Centering Safety at Booster

Nov 29, 2022 9:00 AM ET
Booster service professional smiles.

This article was originally published on Booster Fueling Change

At Booster, safety is our highest guiding principle. We are committed to investing time, resources, and energy to maintaining and improving our safety-first culture. Though our mission centers on bringing sustainable fueling solutions to fleets everywhere, we recognize that true sustainability must prioritize the safety and longevity of our team members and the communities we serve.

It’s no secret that fuels can be harmful to the environment when mishandled. That is why we take extra care to ensure we are always operating under the highest safety standards, and are constantly reevaluating our policies and processes.

Our dedicated team of safety advisors build our safety standards around three main pillars: employee, compliance, and environment. Their considerations begin with site visits to each Booster yard, where they observe actions taken, ride along on Service Professional (SP) routes, note hazards that SPs and communities might be exposed to, and talk to SPs and supervisors about their safety concerns and experiences. Based on their findings, they revise the existing protocols to ensure they are always up to date with on-site conditions.

To ensure we always create positive change, leaving communities and customers better than we found them, we center safety at the heart of every interaction, service, procedure, and conversation.

Employee

At Booster, our team members are the heart and soul of our culture. We value each and every employee, and we want to ensure we keep all of them safe. We are constantly checking in on procedures and processes to confirm they follow the best practices of workplace safety. We take immediate action to remedy unsafe conditions or behaviors. This instills absolute confidence in each other, our customers and our community — providing all of us with a healthy, safe, and sustainable environment.

Our team of safety advisors centers their on-site visits around face-to-face interaction with employees, building relationships with SPs and supervisors so they can feel comfortable reaching out when there are safety concerns. Our employee safety procedures and policies take a range of forms, from the protective clothing our service professionals wear, to the way they fill vehicles, to the stretches they do to begin every shift. We also require that SPs obtain a CDL Class C permit with hazmat and tanker endorsements.

We measure our safety in a variety of ways to ensure we hit the necessary benchmarks — for example, by tracking driver safety. In 2021, we rolled out an upgraded telematics system that allows our drivers to maintain safe driving through automatic in-cab technology.

Compliance

As a mobile fueler, there are significant regulations which guide our business model and operations. Our policy and safety teams are constantly keeping up with fueling and safety standards to ensure we remain compliant at all times. Booster has worked with all levels of government and regulators to design and maintain the cleanest, safest delivery of fuels.

Our compliance provisions include on-board refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) standards with technology-enabled compliance, automatic shutoff nozzles on all Smart Tankers, a 30-gallon fuel-limit switch, and overturn spill protection certification for all tankers.

We also hold an executive order from the California Air Resources Board validating our high standards for emissions reduction as the industry benchmark. Our procedures are compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements under NFPA-30A, meet all requirements of the NFPA Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, and are compliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and International Fire Code (IFC). Booster is also certified by the Advanced National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), meeting all federal DOT, EPA, Weights & Measures, and Air Resources standards.

Environmental

Because sustainability is a priority at Booster, our safety considerations also prioritize environmental health and safety. Many of the same protocols we have in place to keep our employees and communities safe also protect the environment.

We take seriously our responsibility to the planet and the people inhabiting it to handle fuels with extreme care. All our service professionals follow strict protocol to minimize risk of spillage and hazardous accidents, and we take company-wide precautions to keep emissions at a minimum for the long-term safety of our planet.

Our environmental safety protocols adhere to the highest safety requirements set by the International Fire Code, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and more. Our service professionals follow a three-stage Perfect Boost spill prevention protocol with a zero-drip policy. These safety requirements ensure we comply with air quality standards and protect the environments in which we fuel.

Creating a Culture of Safety

As the most prominent of our six core values, we put safety first — always. Our company culture places emphasis on taking individual accountability for prioritizing safety as part of our everyday lives.

Our safety culture ensures that we follow through on our commitments in every aspect of every service we offer. We know it’s not only the quality of our product, but also the quality of the people delivering it that makes Booster the safest, most reliable way to get fuel. Keeping our people and communities safe goes far beyond the work day — each and every one of our employees and community members have people who love them, and want to see them home safe. We vow to do all we can to keep the workplace safe, not just for ourselves, but for our friends, families, and communities as well.