Excited to celebrate his wife’s birthday after leaving work, PSEG Information Technology Senior Director of Digital Products & Services Saidesh Vadlamudi dashed into his local ShopRite to get flowers. As he entered the Stirling, New Jersey, store, he caught a whiff of natural gas and felt something wasn’t right. He didn’t smell gas inside of the store but, upon exiting, he smelled gas again.
“I asked another shopper if she smelled gas and she did not,” Saidesh said. “But as the shopper got closer to the store entrance, she turned around and said she did smell gas.”
Next, Saidesh quickly found a ShopRite employee to ask about the smell. The employee conveyed that the reports of smelling natural gas had been going on for a week, and he believed local authorities and perhaps even PSE&G were involved. With so much uncertainty Saidesh decided to call PSE&G Gas Operations Vice President Brian Clark, who immediately alerted his team. The dispatched team investigated, found the problem, and fixed it by changing a gas regulator.
“Saidesh did exactly what we hope everyone will do in similar situations – he smelled something, and he said something,” Brian said. “If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. As part of our Human Performance program, we are trained to use the STAR tool: Stop, Think, Act and Review. This incident emphasizes our security and safety best practice: we see something, we say something.”
PSE&G Gas Field Operations Senior Director Beth Acquaire also noted that the response team members, Appliance Service Supervisor Jonathan Kopecky and Appliance Service Technician Andre Rivera, were thorough and efficient.
“Gas leaks are serious matters that need immediate attention and we’re glad Saidesh trusted his gut and took action,” Beth said. “It’s a busy store and, in a worst-case scenario, this could have had a very different outcome.”
After his experience at ShopRite, Saidesh celebrated his wife’s birthday and reminded his family about our “safety first culture” and the role we all play in serving our communities.
“This was outside of my immediate expertise, but our company culture helped me help others,” Saidesh said.
PSEG Senior Vice President and Chief Information & Digital Officer Zeeshan Sheikh also thanked Saidesh for his actions.
“He could have joined the many other shoppers that night who were just going about their business and, clearly, a wife’s birthday is a priority,” Zeeshan said. “Yet, Saidesh selflessly acted to protect a community and we’re very proud of him.”
IMPORTANT GAS SAFETY NOTE
If you smell gas: Don’t panic; act quickly. Immediately exit the building and move at least 350 feet away. Once you are at a safe distance, call PSE&G at 1-800-880-PSEG (7734) or 911 to report a potential gas leak. You will not be charged for reporting a potential gas leak. More info is available: pseg.com/GasSafety #PSEGSafety
Add comment