Monthly Archives: January 2024

Well, here goes nothing! When I took this role 7 months ago, I overlooked the fact that I would have to put out a regular newsletter. I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to start this. Admittedly, a bit nervous at the same time too. Writing is not my strong suit, but I look forward to sharing industry knowledge with you. And it doesn’t hurt that my lovely wife is an author and willing to help!

Let me give you a little background on myself. I’m what people call a “Half back” I was born in Massachusetts, moved to the east coast of Florida when I was a kid, then to the west coast for college, then came halfway back and landed in North Carolina. I met my wife in Tampa where we had four kids...in five years...and all of them are girls. Man...that sounds scary when I type it, but at this point, I wouldn’t know what to

Tell me if this sounds familiar.. It’s 4:30pm on Friday and the phone starts ringing.. We all know what happens, any techs or drivers in the building suddenly disappear as if they can escape the imminent short straw draw on who will have to go check the gas line that your customer’s landscaper just hit. Once the politics play out and someone is dispatched to investigate, you find out that they had to repair a line that was only 4-inches deep.

Everyone is aware that per NFPA 6.11.3.13, buried metallic pipe and tubing shall be installed underground with a MINUMUM of 12” of cover. We also know that not all companies/installers follow the rules and operate with Safety as their number one priority. Sometimes they cut corners and sometimes they are pushed to get more done than they can Safely do in one day. I used to have a camper, before I bought it, I did a lot of research. I found that every resource I found told me to check serial numbers and find out if it was manufactured on a Monday

Over the past few years, I have heard of far too many preventable accidents involving forklift cylinders, some of which tragically involving fatalities. Below, I am sharing what should be some standard Safety tips on filling forklift cylinders. If we follow these simple actions, we can minimize the preventable accidents and injuries that occur in the field all too often.

1. Always follow your company’s policies & procedures with regard to filling forklift cylinders
2. Forklift cylinders should always be filled or exchanged by trained personnel

III. Wear proper PPE including gloves & eye protection

1. Inspect, Inspect, Inspect
2. Inspect cylinder for leaks, corrosion, denting, bulging, fire damage, or evidence of rough handling to the extent the cylinder is likely to be weakened to the point of condemnation. DO NOT forget the bottom of the cylinder when completing this inspection.
3. Inspect cylinders for retest dates.

EMAIL DARREN TO REQUEST FULL NEWSLETTER WITH METHANOL SAFETY SHEET AND PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DMCARDLE@GARDNERMARSH.COM

First off, let me just say Happy New Year! May the new year bring you lots of cold weather, gallons sold, and lots of billable service hours!

So, with the cold weather, let’s talk Methanol. Methyl alcohol, or methanol, is a colorless liquid. It is poisonous and can be absorbed through the skin, eyes, lungs, and digestive system. Overexposure can cause harm. In the propane industry, we use methanol to prevent any water that may be present in the propane mix from freezing and interfering with a customer’s propane system. There are two primary topics to discuss with methanol: dosage and safety.

Dosage

The use of methanol in propane systems can reduce or eliminate freezing problems in a customer’s system. However, excessive or over use of methanol can also cause issues such as a separate