True Blue Natural Gas - An Energy Blog from the American Gas Association AGA » safety

Safety Spotlight at Atmos Energy

Dan Gibson — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:10:37 +0000

One of our members, Atmos Energy, has an excellent safety section on their website. The section contains video and information around natural gas safety including home safety, pipeline safety, public education programs, and dig safety programs.

These safety sections are very valuable and packed with information. We get a lot of questions about “why does natural gas smell so bad.” The Atmos Energy video below (which is also available in Spanish) will tell you that natural gas is actually odorless and that “natural gas smell” is added as a safety feature.

Here are some more tips from the home safety program section of the website:

Alert others and leave the area immediately.
Leave open any doors you pass through to help ventilate the area, but don’t take time to open windows.
Do not operate any electrical switches or equipment, including telephones and flashlights.
Call the local gas company from a telephone outside the area. Our associates are available to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Remain away from the area until the gas company declares the area safe.

There’s actually a lot more there. Take a look and leave us a comment below if you know any other great safety resources.

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Kevin Harvick Wins at Talladega Superspeedway and Celebrates National Safe Digging Month

Lauren Blosse — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:57:18 +0000

When Kevin Harvick raced the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet to victory at the Talladega Speedway last weekend, he also shined a spotlight on digging safety. Harvick helped celebrate National Safe Digging Month by sporting the “Call 811” logo on the deck lid and rocker panels of the No. 29 car to help educate fans about the importance of following the proper safety procedures when digging.

Photo credit: Harold Hinson

A quick call to 811 can help avoid damage to underground utilities, which can cause injuries, environmental incidents, and disruption of services. Visit www.call811.com for additional information.

Thanks to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) for sending along the news clip. Harvick’s sponsor, Shell, is a member of CGA, and included the panels to show support for National Safe Digging Month.

Photo credit: Harold Hinson

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Dominion safety rap video

Dan Gibson — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:18:53 +0000

About a year ago I posted about the creation of the annual natural gas video award. We got in a ton of entries and eventually a volunteer member committee selected Spectra Energy as the 2009 Natural Gas Video Award winner. We’re already receiving great entries for the 2010 award, which leads me to this post.

Jim Linn introduced me to the Dominion Safety Rap video. Not only is it timely since we’re still in National Safe Digging Month but it…is…awesome. I love it. It’s already past 100,000 views and climbing fast. Great work Dominion.

If you’re doing something along the same lines, let us know in the comments, and be sure to enter your video in the 2010 Natural Gas Video awards

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Safety and National Safe Digging Month

Dan Gibson — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:46:57 +0000

The most important issue for our members, and the one that comes up most often around the AGA offices, is safety. Without a doubt and for good reason. With that in mind, we’re once again celebrating and promoting National Safe Digging Month.

National Safe Digging Month is “dedicated to increasing awareness of safe digging practices across the country and to celebrate the anniversary of 811, the national call-before-you-dig number.” In plain English, what that means is if you can dial 811 on your phone you can notify utilities that you will be digging on your property. The utility companies will then come to your property and mark the approximate locations of all utility-owned lines with paint or flags. It usually only takes them a few days to come out. And, best of all the 811 service is free and worth the time to prevent an accident.

Here’s some great stats from the “Did you know” section on call811.com

Did you know?

More than 200,000 underground utility lines are struck each year in the U.S.?
37% of all U.S. digging damages result from not calling before digging.
Utilities are buried only a few inches underground, making them easy to strike even during shallow digging projects.

You can read more in the press release on National Safe Digging Month we issued at the beginning on the month. I worked my way through college on construction sites so I can testify that the “utilities are buried only a few inches underground, making them easy to strike even during shallow digging projects” line is a real concern.

Get the full scoop at call811.com. While you’re there you can also view their page with state specific information on 811. All of our members have their own safety programs and usually something that goes along with this month so feel free to leave a link in the comments below to anything that is helpful.

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Congress Calls for June 10th to be Named National Pipeline Safety Day

Lauren Blosse — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:30:40 +0000

Largely due to the efforts of Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), the House of Representatives has voted to designate June 10th National Pipeline Safety Day. Larsen proposed that this day fall on the anniversary of a tragic natural gas explosion in his district of Bellingham, Washington that killed three people on June 10, 1999. His remarks commemorating the incident can be found here.

