The Bulletin Magazine - March 2011 by apeauk

The Bulletin

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

March 2011

Chairman’s Report

Editor’s Report

Brian Baker Editor 52 Milton Grove

Business Manager’s Report

Bletchley

Obituary

Milton Keynes

New APEA Members

MK3 5BH

News

Press Releases

tel:

+44 (0) 1908 252332

fax:

+44 (0) 1908 252319

mob:

+44 (0) 7932 785166

email: Bakerb4@sky.com

Articles Jamie Thompson

APEA 2011 AGM, Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner

The Environmental Damage Regulations (2009)Explained

Removing the Bio Confusion

Modes of Petrol Forecourt Operation New Guidance Presentation at the Conference at APEA 2010 Live

Ask The Experts

Interview with Phil Lambeth - Enginneer, BP’s Global Fuels Technology Team

Publishing Chairman 70 Wangford Road Reydon

CONTENTS AND EDITORIAL

Southwold Suffolk IP18 6NX Tel/fax: +44 (0) 1502 722999 Mobile: +44 (0) 7770 625851 email: jamie@jamiethompson.org.uk

APEA Yearbook 2012 Entry Instructions

Good Housekeeping - Fuel Storage

Risky Business

Jane Mardell Business Manager PO Box 106

Storing and Dispensing Fuel in High Risk Areas Presentation at the Conference at APEA 2010 Live

Saffron Walden Essex CB11 3XT

Branches Branch reports

Training 2011 course dates and booking details

United Kingdom Tel/fax: +44 (0) 845 603 5507 Mobile: +44 (0) 7815 055514 email: admin@apea.org.uk

Front Cover - F.Magri & Son Service Station, Luqa, near Valettas, Malta and shows a “Gull Wing” canopy Published by the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration A company Limited by Guarantee registered in England No. 2261600Opinions expressed in this Journal are not necessarily the views of the Association.

Welcome to the first bulletin of

challenging! It is not only local

2011, may I take this opportunity to

authorities that are feeling the strain;

wish all members of the association

it will be a very challenging year

a very happy and prosperous new

financially for all companies as costs

year.

rise and budgets fall. I hope that all

2010 certainly left us with a bang

of our members from all sectors of

and the severe weather conditions

the industry will tighten their belts

experienced

sufficiently to make the year a

during

December

were challenging to say the least, with most people throughout the

success for all. It is good to see that the effort to

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

country struggling to travel and

attract

work. The APEA were affected in the

continued. I, following on from

fact that we had to cancel 3

previous Chairmen, have a hope

training courses at short notice due

that the APEA will continue to

to the conditions and with the safety

attract even more members from

of people travelling in mind, and I

diverse countries throughout the

would like to thank the delegates for

world, the latest being a Fire Officer

their understanding and support of

from South Sudan, who contacted

our decision. We have rescheduled

me in my capacity as Head of

the courses for early 2011 and

Petroleum (Enforcement) of the

weather permitting they will go

London Fire Brigade asking for

ahead as planned.

advice. I sent various documents to

Another challenging aspect of

him

overseas

that

members

requested

has

and

2010 which will be felt for this year

directed him to the association

and perhaps years to come is the

website and was pleased to see

public spending review. The money

that he has now joined. We also

allocated to local authorities has

receive requests from overseas for

been severely cut and this will reflect

technical comments/queries and

in the budgets available for the

enquiries about our training services,

departments that carry out the

long may this continue. Last year’s APEA live 2010 was a

legislation. Worrying times indeed as

great success and I am delighted

published March/April 2011. This has been a challenging task for all members of the revision panels and has provoked lengthy discussions and meetings. The revision is eagerly awaited and will prove to be a valuable tool for all involved within the

petroleum

industry

and

definitely a “must have”. As you will be

aware,

all

members

who

renewed their membership for 2011 before March will be entitled to a free copy of the guide. I would like to extend my personal thank you to everyone involved in the revision panels for their input, hard work and their patience during this quite lengthy process - all this

petroleum

enforcement

completion and will hopefully be

work is very much appreciated. My final thoughts for this Bulletin are that I hope that the APEA

the level of inspections that are

that F2F events will once again be

carried out in my opinion are an

organising the 2011 conference,

mantra continues to hold true and

important part of public safety and

exhibition and dinner. This will be

that

any reduction in these could well

once again the foremost event

working together” will continue to

prove to be disastrous. Within the

within the industry so please check

London area we collate statistics

the website for details and you

association. In my role as a regulator

regarding notifiable incidents; up to

should be reminded that it is wise to

it is important that we work with all

the time of writing this article we

book early for this event as the best

aspects of the industry as this will

have received 48 notifications of

tables do tend to go early!

