Ask for Identification. For your personal protection, all of our employees are required to carry photo identification cards. Before you allow a service person to enter your home, request to see an identification card.

Pipeline Safety: Did you know that all across America, there is a network of underground facilities that deliver vital resources to your home, your workplace and your community? Energy including heat and light, water and communications services all reach you through this system of gas and oil pipelines, telecommunications cables and water lines.

Chesapeake's natural gas is no different, and these underground pipelines are the safest and most reliable in the world. However, keeping it that way is a responsibility that we all can share.

Pipeline Safety Records: Safety incidents on natural gas pipelines are rare, yet more natural gas is traveling through the pipeline system today than ever before. Safety is Chesapeake Utilities' number one concern. Did you know that pipeline infrastructure, which includes 1.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines in the U.S., is the safest energy delivery system, according to U.S. government statistics?

The pipeline that serves Chesapeake's customers in Maryland and Delaware is owned and operated by Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company. If you should ever smell gas near our pipeline, or detect any other signs of a problem (such as someone digging near our lines), we urge you to notify us by calling the 24-hour emergency number listed above for your area.

To obtain additional information about pipeline safety, visit:

American Gas Association www.aga.org
Common Ground Alliance www.commongroundalliance.com
U.S. Dept. of Transportation www.digsafely.com

Smell Gas Near a Pipeline? As a natural gas customer on the Delmarva Peninsula, you are being served by a pipeline that comes into Delaware near Hockessin. The pipeline runs along Route 13 to the City of Salisbury. It also runs to Cambridge and Easton, Maryland, as well as Milford, Delaware. If you should ever detect the smell of natural gas in our around the pipeline, we urge you to notify Chesapeake any time of day or night by calling the numbers provided in this newsletter.

Call Before You Dig. If you are planning to dig, grade, excavate or any other earth-disturbing work, play it safe for safety's sake and call Miss Utility at least 48 hours in advance. Did you know that excavations are the most frequent cause of pipeline damage? Not only is digging dangerous, fines and the cost of repairs can be imposed on those who don't call first! Whether you are planning a major development, or just to landscape your yard, call Miss Utility to have the underground utilities marked in advance. Miss Utility is a free service, and the call is free!

In Delaware Call:
1.800.282.8555

In Maryland, Call:
1.800.441.8355

Or, you can visit Miss Utility's website at:
www.missutility.net

Installation and Maintenance. Proper installation is crucial to gas equipment safety. We are responsible for ensuring that our equipment leading up to and including your gas meter is installed properly. It is your responsibility to ensure that all piping and equipment inside your home is working properly. For your safety, we suggest that you use our qualified technicians for work on any of the gas equipment inside your home.

Tampering. Not only is tampering with our gas equipment dangerous, it is a crime. Illegal connections or bypasses create dangerous conditions for both building occupants and neighbors. If you suspect intentional tampering with our equipment or gas theft, please alert us. Your call will be kept confidential.