SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that it has achieved two international recertifications for best-in-class operational standards for asset management systems in its gas operations, a sign of progress in safety culture. In 2014, PG&E was one of the first utilities in the world to attain both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 55001: 2014 and Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55-1: 2008 certifications. The recertifications were awarded by the independent, internationally recognized auditor, Lloyd's Register earlier this month. Companies must go through a rigorous recertification every three years.

Nick Stavropoulos, president of Pacific Gas and Electric Company said, "Safety drives everything we do at PG&E. We are making progress every day on gas safety and these independent certifications demonstrate a laser-focused commitment by our workforce to continuously improve. Our customers count on us to provide safe, reliable and affordable gas service every day. These certifications are one more way we demonstrate our commitment to every Californian we are so fortunate to serve.”

In May 2017, 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 critical areas of asset management. The certification process also involved a series of rigorous, independent audits and interviews of more than 100 PG&E management, field employees and contractors. The auditors conducted regular six-month surveillance visits over the last three years to ensure the company was following the requirements of the certifications.

Senior Vice President of Gas Operations Jesus Soto said, “We come to work every day with an unwavering commitment keeping the public and our workers safe. These certifications are third-party evidence of our continually improving safety culture and our robust asset management program. Even with these independently-earned certifications, we know we still have more work 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 continues to strengthen 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 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 energy companies 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 pge.com/news.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170601006355/en/

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company