Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day is a time when communities give recognition to the men and women who provide one of their most valuable assets – their natural gas service. Safety is vital to natural gas distribution, and Peoples Gas makes it our No. 1 priority.
Why this date?
On March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak caused a large explosion at a school in New London, Texas, killing children, faculty and residents of the town. Investigators later revealed that the cause of the tragic explosion was a result of the school tapping into a local source of waste gas from a nearby oil field. The natural gas accumulated and ignited when an employee turned on an electric sander.
At the time of the explosion, natural gas did not have an odor, which caused the leak in New London to go unnoticed. Since then, the industry adopted new guidelines and safety standards, leading to the widespread odorization of natural gas, with mercaptan. You might describe it as a rotten-egg odor.
Through innovation, technology and a focus on consistent training and practice, our industry’s safety record is strong. We collaborate with other natural gas utilities and share best practices to ensure we're doing everything we can to meet your expectations.
Get to know us
We’re proud of our nearly 900 team members who play a role in safely delivering resilient natural gas to more than 500,000 customers across Florida. Meet some of our team.
Whether we’re working to safely maintain, expand or monitor our system; handling customers’ experiences and accounts; working with our regulators and local, state and federal stakeholders; watching for cyberattacks and keeping our IT solutions running smoothly; balancing the books and paying invoices; managing programs and so much more, we’re all natural gas utility workers and we’re ready to deliver for you.
