLE, Ind.,
March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --
NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) today announced that former Secretary of
Transportation and Congressman Ray
LaHood will serve as chair of the company's Quality Review
Board, a new independent body formed to provide oversight and
governance over the company's implementation of Safety Management
Systems (SMS) across its seven-state footprint.
Joe Hamrock, president and CEO of
NiSource, said "I am honored that Secretary LaHood has agreed to
chair our Quality Review Board and guide our SMS implementation.
His experience and oversight will be invaluable. This is a critical
step for our organization as we proactively identify and mitigate
risk and take tangible safety actions to protect our customers and
communities from harm."
Secretary LaHood said: "Safety must be the top priority of
any natural gas company and implementing SMS is the right thing to
do. I look forward to providing rigorous oversight throughout this
process, with a clear objective: promote the safety of the
public."
SMS is an advanced, comprehensive approach to managing safety,
emphasizing continuous improvement and identifying and mitigating
potential risks. NiSource is joining other industries, from the
airline industry to the nuclear energy industry, in adopting this
forward-looking approach to safety.
Through SMS, NiSource will identify and mitigate risk from human
error, mechanical systems, and equipment and then put in place
barriers—through processes, redundancies, and enhanced training and
operational practices—to significantly reduce risk to its
customers, communities, and the general public.
On SMS, Hamrock said: "At NiSource, safety is not just a
commitment we talk about—it is our top priority. It is the
foundation of our business and guides all our actions. At its core,
SMS is about identifying and mitigating potential risks before they
happen. It's also about strengthening our culture. We are working
to continuously improve our safety practices, and SMS is a key part
of that. SMS is the most important priority for me and for NiSource
and it will transform our company for the better."
Quality Review Board
The Quality Review Board will
provide independent review and oversight over SMS workstream
products, results, priorities and actions. In addition to Secretary
LaHood, the Quality Review Board is comprised of experts with
diverse backgrounds spanning the nuclear, aviation, and energy
industries. The five members are:
- Secretary Ray LaHood, Former
United States Secretary of Transportation (Chair): Secretary
LaHood currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at DLA Piper.
With a 36-year career in public service, Secretary LaHood has
extensive experience on major national policy issues, among them
transportation and infrastructure. He served as the 16th Department
of Transportation Secretary from 2009 to 2013. His tenure was
marked by landmark efforts to improve safety in every mode of
transportation, from aviation and rail to pipelines and
automobiles. Before heading the US Department of
Transportation, Secretary LaHood served from 1995 to 2009 in the US
House of Representatives on behalf of the 18th District of
Illinois and also served on
various House committees, among them the House Appropriations
Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. He also served as
chief of staff to US House Minority Leader Robert Michel from 1982 to 1994.
- John Durham, Retired
Director, Enercon Services, Inc.: Durham has more than
40 years' experience in the management of power plant and
engineering service organizations, performance assessments and
review boards, strategic recovery planning, and senior management
consulting. His experience includes working at an electric utility,
the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and several engineering
and consulting services firms.
- Gary Harland, President,
Work Management Inc.: Harland is a co-founder and President
of Work Management Inc., an organization focused on providing
best-in-class work control and outage management services to the
commercial nuclear industry. Providing management and
implementation infrastructure, WMI provides extensive services
relating to project management, cost estimating, planning, and
scheduling.
- John Cox, President &
CEO, Safety Operating Systems: After an extensive
career as a major airline, corporate, and general aviation pilot,
Cox is now the President and CEO of Safety Operating Systems, a
full-service consulting firm providing services related to all
aspects of a large airline safety department. Throughout his career
Cox has been involved in numerous airline crash investigations as
an NTSB group member, specializing in crisis management plans,
media relations, legal expert research and testimony,
accident/incident investigations, and technical aviation
support.
- Jeff Wiese, Vice President
for Pipeline Integrity, TRC Companies: Wiese brings more
than 25 years' experience in pipeline safety and resource
management. Beginning with roles at the US Department of the
Interior and the US Department of Transportation, Wiese has managed
a wide range of programs relating to pipeline safety and risk
management, personnel and budget oversight, implementation of new
technology, and customer and client service.
Internal Governance
NiSource is also setting up new
aspects of internal governance, at both the state and enterprise
level, to ensure it is delivering on its commitment. The company
has appointed a senior executive to oversee the implementation of
SMS and has stood up a significant operation. The company has
created a new state role focused on safety, compliance and risk.
Additionally, each state will establish cross-functional teams,
responsible for evaluating and prioritizing state-level risks and
elevating them to the enterprise level.
SMS
NiSource's SMS program will be aligned with a
framework developed for the pipeline industry by the American
Petroleum Institute, in the form of Recommended Practice 1173
(RP 1173). RP
1173 provides pipeline operators with an approach for
rigorously identifying and managing risk, communicating with
stakeholders, ensuring the effective operation of key processes,
and promoting a learning environment.
As part of SMS implementation, NiSource is focused on the
following, among other areas: conducting a comprehensive asset
assessment; integrating a probable risk assessment; assessing
leadership capabilities and culture; and enhancing emergency
preparedness capabilities.
About NiSource
NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is one of the
largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5
million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across
seven states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands.
Based in Merrillville, Indiana,
NiSource's approximately 8,000 employees are focused on safely
delivering reliable and affordable energy to our customers and
communities we serve. NiSource has been designated a World's Most
Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute since 2012, is a member
of the Dow Jones Sustainability - North America Index and was named
by Forbes magazine as the top-rated utility among America's
Best Large Employers in 2017. Additional information about
NiSource, its investments in modern infrastructure and systems, its
commitments and its local brands can be found at www.nisource.com.
Follow us at www.facebook.com/nisource,
www.linkedin.com/company/nisource or www.twitter.com/nisourceinc.
NI-F
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/secretary-ray-lahood-named-chair-of-nisources-quality-review-board-providing-external-governance-for-safety-management-system-sms-implementation-300812291.html
SOURCE NiSource Inc.