Safety Information for...
Every day, natural gas pipelines safely carry one of the world's most efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly fuels to businesses, homes and neighbors like you. Preventing pipeline emergencies is important to employees of natural gas companies like ours. Because we are part of your community and are your neighbors too.
For our customers and everybody who lives or works near our piplines...
For excavators, including anyone digging on public or private property...
For emergency and puplic officials...
Did You Know You Can Help Prevent Natural Gas Pipeline Emergencies?
Whether you're planting trees or shrubs, building a deck, installing a fence or mailbox post, be safe and call 811 before you dig. If there are buried natural gas facilities in the path of your activity, an ESP representative will be notified to mark the location of the facilities at no expense to you.- Maintain Your Buried Gas Piping If you have buried natural gas piping for a generator, pool heater, workshop, or other use on your property, then you should have this underground piping checked periodically to ensure that it does not corrode and/or leak. Underground gas piping between the gas meter and a home or building is the maintenance responsibility of the homeowner or building owner. We advise using a licensed gas contractor to assist in locating, inspecting, and if necessary, immediately repairing any buried gas piping. If you have any questions, please call ESP at (850) 436-5050. (You may disregard this notice if you do not have buried gas piping beyond the gas meter.)
- You Can Help Prevent Natural Gas Pipeline Emergencies Though natural gas pipeline incidents are uncommon, you should know their telltale signs.
- Look. Blowing dirt, bubbling creeks or ponds, dry spots in moist areas or dead plants surrounded by live, green plants may indicate a natural gas leak.
- Listen. Near a gas appliance or line, there may be a hissing sound when natural gas is leaking.
- Smell. Stay alert for the distinctive, rotten-egg-like smell of natural gas. You should take action anytime you detect even a small amount of this odor in the air. If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, call ESP Emergency Services at 474-5300.
- Carbon Monoxide …you can't see it or smell it. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is the colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced when fuels such as wood, coal, charcoal, propane, natural gas, or fuel oil are burned. It's even in automobile exhaust and can be deadly.
Make sure fuel-burning appliances are installed, maintained, and used properly and safely. This includes having an annual inspection of heating and venting equipment by a qualified, licensed, gas contractor prior to the heating season and using a carbon monoxide alarm that meets current standards.
It is important to be aware of the symptoms of CO poisoning. Symptoms can occur immediately or more gradually after long-term exposure. Some common symptoms may include: burning eyes, nausea, headaches, dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, chest pains, fainting, fatigue, and other flu-like symptoms.
If you suspect CO is in your home or business, immediately open doors and windows to get fresh air and ventilate the building, and call ESP at (850) 474-5300 to report the problem. If your symptoms are severe, immediately seek medical attention or call 911. - Using Natural Gas Wisely To save energy and money, set the temperature on your water heater 120° F or no higher than necessary. Be aware that higher temperatures may cause scalding, and the risk of scalding is greater for children and the elderly. Make sure your water heater is set to a safe temperature. Check the water temperature before placing a child in the bathtub, and never leave a child alone or with other young children in the bathtub.
- Check Your Gas Connections If you have natural gas appliances, the gas connectors need to be inspected regularly and replaced as needed. Certain kinds of flexible connectors manufactured between 1970 and 1980 may fail over time and need to be replaced. An uncoated brass gas appliance connector may have this flaw and should be replaced with a new stainless steel connector.
Here are some guidelines to follow to help keep your family and home safe:
- Do not move your gas appliances to check the connectors yourself – stressing connectors can cause them to crack and leak.
- Only a qualified, licensed, gas contractor should check your connector and replace it.
- Avoid repeated use of cleaning solutions or insect sprays around appliance connectors – these solutions can cause corrosion.
- Do not allow wiring or other objects to touch the connector.
- Connectors should always be replaced whenever an appliance is replaced or moved from its location.
- Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) Do you have this natural gas piping product installed in your home or business? CSST is a flexible, stainless steel pipe used to supply natural gas in residential, commercial, and industrial structures. CSST is often coasted with a yellow, or in some cases, a black exterior plastic coating.
CSST should NOT be confused with flexible natural gas appliance connectors – the product that joins an appliance to your home or building’s natural gas supply line. Flexible connectors attach directly to the gas appliance from the wall or floor; while CSST is usually routed on top of ceiling joists in attic spaces, or beneath, through and alongside floor joists in basements, and inside interior wall cavities.
Be aware that lightning can strike a structure containing CSST and pose a risk of traveling through the structure’s natural gas piping system and causing a gas leak or fire in some cases.
If work has been performed on the natural gas piping system in your home or business since 1990, check to see if CSST was installed. If you’re unsure as to whether or not CSST was installed in your home or business, contact the company that performed the gas piping work for information or to arrange for a professional inspection.
If you find CSST after the inspection, then it’s recommended that you contact a qualified, licensed electrician. A bonding device should be installed on your natural gas system in order to reduce the chances of a natural gas leak or fire.
Remember, CSST has the potential to leak if your home or business is struck by lightning and the CSST is not properly bonded and grounded. 
Flammable Ignition Awareness Gasoline and other flammable liquids can be dangerous if not handled or stored safely. Never use them indoors, always store in an approved container, and away from children.
- Keep gasoline and other flammable liquids away from children.
- Never use gasoline or other flammable liquids indoors or in the same room or area as a natural gas appliance or other ignition source.
- Keep gasoline ONLY in an approved gasoline container, make sure the container is tightly sealed, stored in a cool place, on a high shelf, and away from the house if possible.
- Talk to your children about the dangers of flammable liquid products.
Natural Gas and Pipeline Safety Key Message (pdf)
Did you know you can help to prevent naturalgas emergencies? (pdf)
Help Everyone Live Safely with Natural Gas Pipelines (pdf)
Natural Gas Pipeline Safety and You Brochure in English/Spanish (pdf)
Natural Gas Pipeline Safety and You Brochure in English (pdf)
Don't Risk Breaking the Law - Call Before You Dig.
It's a fact: Excavation work is the most common cause of natural gas pipeline emergencies. Before excavating, call Sunshine State One Call of Florida at 811 when calling from Florida and 1-800-432-4770 when calling from outside Florida, so utility lines can be professionally marked prior to digging. Both the call and the service are free.
