SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that Lloyd's Register, the independent, international auditor, recertified the company as a best-in-class gas system operator and the company's International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 55001: 2014 and Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55-1: 2008 certifications due in part to the progress it made across all aspects of its gas operations since its original qualification in May 2014.

"Our commitment to continuous improvement in our gas operations shines through these recertifications," said Nick Stavropoulos, executive vice president of PG&E's gas operations. "Our team is working every day to build a 21st century gas infrastructure that our customers have come to expect from PG&E. We are dedicated to becoming the safest, most reliable gas system in the nation and these certifications are evidence of our commitment to achieving this goal." 

PG&E is one of the first companies in the world to hold both the (ISO) 55001: 2014 and (PAS) 55-1: 2008 certifications. Early this year, Lloyd's Register travelled across PG&E's 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 recertification process took place during the week of November 3, 2014, involving site visits, internal reviews and employee interviews.

"Over the past several months PG&E has made very significant progress in a very short period of time. I have been impressed with their dedication to the principles outlined in these certifications and to what they call a safety-first culture," says Peter Glaholm, utilities regional manager for Lloyd's Register.

The underlying requirements of the ISO 55001: 2014 and PAS 55-1: 2008 standards are the foundation of PG&E's safety management system. The standards 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 investing in workforce development and supplying its teams with the latest tools and technology to enhance the safety, reliability and affordability of its gas service. If something does not live up to PG&E's strict safety standards, the company encourages all employees to raise issues and submit them through the company's Corrective Action Program (CAP), where issues are tracked until resolution. The company now also empowers employees through the use of the CAP App, a mobile application that simplifies this reporting process.

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.

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 nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)