Before making its way to the House floor, the resolution was shepherded by Larsen through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, calling for an increased awareness of the nation’s underground pipeline infrastructure and increased safety measures to ensure that pipelines remain the safest form of transportation of energy products.

Most people have no clue about the magnitude of our country’s pipeline system. For instance, did you know that there are there are 2.3 million miles of distribution and service pipeline in the United States? That’s enough pipe to wrap around the earth 92 times!

While these millions of miles of pipeline are housed underground and out of sight, they should not be out of our minds, which is precisely why we are encouraging state and local governments to not only observe National Pipeline Safety Day but to renew their commitment to safety and the prevention of excavation damage.

In April, we teamed with the Common Ground Alliance to establish National Safe Digging Month, which urges those embarking on any digging or excavation project to place a free phone call to 811 beforehand in order to make sure the area is secure for digging.

Please spread the word about National Pipeline Safety Day and don’t forget to call 811 before you dig this summer.

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Safety first

Dan Gibson — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:24:33 +0000

I don’t think there is anything more important to our members than safety. On virtually every survey we run where safety is an option, it floats to the top in terms of importance. They spend billions of dollars every year to maintain the system’s excellent safety record.

This is a good thing.

Last month, we blogged about Call before you Dig month. The call before you dig program is important. Many people call it the most important part of the safety program for most natural gas utilities because nearly 60 percent of the incidents on utility distribution pipelines are due to excavation damage.

Of course there are many other tools that natural gas utilites use to help keep us safe. The other day I came across this chart from We Energies that contains general guidelines to maintain safe clearance distances between structure and landscaping projects. The best part about the chart in my opinion? The first thing it does is remind you to call before you dig.

Leave a comment if you’ve found a tool that people can use.

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AGA Members Recognized for Safety Excellence

Lauren Blosse — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:27:09 +0000

Today, at AGA’s 2009 Operations Conference and Biennial Exhibit in Pittsburgh, a staggering 17 companies were honored for their outstanding safety records last year.

Twelve Safety Achievement Awards were given to companies that achieved the lowest “DART” incident rate – a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees that resulted in days away from work or restricted work activity.

Additionally, five companies earned Vehicle Safety Achievement Awards by experiencing the lowest motor vehicle accident rate for companies of their type.

Kudos to these companies for going the extra mile to ensure that their employees and their customers remain safe.

Safety Achievement Award winners include, by category:

Local Distribution Utilities

Mega: Enbridge Gas Distribution (North York, Ontario)

Very Large: Dominion East Ohio Gas Co. (Cleveland, OH)

Large: Citizens Energy Group (Indianapolis, IN)

Comgas (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Medium-Large: Dominion Hope (Clarksburg, WV)

Medium-Small: Equitable Gas Company (Pittsburgh, PA)

Small: Columbia Gas of Maryland (Cumberland, MD)

Combination Utilities

Large: PECO Energy (Philadelphia, PA)

Medium: Central Hudson Gas & Electric (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Bismarck, ND)

Transmission Companies

Large: Tennessee Gas Pipeline (Houston, TX)

Medium: Eastern Shore Natural Gas (Dover, DE)

Vehicle Safety Achievement Award winners include, by category:

Local Distribution Utilities

UGI Central Penn Gas (Reading, PA)

Combination Utilities

Consumers Energy (Jackson, MI)

Transmission Utilities

CenterPoint Energy Pipelines (Houston, TX)

Small Member Companies

Crossroads Pipeline (Bremen, IN)

Northern Indiana Fuel & Light (Auburn, IN)

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Call Before You Dig: April is National Safe Digging Month

Lauren Blosse — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:10:07 +0000

Are you installing a mailbox in your yard? Planting a tree for Earth Day? Before you dig, consider that there could be a natural gas pipeline or electric power line buried only a few inches under the surface of your property- easy striking distance even for shallow digging projects.

Customer safety is a top priority for AGA members. That’s why AGA, the Common Ground Alliance and other partners have designated April 2009 as National Safe Digging Month. We’re asking you to call 811 before you embark on any digging or excavation near your home or business.

According to call811.com, “Digging without calling can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, harm you and those around you and potentially result in fines and repair costs.”

Since the creation of 811, there has been roughly a 40 percent reduction in safety incidents. The program is working- thanks to responsible citizens who have made 811 a necessary first step. There is no charge for the call.

Don’t take an avoidable risk. Pick up the phone and call 811 before you dig. We’ve got the video from 811.com below and a big thanks to City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities for helping to spread the word.

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