Forecourt safety Competent persons

Transcription

1 Forecourt safety Competent persons > Name: >> Section 001 Forecourt safety >> Section 002 Competent persons

2 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 001 > Forecourt safety >> Petrol gives off flammable vapours at all normal temperatures. This means that any spark, flame or even hot surface could set off an explosion at worst, or a fire at least // ALL ENGINES MUST BE SWITCHED OFF BEFORE FILLING ALL RADIOS, LIGHTS AND SO FORTH MUST BE SWITCHED OFF > Remember, a source of ignition can be caused by... A car exhaust system - glowing solids in the exhaust gases A car engine - the sparking system battery operated devices, for example, MOBILE PHONES, must not be used on the forecourt as they are a potential source of ignition and electrical sparks. ensure customers ALWAYS PLACE CONTAINERS on the floor whilst filling. This will earth them properly against the problems of static electricity.

3 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 002 >> The vapour is heavier than air and, as a result, it will travel along the ground and collect in drains and hollows. In order for a fire or explosion to occur, three things must be present and it is convenient to show these in diagrammatic form as the // Triangle of Fire... // In our case... these diagrams as SOURCE OF IGNITION If we remove any one of these items from the triangle then the risk of Fire or Explosion disappears. Petrol is less dense than water. This means that petrol floats on water and it can be carried along by the water. FUEL = petrol vapour As it is carried along, of course, it is giving off vapour into the air so we have two of the three items of the Triangle of Fire present... FUEL and OXYGEN!! OXYGEN = present in the air HEAT = hot surface, flame, spark, etc. HEAT is sometimes shown on

4 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 003 >> Because of the danger of any petrol spill flowing into surface water via the drains, all sites are properly drained and the drains have an Interceptor System which prevents any petrol spillage being carried off site through sewers or through storm drains to open water. This is a multiple stage filtration system, which should be checked at regular intervals specified in your Health and Safety Risk Assessment. It should be cleaned out completely once a year by your regular contractor, or when a monthly check indicates so, or after a spillage. If petrol or diesel from a spill enters any drains or gullies then it will flow first into Interceptor 1 and, on your regular inspection of the Interceptors, if you see more than a surface film, arrange for its safe removal by your regular contractor before it goes any further. If it is a major spill, then it will eventually fill Interceptor 1 and siphon over into Interceptor 2. If you do not notice it before it fills Interceptor 3, then it will leave the site and you render the Company open to prosecution. Your Site Manager will ensure a monthly inspection has been carried out on... INTERCEPTORS MANHOLES ACO CHANNELS

5 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 004 We have, therefore, hazardous conditions on the forecourt. How hazardous is hazardous? How far away do you have to be from a potential source of ignition to be at a safe distance? BS EN defines hazardous zones as... areas where explosive gas-air mixture may be expected to be present in quantities which require special precautions to be taken against the risk of ignition. BS EN identifies 3 zones... Zone 0 in which an explosive atmosphere is present continuously, or for long periods or frequently. Zone 1 in which an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally. Zone 2 in which an explosive atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation but if it does occur will persist for a short period

6 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page metre (61 2 feet) radius in all directions of the open end of any storage tank vent pipe with or without vapour control and extending vertically down to ground level. >> Sources of ignition should be kept outside the hazardous zones, which are generally... Within any manhole chamber either containing or not containing direct or offset fill points or vapour connection points. 4 metre (13 feet) radius from manhole chambers with fill points or vapour connection points. 4 metre (13 feet) radius from above ground offset fill points or vapour connection points. 1 metre (3 feet ) radius in all directions of the open end of interceptor vent pipes. 4.1 metre (131 4 feet) radius from dispenser pumps. 4 metre radius from tanker discharge / vapour recovery connections. Within any pit, trench or depression below ground level wholly or partly in a Zone 1 or Zone 2 area.

7 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 006 Because of the complicated nature of the previous screens and the fact that the zones can varydependent on site conditions, it is simpler to consider... ALL AREAS OF THE FORECOURT IS A RESTRICTED (ZONED) AREA WITH NO SOURCES OF IGNITION ALLOWED. It is difficult to give definitive answers to what is hazardous and what is a safe distance. The weather conditions at the time in question can significantly alter any answers. However, to give you some help, there are a number of words with which you should be familiar. 1. Flash Point the lowest temperature at which a product gives off sufficient vapour which, when mixed with air, will create a flammable atmosphere. 2. Low Flash refers to a product which will ignite at low temperatures. 3. High Flash refers to a product which ignites at high temperatures only.

8 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 007 >> Clearly, a low flash product is more hazardous than a high flash product. But once ignited, the effect is the same! 4. Auto Ignition is when the vapour / air mixture is so hot that it will burst into flames without the application of a flame. The heat source could be radiated heat or from a hot surface. 5. Combustible Atmosphere is a ratio of vapour to air at which, when mixed together, can be ignited. You should always remember that petrol mixed with other products, for instance diesel, will dramatically reduce the flash point of that product. This will make them more flammable and more hazardous. This additional hazard is quite apart from the damage that petrol / diesel mix can do to vehicles catalytic converters and so on. It is important that you are aware of likely sources of fire on the forecourt 6. Flammable Limits are the range of a product vapour mixed with oxygen which are combustible. That is the mixture can be too lean or too rich to be combustible

9 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page engine overheating or on fire in a viechicle, 6 gas cylinders where these are kept on site 2 tyre fire due to overheating 7 petrol can fires where acustomer is filling an emergency supply 3 waste paper / litter bin fires usually causedby a cigarette butt 8 petrol spillage fires however caused 4 electrical fires in the shop, in the stores, or the pumps 9 tank vent fires 5 dashboard fires in a vechicle usually caused by an electrical fault

10 > Midland CO-OP >> Fourcourt Safety >> Section 001..Page 009 >> There are three categories of fire... A ordinary free burning material such as cloth, wood or paper B flammable liquids like paints, thinners, petrol or diesel fuel C flammable gases like butane or propane (LPG) >> There should be two types of fire extinguisher on your site each identified by colour. Water extinguishers should NOT be available for use on the forecourt.