make all of our working lives easier. I

“industry at

the

and forefront

regulators of

the

Also please consider the awards

would like to say that my Authority’s

operational

that, once again, will form an

inspectors are easily approachable

attendance of the London Fire

important part of the event; these

for advice and I would urge people

Brigade, all these incidents could

awards are coveted within the

to make contact with the petroleum

have had serious consequences

industry and I would encourage all

licensing authority wherever you are

had no inspection regime been in

to consider an entry for this year;

working prior to any work being

place. At the time of writing this my

once again please check the

carried out;

own department have been asked

website for details.

much easier for all concerned.

serious incidents in 2010 which required

the

to make substantial savings and balancing the books is proving to be 4

The long awaited 2nd revision of the

“Blue

Book”

nearing

this can make life so

Finally I wish all of you a safe and happy 2011.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year. It is that

understand that one of their first stops was a clothing store to purchase suitable attire for their week’s stay in freezing conditions. What was interesting is that I was invited to speak about how we regulate and inspect our petrol service stations as they, as a country, are looking to revise their current state laws, bearing in mind that all 10,000 sites in Thailand operate as attended service with very few modern sites that have the standards we take for granted in Europe. The delegation were a delight to meet and felt that the meeting was constructive and I was able to see that another corporate membership was achieved that I hope will see a long and meaningful relationship in the years ahead. I spoke of weather and apparently, December was the coldest on record with an abundance of snow across the UK and many parts of Europe. This created a lot of work for our 9,000 plus petrol service stations in the use of grit being applied to many of our forecourt surfaces. This was fine until there was a large spillage on a site in West Sussex that saw all the drainage channels and interceptors choked with washed away grit causing an overflow!

Please

remember

that

and at the time of writing we are hitting close to £1.30 pence a litre! This is at a level never heard of and coupled with all other tightening measures puts a squeeze on all parts of our sector and I hope we see this through quickly and a return to more fluid times! So, a depressing start but being a sports

lover

cannot

resist

mentioning that our cricketers not only kept the Ashes in Australia, we romped home in the series by a comfortable margin. There – I have just upset our member’s down under – sorry guys – I think you will pay me back somehow. Until a warmer and sunnier next time. Brian

only

members that complete the online

payments and start of the next

process

Yearbook for 2012.

Yearbook. Full

On page 53 of this issue of the

the constant increase in fuel prices

from scratch.

time of year again, for membership

2012 Yearbook

Another burning topic has been

are

included

registration

the

instructions

are

detailed on page 53 of this issue.

Bulletin you will find instructions on how

for

the

2012

You can also benefit from the following if you wish to advertise in

Yearbook. This year anyone who registered

the Yearbook:

• Any advertiser taking out a full page advert in the 2012 Yearbook

online for the 2011 diary will be able to update their details for the 2012

• All existing ‘Bulletin’ advertisers

is entitled to a website banner free

one, so making it easier for you

receive a 50% discount off the

of charge from April 2011 to April

rather than having to enter them

2012 Yearbook rates

2012 on the APEA website

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

EDITOR’S REPORT/BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT

Well 2011 has arrived after what has been a difficult year for the downstream industry in both the public and private sectors. And whilst the latter has been in decline for the last two years or so, it is now the turn of the public sector to bear the brunt of cut backs and austerity. Perhaps we will see how the public sector operates change forever, as local authorities are “enablers” and do not necessarily need to deliver services, so I suspect the term “out sourcing” will be rife in the coming months. We shall see but there are flickering signs of optimism so maybe I am being too pessimistic. The Association, however, is in good shape with an increase in our membership over the past year to a record level. We continue to improve what we cover and work has been taking place in improving the web site which never fails to amaze me as to the number of “hits” we get each month from all over the world. Talking in international terms, I was very fortunate to be invited by one of our Corporate member companies, E & S Environmental to meet a trade delegation from Thailand in December when they arrived at Heathrow airport in London the same time as the first batch of snow arrived in the UK. I

• All APEA members are eligible for one free entry in the Petroleum

advertisers too, especially in these

training at a discounted rate and at

difficult economic times.

a time and location suitable to

Company Contacts section name

Remember that if you book in all

listings and one in the Trade

four issues you receive a 25%

If you are interested in hosting a

Directory section, please select

discount and we are able to offer

bespoke course for your company

the

discounts for those of you that wish

please do not hesitate to contact

to book for more than one issue but

me for a quote.

relevant

Trade

Directory

heading when registering

less than four issues.

2011 Membership 3rd Edition Blue Book

We can offer discounted rates for

You will also receive a 50% discount on Yearbook advertising

Thanks to all of you that renewed your membership by 1st January. If

for the 2012 issue. you

would

these courses if you are able to provide a venue and catering. You can book online from the

book

Training page on the APEA website

you have not already done this I

advertising in the Bulletin for 2011,

or you can download a booking

would be grateful if you can make

please call me on 0845 603 5507 or

form from our website training page;

your payment for 2011 as soon as

email me at admin@apea.org.uk for

just click on the course you are

possible.

a booking form.

interested in and the course details

This will help reduce the

them.

number of reminders that I send out

and form are displayed or please

Publications

each year.

contact me by email or by phone

BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT

This can be made via the APEA

The current edition of the Blue

website on the ‘Membership’ page,

Book is available at the discounted

by cheque or by credit card.

rate of £40 to APEA members. If you wish to purchase a copy

will be printed in March/April and will

please contact me on 0845 603 5507

also be available to purchase and

and I will be able to provide you with

download in pdf format from the

details on how to purchase. The

guide

currently

being

All members that have paid their

revised and will be printed in

2011 membership fee by 1st March

March/April and will be available to

will receive one free hard copy of

purchase and download from the

the Blue Book.

