Propane Safety Reminders for Your Home or Business

Protect Your Family and Employees

As spring continues to bring warmer and warmer weather, and with summer just around the corner, propane is likely to factor more into your life at home and work. You may use it in your backyard to fuel you BBQ, heat you pool or patio, or provide lighting. Perhaps your business uses propane in its forklifts for cost-effective temporary heating or cooking.

However you use propane in your home or business, now is a good time to make sure you’ve got propane safety front of mind. Here are some important propane safety reminders for your home and business. Make sure your family and employees are well-versed in propane safety.

Knowing How to Detect a Gas Leak

Detecting a propane gas leak is actually fairly easy most of the time. In fact, your nose usually knows best. Propane producers add a strong odor to propane (which is naturally odorless). If you smell rotten eggs, it’s time to take quick action. Make sure everyone in your household and business knows what to do if they smell propane. Keep reading for instructions on what to do if there’s a propane gas leak.

There are some cases when the odor added to propane may not be enough to alert you to a leak before it causes problems for those in the vicinity of the leak. Perhaps your sense of smell has been impaired by a cold or Covid-19. Perhaps your propane tank has corroded a bit and the corrosion has absorbed some of the odorant. Maybe everyone is sleeping.

Just as you have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors strategically placed throughout your home and/or business, you Irish Propane recommends adding propane gas detectors.

Knowing What to Do When There’s a Gas Leak

Now that everyone knows how to detect a propane gas leak, let’s review what to do when there’s a propane gas leak in your home or business.

Whenever you suspect there’s a propane gas leak, take the following steps immediately:

1. Extinguish all open flames.
2. Do not operate any appliance or accessory that can create a spark. That includes lights, land line telephones, and cell phones.
3. Shut the valve on your propane gas tank.
4. Leave the house or facility immediately. Make sure no one (not even pets) stay behind. As you leave the home or business facility, be careful not to touch any electrical outlets or light switches.
5. Once at a safe distance from your home or business, call 911.
6. Wait for authorities to clear you to return to your home or business.
7. Have your propane appliances professionally inspected before you use them again.

At Irish Propane, the safety of your family and coworkers is one of our top priorities. Make sure everyone has good propane safety knowledge.

Irish Propane is a fourth generation, family-owned, certified women’s enterprise serving both residential and commercial customers in western and central New York.

Contact Irish Propane today to benefit from our expertise or schedule your next propane delivery.