National Safety Month: Enhancing a Culture of Safety

As National Safety Month kicks off; we’d like to remind our communities of best practices around natural gas safety. 

Each June, the National Safety Council observes National Safety Month to remind Americans of the importance of being safe at work, on the road and in their homes and communities. As part of an ongoing commitment to safety, Peoples and Essential Utilities are proud to recognize National Safety Month.

A Culture of Safety

The safety of our employees, customers and communities is the foundation of Peoples business, and it’s why the company invests in safety improvements, implements policies and procedures and develops technical training and guidelines for every employee.

Essential has worked to align safety strategies, leverage strengths and experience across the company, and standardize safety practices. To learn more about how employees across the company feel about the culture of safety, Essential shared a Safety Culture Survey with all Peoples and Aqua employees and learned first-hand about employee concerns, questions, and suggestions. From there, management met with field employees to discuss ideas about new work processes and new tools that could be used to solve safety problems and keep employees safe.

Safety at Home

Peoples ongoing commitment to safety doesn’t stop at our employees, and the company also prioritizes the safety of our customers. As a result, we recommend keeping the following safety tips in mind when it comes to natural gas:

National Gas Safety Tips

• If you suspect a gas leak:
  • Leave the home, building or area of the suspected leak, and get to a safe area.
  • Call the Peoples’ 24/7 emergency hotline at 1-800-400-4271 or call 911 to notify police and fire officials.
  • Warn others to stay out of the area.
• Do NOT:
  • Touch, breathe in or make contact with a leak.
  • Light a match, turn light switches on or off, use a cell phone or home phone, or do anything to create a spark. 
  • Attempt to extinguish any fire.
  • Attempt to operate any valves. 
  • Start a car or operate an automatic garage door. 
  • Try to find the source of the leak yourself.

Appliance Safety

• Have gas appliances inspected by a qualified professional at least every year or as often as the manufacturer recommends. 
  • Not performing regular maintenance may result in inefficient appliance operation and in some cases, dangerous exposure to carbon monoxide. 
• Never store rags, mops, paper, or other combustibles near any gas appliance.
  • Never store anything near a gas appliance that might interfere with normal appliance airflow. Make sure that your gas fired appliances have plenty of air so they can work properly. 
• Never store or use flammable products in the same room or near any gas or heat-producing appliances.
  • Such flammable products include gasoline, spray paints, solvents, insecticide, adhesives, insect foggers, varnish, cleaning products and other pressurized containers.
• Check outdoor appliance exhausts year-round.
  • If the vent becomes blocked, an emergency switch should stop the furnace from running. Snow or ice can build up and block the opening, and even birds nests and “stink bugs” have been cited as the cause for some furnace vent problems. Never cover openings with mesh or netting, as this may affect proper operation. 

Safe Digging

• Before doing any digging, whether at work or your home, call 811 at least three days before you dig. 
  • 811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number. 
  • All utility companies will be notified of your planned work and will mark the location of any underground lines. 
  • Respect the markings and excavate with due care and be sure to report all damage to pipelines, line markers, locator wires or warning tape to the appropriate utility.
• You should notify 811 before you perform any of the following activities:
  • Install a fence, mailbox, yard sign, flagpole or pole for a basketball hoop.
  • Install a deck, porch, patio, swimming pool or garage.
  • Install a sprinkler system, pet perimeter fence, septic tank, leach bed or sand mound. 
  • Plant trees or bushes.