Empowering Safety and Awareness: Htec's Journey in Hydrogen Fueling Station Development and Public Education Initiatives.

HTEC opened Canada’s first hydrogen retail fueling station in June 2018. Since then, the company has opened 4 more stations in British Columbia and has about 20 stations in the planning and development stages. HTEC has accumulated valuable expertise in safe fueling station design and operation supported by a safety-first corporate culture and is now looking for ways to educate the public and normalize the use of hydrogen fuel.

HTEC proposes to provide an overview of the best practices to keep our hydrogen fueling stations safe and initiate discussions about the role of public education in ensuring safety, focusing on three key elements:

• Ensuring safety through design and engineering: Employ proper engineering controls, including materials selection and equipment design, to minimize hydrogen-related risks, and follow recognized engineering standards and guidelines in the design of hydrogen systems.
  
• The importance of a strong safety culture: Implement training and campaigns within the organization to educate employees and contractors, foster a culture of open communication regarding safety issues and promote accountability.

• The challenges of educating the public and stakeholders: How can the hydrogen industry collaboratively dispel misconceptions about its safety? This could involve initiatives such as coordinated awareness campaigns, community engagement, demonstration projects, and school programs.

The presentation will showcase our on-ground experience and learnings around hydrogen safety to help the industry collectively grow, but also how it involves instilling a strong safety culture for our employees and contractors.