Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Got Gas?

So I am sitting at my desk when the guy across from me asks, "Can you hear that?" I answered. "Yeah, what is that?!" Two minutes later there is an announcement over the building PA....

"Attention, we have ruptured a major gas line right outside the building. The winds are in our favor right now, but if they shift something could ignite. We will leave it up to you whether or not you leave. If you do leave, do not drive infront of the building."

ummmmmm, and then another announcement...

"Attention, we have ruptured a major gas line right outside the building. The winds are in our favor right now, but if they shift something could ignite. We will leave it up to you whether or not you leave... but there is a lot of gas out there."

Uh yeah, so I left. On my way home I caught a strong smell of gas as I passed the building on the other side of the highway. Kind of a scary thing.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kiddo, with all due respect to your employer (and keeping in mind that y'all don't process natural gas for a living), this message should have been, "Leave immediately whether you feel like it or not." Some decisions shouldn't be left to employees' discretion (working through hurricanes, drag racing through the parking lot, hanging around when the building is surrounded by flammable gas). You passed the intelligence test.

Anonymous said...

The message was actually from the building management. It took my supervisor all of 15 seconds to tell us to get out. I'm glad that the building didn't blow up... it would have made it harder to get my 40 hrs in :)

Anonymous said...

Yea! I have been trying to post a comment to your blog all week and it wouldn't let me. It is working again. WooHoo. I am VERY glad nothing happend to your building. Though I have no doubt that you would have found a way to get your 40 hours in regardless. :)

erin vanv said...

That reminds me of a couple incidents that happenened when I worked at Dow Chemical for the summer. Like when they waived me into a HCl acid release. Or when a generator was on fire and the operators tried to tell me it was just steam (and the 3R's of the chemical we made around fire were run, run, run...).

These are two of the many reasons I don't work at a chemical plant.

(because rigs are safer?)