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| Dear Superintendent, Principal, Custodial Personnel or Buildings/Grounds Supervisor, please share this pipeline safety information with your staff, facilities managers and contractors. |
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| Make natural gas leak recognition and response part
of your school’s emergency response plan. |
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| Ensure that you and your staff know how to identify a gas leak and what to do in response. Review your school emergency response and evacuation plans, and be sure they include the following procedures for recognizing and responding to a natural gas leak. |
| Recognizing a gas leak |
| Be alert for any of the following: |
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A distinctive sulfur‑like odor |
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Important: Don’t rely on your sense of smell alone; the odor may fade or the gas may not be odorized. |
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A hissing, roaring or whistling sound from the ground or gas equipment |
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Dirt blowing into the air from a hole in the ground |
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Continuous bubbling in water |
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| Responding to a gas leak |
| If you suspect a gas leak: |
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DO NOT use matches, lighters, cigarettes (including e‑cigarettes or vape pens), radios or anything electrical – not even a phone. |
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Take your suspicion seriously. |
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Evacuate everyone immediately. |
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Gather outdoors at a safe location (far from the possible leak and upwind). |
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Call 911 and National Grid at the emergency number in your area listed below. |
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Keep everyone far from the leak until emergency response personnel inform you that the premises are safe. |
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| Learn the location of natural gas pipelines in your area. |
| High‑visibility markers with National Grid’s 24‑hour emergency phone number indicate the general location of our high‑pressure natural gas pipelines. |
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| These markers are meant only
as a general guide and warning and do not mark a pipeline’s precise location or depth. You
can also locate pipelines in your area by visiting the National Pipeline Mapping System
website. |
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| Help protect natural gas pipelines. |
| The greatest risk to gas pipelines is accidental damage from digging activities. Even the slightest damage could lead to a catastrophic fire or explosion. Review these pipeline damage prevention guidelines: |
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Call 811 before you dig. This free service will arrange for marking of buried natural gas pipelines in your dig area. |
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Massachusetts: Call at least 72 hours before digging (excluding weekends and legal holidays). |
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New York: Call at least two full working days before digging (excluding the date of your request, weekends and legal holidays). |
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Always contact your state 811 center before digging and for the most current requirements. |
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Respect the marks and dig with care.
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Leave gas pipeline markers in place until digging is completed. |
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Note: Buried gas pipelines will be identified with yellow flags, stakes or paint marks. |
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Use only hand tools within the “tolerance zone.” This zone spans the width of a marked utility line plus a specified tolerance distance from each indicated outside edge: |
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Massachusetts: 18 inches |
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New York: 24 inches |
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Report any pipeline contact immediately to National Grid at the natural gas emergency phone number listed below. |
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Important: If gas is leaking, you must also call 911. |
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| National Grid’s underground pipelines deliver natural gas efficiently and reliably to schools, homes and businesses across New York and Massachusetts. To ensure the safe operation of these pipelines, we: |
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Monitor our gas operations around the clock |
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Inspect pipelines regularly for leaks, defects and corrosion |
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Educate the public about safe digging practices |
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Conduct training and periodic drills with emergency responders to prevent and
prepare for natural gas emergencies |
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