An advantage to plastic pipe is that it can be squeezed to temporarily stop the flow of natural gas. This is a common way to cut off gas flow to a plastic pipe that is leaking. Pipe is squeezed using a tool called a squeezer. The pipe and the squeezer are grounded and wet burlap is wrapped around the pipe to prevent static charges that could ignite gas leaks. The pipe is squeezed slowly to minimize the risk of damage to the plastic. When the downstream leak is repaired, the squeezer is removed and plastic pipe will restore to near round and be able to continue its use. Small-diameter distribution steel pipelines are sometimes squeezed to control gas flow during an emergency, but the steel pipe does not return to round and must be replaced.