LP Gas, November 2011

COLUMNIST JAY JOHNSTON Oh the humanity Times are tough and problems exist in the ongoing pursuit of success L ately Ive been frustrated with propane safety I guess its because I care I care about the industry I care about employee safety and I care about consumer safety I care so much that I write a column in this magazine plus a six page newsletter every month for marketer subscribers Some days it seems to be of no avail I know I sound jaded I may even get depressed from time to time And as I look around the nation I can see I am not alone Times are tough financially and spiritually unless you have a trust fund Business is tight consumers are frugally cautious cost reductions barely keep up with reductions in revenue and safety can be a heavy overhead Thankfully we have PERC generated safety material which has proven to be a great investment as long as the costs remain reasonable Id say the same about CETP if it were not designed to be a profit center Dont get me wrong I believe CETP is excellent training but sometimes I question the financially burdened infrastructure Even though refresher training is required every three years of everyone who handles propane many states are seeing the lowest attendance numbers in years Many refill vendors around the country are rarely audited for such training Everyone who handles or works with propane should be trained to do so What are the repercussions of accidents due to a lack of training If there are no accidents there will be no repercussions However if you read the news lately we are still seeing accidents For some folks the headlines are Whether it involves replacing appliances expanding the piping system or taking a wrench to a propane tank such activities should be done by a trained professional real They involve family customers or employees The repercussions involve emotions ranging from fear to anger to frustration and financially punitive liabilities They say you never really see the light until you feel the heat Do we have a problem As we say in the North Country You betcha The problem is a failure to address or acknowledge the problem which may be as simple as saying that we know the problem but have no solution Lets be honest The problem is partly with you and me We own the dog to communicate about furnace safety trailer safety grill safety plant safety and all other levels of personal and commercial use of the propane we sell That said we should only be held to a reasonable standard similar to the standards currently applicable to utilities You can educate and inform to a reasonable degree but you cannot be accountable for holding the hands of daring consumers Their humanity is a broad horizon I hate it when anyone gets hurt with propane but sometimes it happens when people do stupid things As Forrest Gumps mom said Stupid is as stupid does It is impossible for any reasonable warning to overcome the acts of stupidity Specifically for example consumers could take training to be competent at working on their propane system Instead they look it up on the Internet attend a two hour home improvement class or take the advice of their beer swilling brother in law Whether it involves replacing appliances expanding the piping system or taking a wrench to a propane tank such activities should be done by a trained professional Code compliance generally reflects safety compliance So that is my rant for November I offer these thoughts with grains of salt an ounce of prevention and a pound of humanity LPG Jay Johnston www thesafetyleader com has 35 years of experience as an insurance executive safety management consultant and acquisition specialist in the propane industry He is publisher of The Safety Leader newsletter and author of the book The Practice of Safety Jay can be reached at Jay@ thesafetyleader com or 952 935 5350 PERC 46 LPGas November 2011 www LPGasmagazine com