How Northern Gas Networks is Keeping Colleagues and Customers Safe During Covid-19

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By KLTV Newsdesk

We continue our series of sponsored articles about Northern Gas Networks this week with a look at how they are working to keep safe in these unprecedented times.

NGN Assures that even with extra safety measures in place, there will be no impact on the safe and reliable supply of gas to homes and businesses.

‘Safe distance working’ will be the key difference when it comes to NGN employees out in the field. They will follow all UK government guidance and observe the guidelines whenever possible.

Safety at Work Sites

As well as their most important services, such as responding to gas emergencies, carrying out emergency repairs and essential maintenance activities, NGN is also carrying on their work to upgrade critical infrastructure across the region.

This includes planned work to modernise ageing metal gas mains, where the majority of the work can be carried out safely in the street, with regular social distancing measures in place.

Where possible, engineers will work in fixed teams, to reduce the number of people that each colleague has contact with, and work side by side, rather than face to face, where they can.

All NGN asks is that folks ensure a safe two-metre distance from their worksites while they carry out their work.

House Visits

In terms of customer and project cases, NGN will be carrying out this work on a case-by-case basis and only when customers are comfortable for them to do so, prioritising urgent jobs.

Before any visit, NGN will ask you a few questions about your health, to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

• Do you or anyone in your household have a confirmed case of Coronavirus?
• Are you or anyone in your household in self-isolation because you are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) or in close contact with someone who is?
• Are you or anyone in your household shielding on NHS advice?
• Are you, or anyone in your household:
  • over 70
  • living with a long-term health condition
  • pregnant

Don’t worry, your answers will not preclude you from any help, but are a necessary precaution for both your and the engineers’ safety.

As the situation continues to evolve, NGN will be doing it’s best to keep you updated and most importantly safe.

FAQ

We asked NGN to go into a little more detail by asking some common questions so that people could feel assured that NGN is working with the community in mind as their number one priority.

You can use these questions as a quick reference, and we will keep them updated as updated info comes in.

Q. What’s the impact of Covid-19 on Northern Gas Networks?

NGN: There is no impact on the safe and reliable supply of gas to homes and businesses across the North of England.

We are monitoring the situation closely and taking precautions to look after our customers and colleagues alike.

We are receiving regular updates from the UK government, as well as public health organisations.

Q. What precautions are you taking when visiting customers’ homes?

NGN: In line with the latest Government guidance we’re continuing to carry out our essential services while observing strict guidelines for safe distance working.

To ensure we can continue to deliver the highest standards of service and to protect our colleagues, customers and our communities we have developed a risk assessment process to ensure all of our worksites, including offices and depots, are Covid secure.

We will take every precaution to keep customers safe during our work and we will only request entry to a customer’s property in order to ensure your safety or the continuity of a safe gas supply, or if invited to at a customer’s request.

Our engineers will follow UK government health and safety advice and are practising social distancing wherever possible. 

As a minimum, they will stay at least two metres away from any customers in the household.

They will wash their hands thoroughly before and after the visit, ask you to open doors and windows and ask you to remain in a separate room throughout our visit.

Q. What are you doing to support your most vulnerable customers?

NGN: The safety and wellbeing of our customers is of the upmost important to us, in particular those that are most in need.

As with any customer, our colleagues will take every precaution to keep customers safe during our work.

This includes following UK government health and safety advice and wearing protective clothing when working in the home of a customer that is shielding on NHS advice, self-isolating due to someone in the household showing symptoms, or anyone in the household is over 70, pregnant or has a long term health condition.

We’re working closely with our local community partner organisations and have extended our paid volunteering policy so that colleagues can provide unlimited support to those that need help most.

We’re also continuing to offer additional tailored services and guidance to those people who may need additional support.

This includes delivering small parcels containing a few store cupboard basics, toilet roll, and a book of puzzles to fill any spare moments for those customers who may find it difficult to leave their home at this time.

Q. Will you still come out to gas escapes or suspected carbon monoxide?

Yes. We will ensure we are able to provide this service safely to our customers.

We want to assure customers that we will attend any gas escape and that we will make it safe, whether a person in that home has the Coronavirus or not. Obviously, safety precautions will be taken to ensure our colleagues do not catch or spread the virus.

Q. What do I do if I need to contact Northern Gas Networks

While the majority of the team are now working from home, you will be able to contact our Customer Care Team as usual from Monday – Friday between 9am and 5pm by calling 0800 040 7766, option 3. 

At all other times, you can get in touch by emailing your details to customercare@northerngas.co.uk or via Twitter @NGNgas or Facebook/northerngasnetworks and we will get back to you.

If you need to contact our Connections team, please send an email with your details to gasconnections@northerngas.co.uk or call the team on on 0800 040 7766, option 2.

If you smell gas, suspect carbon dioxide or experience low gas pressure, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, immediately. Please let the call operator know if you are also experiencing any symptoms of the Coronavirus so that our engineers can prepare accordingly.

Northern Gas Networks delivers gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses in the North East, Northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire. They employ 1,300 people, as well as providing regular work to approximately 800 contractors.

Kirklees Local TV is working in partnership with NGN to highlight promote the work they do across the region.