American Gas - March 2011 - (Page 12)

SaFety FirSt safet y | securit y | reliabilit y Keeping Safety First Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co.—honored with AGA’s Safety Achievement Award seven years running— shares some of the keys to its safety successes. The nATurAl GAs industry is committed to safe work practices and safe, reliable pipeline operations. eastern shore natural Gas co. (eastern shore), a subsidiary of chesapeake utilities corp., also places the highest priority on the safety of the public, contractors and employees—and has achieved one of the most remarkable safety records in the industry, winning the AGA safety Achievement Award for the last seven consecutive years for its very low incident rate in its transmission operation. During this same time, Eastern Shore—which is headquartered in Dover, Del., and has been providing natural gas to customers on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1959—has simultaneously accomplished myriad other goals. For instance, during the past 11 years, Eastern Shore has tripled capacity with the construction of more than 100 miles of new pipeline facilities and significant compression upgrades to serve customers in Delaware, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. How have we done it? To perform our jobs in a safe manner at all times, we require active planning and involvement by everyone on our team—all 32 Eastern Shore employees, when asked what their top priority is, will answer “Safety First.” The key to Eastern Shore’s successful practices is obtaining buy-in from employees and front line management. An Organized Effort Safety at Eastern Shore is a true, organized team effort. Corporate safety director Ric Chatham has partnered with the operations management team over the past decade to actively spread the safety message to employees. The company has organized a Safety Council comprising the safety director and several senior company officers. This Safety Council regularly reviews the input and recommendations of the Safety Committee, which is composed of front line managers and field employees appointed for one-year terms. The safety council and committee provide a conduit for ideas and areas of improvement to reach management. With guidance from Chatham, Eastern Shore also conducts monthly safety meetings for personnel who work in the field as well ERIC M. PEARSON is engineering manager for Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co. He directs overall pipeline operations, engineering and other activities related to project development and execution. He has been with the company for more than 12 years in both the pipeline transmission and distribution business units. 12 march 2011 AmericAn GAs

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - March 2011

American Gas - March 2011
Contents
President’s Message Greetings
Industry News
Safety First Keeping Safety First
To Be the Best To Your Credit
Ask AGA The Value of Participation
A Passion for Excellence
Vendor News
Noteworthies
Marketplace
Places to Be
Jobline
Advertisers’ Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - March 2011