Extreme Driving Conditions Require Extreme Safety 

In the last thirty-six years, he says he has experienced or seen everything that can happen on the road. Meet Joe Quinn, a truck driver who delivers industrial gases to customers in eastern Pennsylvania, southern Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York City and Long Island, New York.

Each morning, Joe loads his trailer and fires up his portable data terminal—a handheld computer that logs information used to improve delivery scheduling and generate customer invoices. He also completes a safety inspection of his truck. Then he repeats those three major tasks at least once, sometimes twice, each workday. He describes the company's attitude toward safety as "extreme," but quickly adds, "That's a good thing." Not a surprising comment, considering it comes from someone who drives in one of the nation's most congested areas. Joe considers getting through the day safely as the most challenging part of his job. But despite the challenges, he recently completed one million miles without a preventable accident—a career highlight that took 15 years to accomplish.

Like all our employees, Joe has many customers. There's the end-user of our products, of course, and taking good care of these customers is a primary responsibility. He is especially proud of Air Products' post-9/11 effort, when he and others delivered gases used in the repair of underground power lines damaged in the attacks. Joe also includes fellow motorists among his customers. "It's about showing the respect you want and giving everybody plenty of room," says Joe.