New Mexico Gas Company (NMGC) and Industrial Training Services (ITS) have partnered in a pilot program aimed at building a universal standard with the Operator Qualification Integrity Process (OQIP) pilot program.
What is OQIP?
OQIP is a voluntary industry-led program that helps to ensure pipeline operators have qualified employees. This program is designed to improve all aspects of operator qualification, training, testing, and auditing. NMGC joined the OQIP initiative in July 2018.
Our partnership with NMGC
In partnership with ITS, OQIP provided NMGC with internal and contractor qualification, which has helped NMGC successfully incorporate job procedures into the operator qualification process, monitor contractor qualifications, and ensure portability for qualified contractors. ITS provided expertise on the development of NMGC’s Operating Procedure Manuals and managed several of their audits.
How NMGC improved their OQ program
The Operating Procedure Manuals outline all aspects of NMGC’s operations, policies, and procedures related to safety, quality assurance, and performance. The NMGC team has been using these manuals as a part of their quality improvement program with great success.
NMGC continues to participate in the OQIP pilot program and has made great contributions towards operation qualification process improvements. The pilot program has brought a higher level of awareness to the operator qualification process, helping to ensure a safe and reliable pipeline operation in accordance with federal and state regulations.
ITS is proud to have partnered with NMGC and played a part in their OQIP initiative to ensure the safety of all those involved.
Read the white paper from NMGC for more details on how they are implementing OQIP.
About NMGC
NMGC is a distribution and transmission pipeline operator in New Mexico with more than 1,500 miles of intrastate transmission and nearly 11,000 miles of intrastate distribution pipelines with more than 300 qualified workers and nearly 150 contractors.
About ITS
ITS is a woman-owned small business headquartered in Murray, Kentucky, that has provided innovative training products and best-in-class support to the energy industry for more than 30 years. ITS is dedicated to maintaining lasting customer relationships by providing groundbreaking and industry-proven compliance tools, training, and products to streamline complex operations and help meet safety, regulatory, and qualification standards.
