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Improving health safety and wellbeing Gaspol, Poland 4/20/2021

Demonstrating the strength of our safety culture

During a routine LPG delivery in Poland, a client collapsed and stopped breathing. Gaspol bulk drivers Michał Korzeniewski and Florian Walczak immediately leapt into action, remembering Gaspol’s regular resuscitation training sessions and correctly performing CPR.

Remaining calm in an emergency

As there was a two-hour wait for an ambulance, due to the strain the coronavirus pandemic put on local emergency services, the drivers’ quick action likely saved our client’s life. Gaspol is immensely proud of Michał and Florian’s lack of hesitation, which saved the man’s life, and also of the safety culture within the organisation which equipped them with the necessary skills to do so.

Health and Safety is a necessary foundation of Gaspol’s business, just as it is for the rest of the businesses in the SHV Energy family. In recent years, many initiatives have been carried out at Gaspol to increase safety awareness and teach practical skills, such as advanced first aid training using defibrillators.

Our dedication to Health and Safety

Both Michał and Florian had completed resuscitation training and regular refreshers. In addition, Florian had been trained to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), as part of a 2019 programme to distribute 13 AEDs to significant Gaspol locations (including Head Office, all filling plants and all terminals). More than a third of Gaspol employees were trained to use AEDs as part of this programme.

Both drivers are very modest and the incident was not widely known until the family of the rescued client sent official thanks to Gaspol. Michał explains, “The man fell to the ground and stopped breathing. It was an impulse – I quickly remembered the first aid rules. I started performing CPR and fortunately it brought effect. I do not feel like a hero. I just helped someone who needed that at that moment.”