This is the second excellent article we have been able to publish on our site from Delores.  We encourage you to read it as, though some details may vary slightly in relation to the States vs New Zealand, the safety advice is very relevant.  

Read Delores's other articles: [Safety at the Gaspumps] [A Valentine] [Hurting Angels] [Tragedy at a Night Club] [College Fires & Staying Safe] [How Safe Is Our Clothing?] [Preventing Heating Related Fires]

Thank you, Delores' for permission to publish these on our site.  We appreciate you.   

Safety at the Gas Pumps

Whose Responsibility Is It?

By Delores Lekowski
Author of  The Hurting Angels

When you think about it, pumping gas is a really dangerous thing to do, and in all but two states (New Jersey and Oregon), self-service is the way most people gas up their cars (unless they want to pay a LOT more to have a station attendant do it). Most people can recite the rules for pumping gas safely -- and for those who don’t, there are signs posted right at the pumps. The rules include, from an American Petroleum Institute (API) fact sheet called "Staying Safe at the Pump":

• Keep gasoline away from ignition sources like heat, sparks and flame

• Never smoke around gasoline

• Shut off the vehicle’s engine when refueling

• Store gasoline only in approved containers

The question of whether using a cell phone while refueling, or anywhere an ignitable atmosphere may exist, is the subject of some debate. Apparently the risk is remote, but there is a risk, so why take the chance at all? I don’t use my cell phone at the pumps and I don’t think it’s wise to ignore signs that prohibit cell phone use anywhere.

Preventing the buildup of static electricity is also a factor in safe refueling. Until I did research for this article, I wasn’t aware that static electricity could cause a fire at the gas pumps, especially in cool or cold and dry climate conditions. Among the tips that API and others provide to reduce static electricity are the following (note: the Petroleum Equipment Institute has a section of its website devoted to static electricity at http://www.pei.org/static/index.htm ):

• Avoid getting back into your vehicle during refueling, even when using the nozzle’s hold-open latch. If you can’t avoid getting back into the vehicle, always first touch a metal part of the vehicle, such as the door, away from the gas tank after you exit the vehicle before touching to the nozzle.

• Place portable containers on the ground during filling, and keep the nozzle in contact with the container. Never fill a container in or on a vehicle.

• Manually control the nozzle valve throughout the filling process, and fill a portable container slowly to decrease the chance of static buildup and to minimize spilling or splattering.

Clearly, as consumers we have a big responsibility to maintain as safe an environment as possible when we gas up our vehicles. But, we have all seen our fellow refuelers do some careless, ignorant and downright stupid things in direct violation of these safety rules. This puts not only themselves, but also the other customers and gas station employees in danger. As a burn survivor who doesn’t want to re-live the horror of being burned again, I have some opinions about this.

And so we come to a big pet peeve of mine: NEVER have I seen a gas station employee intervene to stop this dangerous conduct. Could it be they aren’t aware of the dangers themselves? Did their training consist only of counting a drawer and running a register? Do they feel they’re not getting paid enough to give a darn about safety?

This is where the oil companies need to shoulder their share of the responsibility for safety at the pumps. Putting up signs is fine, and probably covers them in the event that they’re slapped with a lawsuit, but it’s not nearly enough. They need to train their employees to recognize unsafe pumping practices of their customers and give them the authority to intervene before tragedy occurs. Employees can talk to us over a loud speaker to inform us how to use the pumps, but I have never heard them tell a customer to immediately stop fueling and put out their cigarette or turn off their vehicle. People who decide the rules don’t pertain to them should not be permitted to get away with putting the rest of us in danger.

How can the oil companies ensure our safety? What is the answer to stopping the dangerous carelessness of others? For starters, when the posted signs are ignored, an employee should intervene. If employees can turn on the pumps from their workstations, they can turn also them off from their workstations. When an employee sees someone committing an unsafe act while pumping gas, they should shut down their pump and tell the customer, via way of speaker, why their pump has been shut off. Once someone has had their pump shut down a few times, it wouldn’t be long before they follow the posted signs. 

Just as the oil industry has a right to make a profit off of us, we have the right to insist that our safety is a foremost concern of this industry. Safety at the pumps is their responsibility, too. 

Read Delores's other articles: [Safety at the Gaspumps] [A Square Box] [A Valentine] [Hurting Angels] [Tragedy at a Night Club] [College Fires & Staying Safe] [How Safe Is Our Clothing?] [Preventing Heating Related Fires]

You can download and personalise, with your child's name,  Delores E-Book, "The Hurting Angels" from this site.  To visit Delores own site: www.thehurtingangels.com