Gas can be scary, especially in the last city in Switzerland to have a fatal gas accident in 2011. But this tragedy will have been the starting point for a lot of work on safety.
At the Swiss level, a commission of specialists has reviewed the industry directive that regulates work on gas networks: the G2 of the Swiss Gas Industry Association (SVGW). At the same time, Yverdon Energies has undertaken in-depth work on safety. This work concerned aspects as different as the individual equipment of employees, tools and the documentation of each building connection. Work procedures were reviewed from top to bottom, taking into account all the new provisions of the G2 and the branch safety manual.
Coordination with the fire brigade has been optimized. You may have seen our fitters in action on the gas these days, in the direction of Grandson or at Rue de la Plaine. With their new personal equipment. With their new tools.
Often, the work is done "in gas", i.e. the pipe on which we intervene remains in operation during the work. In these cases, a series of additional safety measures come into force. Like this fitter always ready with a fire extinguisher at the edge of the excavation. Like these fireproof clothes that protect the whole body even if the worst should happen.
Ces travaux sont toujours préparés minutieusement, avec un ordre écrit très détaillé, qui est discuté et analysé avec les participants. Chaque risque potentiel est évalué, des mesures sont décidées, des plans d’urgence élaborés.
Sur le chantier, chacun sait ce qu’il doit faire et chacun a été formé sur l’emploi de chaque outil utilisé.
Each fitter has also been trained in emergency gas control at the RAMA centre. After work, the slightest incident or unexpected event is analyzed, studied, and safety devices and work methods are reviewed and adapted accordingly, often with the support of the city's occupational health and safety delegate.
Working with gas is a matter for professionals, specialists. It is this systematic approach to safety that the Swiss gas industry has been practising for over a century that has made natural gas a very safe energy source.
Enrico Riboni
Chef de la section Eau-Gaz-Chaleur
Formateur au cours « Intervention Sécurité Gaz » (SSIGE, à la RAMA)
Chargé de sécurité gaz SSIGE