Quick Start Guide Natural Gas Utilities

SECTION 03: KEY SAFETY MESSAGES

Reporting Natural Gas Odors, Leaks & Emergencies Why Address This Issue? Leaking natural gas can lead to devastating injuries, fatalities, property damage, and other losses. To date, 95% of all closed general liability claims reported to AEGIS for natural gas distribution systems were the result of natural gas explosions or fires. Educating the public to promptly report natural gas odors and/or other signs of a natural gas leak can help prevent significant human and monetary losses and reduce a utility’s exposure to these risks. Your utility has a natural gas Public Safety Communications Program in place in order to meet federal regulations. By instituting a more aggressive campaign aimed at an expanded audience, you may be able to significantly reduce the possibility of future incidents. The liability associated with even a single claim can far exceed the costs associated with your program. Rather than costing a utility more, an effective program aimed at mitigating the risk of fires and explosions through improved public reporting of suspected natural gas leaks can reduce costs and free resources for other critical needs.

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Developing a Public Safety Communications Program