Owning a gas station can be a rewarding business, but it also comes with serious risks. Fluctuating supply levels and oil prices, leaking tanks, faulty equipment, toxic chemicals, fires, thefts, and slips and falls are some of the risks you face each and every day. Understanding these risks and how to minimize your exposure to these threats is essential to preserving lives and profits.
Choosing an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm that knows your business from the ground up will accelerate profits, while keeping your patrons, employees, and the public safe. Make sure any firm you select for your construction and maintenance projects is an authority in these important areas:
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standards: These regulations mandate employers provide a safe, healthy environment for workers and identify and document workplace hazards. The standards cover electrical safety, machine guarding, hazard communication, fall protection, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment (PPE), incident reporting, and much more.
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards: The NFPA covers safety issues including fire hazards, electrical fire dangers, toxic substance handling, and building and life safety issues such as emergency lighting, fire and smoke barriers, entryways and exits, and more.
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulations: The EPA regulates everything from the condition of your underground storage tanks, vapor recovery systems, and piping and dispensers, to the way in which contamination from spills, hazardous waste, and storm water runoff are handled. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in significant penalties, fines, and legal consequences. This makes it essential to choose a partner that understands all the requirements.
- Experience working with Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs): These agencies oversee permitting, regular safety inspections, environmental compliance, incident reporting, recordkeeping, and other key areas of underground storage tank operation and maintenance. By working with an EPC that maintains a close relationship with these agencies you’re assured of the accurate record-keeping and timely reporting of your tanks’ operation and maintenance and not only comply with EPA regulations but also with regional and local regulatory mandates.
- International Building Code (IBC): The IBC provides guidelines for the design and construction of buildings, including structural requirements, fire and life safety systems, accessibility guidelines, infrastructure and mechanical systems, zoning and land use, and more. Choose a partner that is not only an expert in these areas but has strong ties with building officials and code enforcers.
- Construction Industry Standards: These standards include requirements for site preparation, concrete work, piping systems, fuel dispenser installation, National Electrical Code (NEC), ISO 9001, and other standards. Compliance with these standards ensures the quality, safety, and performance of your building, premises, and operating equipment.
- Site Safety Plans: These plans outline rigorous safety procedures, hazard assessments, emergency response protocols, PPE requirements, and worker training requirements for construction and maintenance teams when they are onsite. By choosing a partner with a comprehensive risk management program, you’ll reduce the likelihood of accidents, property damage, and project delays that lead to financial loss.
- Regular safety inspections and maintenance: Your maintenance partner should follow specific procedures to ensure the safe operation of your equipment at all times. This partner must follow manufacturers’ guidelines when working on your tanks, fuel dispensers, electronic payment systems, lighting systems, pumps, motors, alarms, emergency shutoff systems, and other equipment.
A safety-first culture that goes beyond the basics
Expertise in all the aforementioned areas is the beginning of our culture of safety. Our industry-leading safety management system meets IOGP 510 and ISO 45001 standards for controlling risk and ensuring top-down safety compliance at the highest levels of our organization.
While safety standards can vary based on location, our commitment to ensuring safety at all times to all customers is unwavering. We support this commitment through robust training and resources for team members, empowering our crews to take control when unsafe conditions are observed, and requiring subcontractors we retain to participate in our comprehensive program and procedures. We work hard to continually enhance our program as new requirements and standards evolve.
