Five reasons we're proud of our safety culture
Being obsessively, relentlessly at your service means doing everything we can to keep you, our team and the environment safe. Safety is our top priority, woven into every area of our service, from the equipment we install to the chats our crews have while they work. Here are five safety measures we are especially proud of that help protect us and our customers.
STAR
Safety Through Asset Reliability (STAR) is how we recognize the work that keeps our systems going. From investing in the right technology to continuous inspection and maintenance programs, our STAR philosophy helps provide you with safe and reliable service.
Some of our specific STAR initiatives include:
- Replacing natural gas piping with newer, safer pipe.
- Installing new technology on our electrical grid to prevent outages and restore power faster.
- Going to new heights to inspect our equipment to keep you safe and your homes powered.
From pruning trees to installing new substations, all of that work is part of our STAR commitment to keep our systems ready to serve you safely for generations.
“Being proactive is important because STAR projects – like our low-pressure gas pipeline upgrade – improve the overall functionality, safety and reliability of our systems. When we complete these projects, we eliminate safety risks, allowing us to continue to remain proactive and focus safety efforts and resources on other areas.”
- Michael Woofter, project director, gas delivery
Employee Commitment
24/7, 365 days per year, our dedicated team members answer your calls because we care about your safety. From gas leaks on Thanksgiving Day to power outages at 3 a.m. during a summer storm, our customer experience staff answer your calls, our gas service workers come calm and prepared to inspect your systems and our linemen work diligently to restore and maintain our vast electric power grid. We do this because we know whether you’re flipping on a light switch or turning up your A/C to stay cool in the summer, you’re counting on us to be there to power your homes, your businesses and your community.
“Being prepared, alert and aware is critical to our ability to safely and reliably deliver the energy our customers need. We are always looking for new approaches to address the risks we face and make the way we work even safer.”- Kelcey Brown, president & CEO
Human Performance Improvement Tools
We know humans aren’t perfect. Sometimes we make mistakes. That’s why we use a mental toolkit throughout our business to check that all work – from mailing your bill to installing new power lines – is done safely and correctly.
When we work on new projects, we make stops at regular intervals to review for any potential errors before we proceed further. Our team members use independent verification techniques to separately perform critical calculations or take measurements and then compare to ensure accuracy. We contact you in advance before we perform work on or near your area to make sure both you and we understand what we’re going to work on, where it will occur and how it might affect you. All these measures and so much more add up to a playbook of practices we use to reduce human error and stay safe.
“We don’t leave the future to chance. It is our habit to look ahead at the work coming up and spot the most error-likely situations. With this awareness, we pick out the most useful HPI tools to get through the difficult moments without error.”
- Sam Reno, program manager, performance improvement
Brother’s Keeper Mentality
The work we do is essential, but inherently dangerous. All of our frontline crews maintain a professional and caring Brother’s Keeper mindset. We pledge ourselves to always look out for each other. When we start work on a new job, safety is the first thing we talk about. When we see someone doing something that might be dangerous, we speak up. When we spot a risk that won’t affect us but might affect our fellow team members, we speak up. When we have an idea for how something could be done better and safer, we speak up. Every day, we make this commitment to each other when we go to work. Our passion and sense of teamwork empowers us to always have each other’s backs.
“You want to know that the work you performed that day was done in a professional manner, that the people you work with trust you to have their back and that you can sleep well that night knowing you did everything to make the situations you encountered throughout the day the safest possible. Going home to our families the same way we left them is our No. 1 goal.”
- Austin Holst, gas technician
Meticulous Security Measures
Our safety efforts go far beyond what you might see, like repairing gas leaks or restoring power outages in a storm. We have thorough, robust security plans in place to protect your personal information, our facilities and the systems that power our lives and communities. Our security experts work diligently to always stay one step ahead of any threats that could compromise your safety, your private information and our digital and physical infrastructures. We use the latest practices to protect our customer data and technology from malware, virus and exfiltration, and we routinely run tests to keep our employees vigilant of potential cyber threats that may attempt to use their employee clearances to get past our security. To protect our customers, employees and assets from physical threats, we’ve also made significant investments in physical security measures, including protective fencing and surveillance technology.
“Ensuring the safety of our customers’ private information and making sure our facilities are safe for our customers are at the very foundation of our ability to provide consistently reliable service. Much like we take proactive steps to keep our team safe when they’re out on the job, we take proactive steps to ensure the security of our customers’ information and our energy infrastructures as well.”
- Jim Saunders, director, corporate security and resiliency