Discussion
Quick trawl on web
First with a reply was Sue Horler from the communications department at BP;
“Regulations in the UK and a number of other European countries prohibit the use of the lever locking systems used in Germany and the United States which is why the mechanism has to be disabled on nozzles here. These regulations are aimed at controlling the limited risk of a fuel spillage caused by a nozzle falling out of the car or failing to cut off when the car is full and the risk of customers igniting petrol vapours in the area of the nozzle if a static electricity spark occurs when they return to pick up the nozzle once filling is completed.”
So far, so much as many of you suspected. Next up, a bit of historical context from Raymond Blake, the Head of Petroleum for London Fire Brigade;
“The guidance to remove latch pins and to ban any other method of latching dispenser nozzles serving petrol in the UK goes back to the introduction of self service petrol filling stations in the 1970s. The guidance is based on in depth scientific research, and there continues to be evidence that this is a fully justified control measure to ensure the safety of the public serving themselves with petrol in the UK.”
Finally, a response from Nick Vandervell of the UK Petroleum Industry Association Ltd which includes a more modern reason, based around environmental controls;
“The main concerns relate to overfill, possible increased static charge risk and efficient operation of vapour recovery systems on unleaded pumps required to have vapour recovery (ie making sure the nozzle maintains a tight fit in the neck of the filler).”
Question is, are we being over-cautious or are the Americans and Germans being cavalier with petrol station safety? And why is filling up still the single most boring thing a human being has to endure?
First with a reply was Sue Horler from the communications department at BP;
“Regulations in the UK and a number of other European countries prohibit the use of the lever locking systems used in Germany and the United States which is why the mechanism has to be disabled on nozzles here. These regulations are aimed at controlling the limited risk of a fuel spillage caused by a nozzle falling out of the car or failing to cut off when the car is full and the risk of customers igniting petrol vapours in the area of the nozzle if a static electricity spark occurs when they return to pick up the nozzle once filling is completed.”
So far, so much as many of you suspected. Next up, a bit of historical context from Raymond Blake, the Head of Petroleum for London Fire Brigade;
“The guidance to remove latch pins and to ban any other method of latching dispenser nozzles serving petrol in the UK goes back to the introduction of self service petrol filling stations in the 1970s. The guidance is based on in depth scientific research, and there continues to be evidence that this is a fully justified control measure to ensure the safety of the public serving themselves with petrol in the UK.”
Finally, a response from Nick Vandervell of the UK Petroleum Industry Association Ltd which includes a more modern reason, based around environmental controls;
“The main concerns relate to overfill, possible increased static charge risk and efficient operation of vapour recovery systems on unleaded pumps required to have vapour recovery (ie making sure the nozzle maintains a tight fit in the neck of the filler).”
Question is, are we being over-cautious or are the Americans and Germans being cavalier with petrol station safety? And why is filling up still the single most boring thing a human being has to endure?
After the Buncefield Disaster the UK was relatively quick to review and implement new safety standards. They focused on the prevention of overspill of gasoline in particular.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/news/buncefield/video-eviden...
Typically the UK does have tighter regulations than the US and the rest of the EU though the are catching up.
Certain areas in US, California in particular, are keen to develop and progress new technologies (VRU's etc.) and improve their safety records.
However on the whole the US are still a bit behind the times with their safety standards and attitudes towards maintenance of plant and operator training. A prime example of which is an explosion of Richmond Refinery where poor maintenance and badly trained firefighters resulted in the rupture of pipework in the refinery.
http://www.csb.gov/videos/chevron-richmond-refiner...
2.50 firefighter pokes a hole!
On a side note the South Africans have a very thorough attitude to firefighting. They assume that the local fire brigade cannot cope with a major incident and ensure that any bulk storage facility has a more robust fire fighting system than you would typically see in the UK or Europe.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/news/buncefield/video-eviden...
Typically the UK does have tighter regulations than the US and the rest of the EU though the are catching up.
Certain areas in US, California in particular, are keen to develop and progress new technologies (VRU's etc.) and improve their safety records.
However on the whole the US are still a bit behind the times with their safety standards and attitudes towards maintenance of plant and operator training. A prime example of which is an explosion of Richmond Refinery where poor maintenance and badly trained firefighters resulted in the rupture of pipework in the refinery.
http://www.csb.gov/videos/chevron-richmond-refiner...
2.50 firefighter pokes a hole!
On a side note the South Africans have a very thorough attitude to firefighting. They assume that the local fire brigade cannot cope with a major incident and ensure that any bulk storage facility has a more robust fire fighting system than you would typically see in the UK or Europe.
I used to work for Petro-Canada and I remember this being discussed in a "safety moment".
As I recall, the pumps at Canadian petrol stations don't have the latches either.
Canadians generally drive big trucks with huge tanks ... and it's usually cold.
As a result, it's not uncommon for people to carry a block of wood the right size to jam in between the trigger and the guard. They sit inside the truck while it's filling up.
The safety moment showed some CCTV of an overflow and subsequent ignition / explosion.
I think the "take home message" was something along the lines of "don't dick with equipment someone else has designed and assessed - it's probably like it is for a reason".
Edited to add - I think in the CCTV clip, the truck actually had the engine running while it was filling up unattended.
As I recall, the pumps at Canadian petrol stations don't have the latches either.
Canadians generally drive big trucks with huge tanks ... and it's usually cold.
As a result, it's not uncommon for people to carry a block of wood the right size to jam in between the trigger and the guard. They sit inside the truck while it's filling up.
The safety moment showed some CCTV of an overflow and subsequent ignition / explosion.
I think the "take home message" was something along the lines of "don't dick with equipment someone else has designed and assessed - it's probably like it is for a reason".
Edited to add - I think in the CCTV clip, the truck actually had the engine running while it was filling up unattended.
Edited by Kiltie on Friday 10th July 10:35
tonto1 said:
I usually take the petrol cap and wedge it in the pump handle! You do get some funny looks from people "Look no hands!!"
(funny you mention Canada, as it was a Canadian that showed me that trick)
Used to do similar with transits,but using ignition key . . Hand gets a bit sore on some sites when filling an 80L tank from near empty. (funny you mention Canada, as it was a Canadian that showed me that trick)
Gassing Station | Scotland | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff