Preparing for the Unexpected
By Tom Hart
Emergencies don’t give you advance notice. They never ask, “is now a good time?”
They show up with vengeance and demand immediate attention. The next step you take can mean the difference between a close call and a deadly consequence.
I’ve often felt that the key to successful outcomes when it comes to safety is to prepare people for the unexpected. In a world full of distractions, the most important conversations can fail to take place.
While working in a convenience store for eight years, three of those as a store manager, you are constantly problem-solving throughout the day–filling a shift that just opened up, an out-of-stock recovery of a key item,or getting to the bottom of an unexpected inventory loss. But we can also be faced with a breakaway pump, a sudden fire, a rapidly expanding fuel spill, or a slip and fall that lands you in a lawsuit.
The question each operator should ask is: If my frontline team member is faced with any of these situations, are they prepared?
Let’s take a look at just a few of the unexpected situations we may face in convenience and fuel.
Breakaway Pump:
It happens. A customer gets distracted, checks their phone, jumps in the seat, and off they go. One problem. The nozzle is still in their tank. This takes some quick actions by the employee:
- Immediately follow the station’s instructions to stop the flow of fuel.
- Block off the pump area with caution cones with an out of order boot or sign.
- Move the pump hose safely to the pad or cradle – do not try to reconnect it or move it to another area. The hose may still have some fuel in it.
- If a spill has occurred, follow the fuel spill procedures.
- Notify management and maintenance for repair.
- If the driver stops, obtain their information for insurance purposes. Ideally fill out an incident report.
Sudden Fire
A sudden fire can cause serious injuries or even have deadly consequences. Understanding the proper steps to safely handle fire hazards is important in any business, but essential when you are selling fuel.
- Create a fire safety plan and review it with every employee regularly.
- Have your detection equipment maintained and tested.
- Inform your team members of the location of the emergency fuel shutoff and the circumstances of when it should be activated.
- Provide awareness of the type of fire extinguishers and their purposes:
- Class A contains water for common fires such as trash and wood
- Class B holds dry chemicals for gas, paints and solvents
- Class C for electrical fires
- Class K is for fires often referred to as kitchen fires – for cooking oils and grease
A sudden fire creates a sense of panic. Knowing what to do can lead to better decision making.
Fuel Spill
Fuel spills can have serious consequences if left uncontained or improperly handled. The best practice for fuels spills is to follow four fundamental steps:
- Control: If you are not able to stop the flow of the spill or leak, use the emergency shutoff or follow store procedures in shutting down fuel to the pump.
- Contain: Place cones to control the flow of traffic and booms to keep the spill from spreading.
- Clean Up: This often involves absorbent materials or using a spill kit provided to each location. How to dispose of these materials after drying the spill is often regulated. Inform your team members of their responsibilities.
- Communicate: Contact your supervisors, or in some cases you may be required to report the incident to authorities depending on the size of the spill.
Slips and Falls
Selling fuel means large parking lots, potential potholes, and slick surfaces. One occurrence of a preventable slip and fall can mean thousands of dollars in a potential lawsuit. Being proactive in preventing incidents takes an alert frontline team.
- Encourage employees to report unsafe conditions immediately.
- Set an expectation of turnaround time for safety work orders.
- Create a checklist for supervisors to routinely look for potential safety hazards – if it can be improved at store level, do so immediately
- Create a regular task for employees to check lighting and exterior conditions throughout their shift, even while completing other activities
Summary
These might all seem like simple, reasonable expectations to have for employees. I would agree! But they don’t happen on their own.
So, the next time you visit a store and engage an employee, ask yourself: Did I prepare them for the unexpected?
Because it could happen at any moment.
Tom Hart has worked in the convenience world his entire career. He began as a stock clerk in Buffalo, NY and eventually became chief operating officer of Store 24, a chain of 90 convenience stores in Boston, Massachusetts. After almost 30 years on the retail side of convenience, he started to consult with operators and founded a software company, Dashboard Advantage, to help operators improve store execution. He is the author of the book, Life in Moments, where he shared the valuable lessons learned inside the four walls of a convenience store that carried him throughout his life. He is currently senior account executive, business development, for 360training.
