Matchless Quality Management

I’m out on the forecourt at the petrol station where I work, and I can smell the automotive LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). It’s not like when you smell gas when you’re filling your car; to me, this smells like a leak. I go inside and talk to my manager.

Me: “Smells like there’s a leak with the LPG.”

The manager comes out.

Manager: “I can’t smell it.”

Me: “And now neither can I. Weird.”

The next day, I can smell it again.

Me: “I’m sure we have a leak.”

Manager: “I can’t smell anything; I think you’re just not used to petrol station smells.”

Roll forward a week, and finally…

Manager: “Okay, I think I might smell it… maybe. I’ll call a guy.”

He very reluctantly calls a leaky-fix-it kinda guy.

Repair Guy: “I can’t smell it.”

D***! The smell is gone again!

As we’re figuring this out, a Landcruiser pulls up and plugs into the LPG. Since the manager and the repair guy are out there, they can smell it after I authorise the pump.

Repair Guy: “Okay, I can smell it.”

The repair guy discovers that there’s a small fracture in the line from the tank to the pump. When no LPG is being delivered, the leak closes. When the supply pump at the tank end starts dumping LPG into the line for delivery at the pumps, the pressure opens the crack enough for the leak to be smelled. Then, the repair guy discovers how and where the LPG is pumped.

Repair Guy: “You might want to check your basement.”

Manager: “Why?”

Repair Guy: “LPG is heavier than air, so it might have settled there from the leak.”

Manager: “I don’t like going down there. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Repair Guy: “Tell you what. Go down there with a lighter to check. If I’m wrong, you should be just fine.” 

It was discovered over that week when my manager wasn’t smelling it, there was a significant amount of LPG in the basement of the building just… sitting there!