APEA website. As I mentioned

As usual you can pay via the APEA

before only members renewing their

website at www.apea.org.uk or by

2011 membership by 1st March will

cheque or credit card.

receive one free hard copy.

member will automatically receive membership to the APEA.

New Members There

have

been

new

members joining during September, October and November and details can be found on page 9.

Website The new website is now up and

We also publish the Code of

Bulletin - articles/news items

Also anyone booking a training course now, that is not an APEA

The revised Blue Book 3rd Edition

APEA website.

and I can email you a copy.

Practice for Ground floor, multi

running and I hope you find it easier to navigate. The website continues to be a

Thank you to all of you that have

storey and underground car parks.

contributed to this issue of The

This can be downloaded directly

useful site for information and to

Bulletin.

from the APEA website.

make

Please send me any news items, press releases or articles for the June 2011 issue and I will pass them on to

online

bookings

and

payments. I am glad so many of you are using it.

Training Thanks to all of you that have

our Editor for approval. The deadline

booked

for final copy is 1st April.

courses.

the

APEA

training

If you wish to contribute anything to the site please email it to me for review.

We are always pleased to receive

The 2011 dates are detailed on

contributions from our members and

page 70 of this issue of the Bulletin

it ensures that the Bulletin remains an

and are also on the APEA website at

Finally if any of you need any

interesting and informative read.

www.apea.org.uk where you can

assistance with general or technical

book online or download a booking

matters, please do not hesitate to

form.

contact me on 0845 603 5507 and I

Bulletin - 2011 Advertising Thanks to all of you that renewed

can

your advertising for the 2011 issues of

courses

the Bulletin and thanks to new

enables

also for

arrange

bespoke

companies,

members

General Assistance

will endeavour to help.

which receive

Jane

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Again,

our

thanks

Dear Mr. Baker, I am writing on behalf of Flowco Limited and our UK associates Adler and Allan Company and E & S Environmental Services Limited - to extend our thanks and appreciation for the time you spent with the DOEB / Flowco delegation on their recent trip to England.

All delegates appreciated the time and knowledge you shared with them at such short notice (and in such inclement weather!). We are optimistic that this meeting and exchange of ideas will lead to amendments to our local regulations that will enhance safety at service stations in Thailand.

Detailed below are new members

Arthur Phillips

Sean Stanhope

that have recently joined the APEA

Flowco Limited

JSM Developments Ltd

during October, November and

254 Soi Lad Phraw 107

78 Wansford Road

December.

Bangkok

Driffield

10240

East Yorkshire YO25 5NN

trip. Yours sincerely Arthur Phillips. Thailand Ministry of Energy - Dept. of Energy Business.

Thailand

Nicholas Moore

Andy Smith

Electrical Services Leicester Ltd

Steven Kite

Westmorland Ltd

Unit 4 72-76 Friday Street

Kent County Council

Orton

Leicester LE1 3BW

Trading Standards

Penrith

Ashford

Cumbria CA11 3SB

David Ian James

Kent TN24 8AS

48 Heol Rhosyn Clasemont Parc Swansea SA6 6EP

Graham James Davies Paul Nichols SIPC 3 Hope Cottages Ham Lane

Allan Manning NCT Services Ltd 46 Soane Street Basildon Essex SS131QU Linda Gray Environmental Health & Trading Standards Glasgow City Council Glasgow G1 1RX

your

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/NEW APEA MEMBERS

October

for

valuable contribution to this study

Clevedon BS216XF Ken Johnson ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Centre Warwick CV34 6DB Robin Lee Robin Lee Ltd 90 Clipstone Road West Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG19 0HL

27 Pentre doc y Gogledd Millennium Quay Llanelli Carmarthenshire SA15 David Morris 7 Vyrnwy Close Glascoed Park Wrexham LL11 4YS November Michael Pendlebury J S Pendlebury & Son 5 Wolseley Road Rugeley Staffs WS15 2QH

Bruno Boroewitsch

Cem Avci

com-a-tec GmbH

ELC Group Engineering and

Krebsgraben 15

Consultancy Ltd

Laura Bloxsome

Villingen-Schwenningen

Kavacik Mh. Sehit Polis Mustafa

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service

Baden-Württemberg

Yazici Sk

Potters Bar Fire Station

78048

Istanbul

Potters Bar

Germany

34810

Herts EN6 2HF

Turkey Christine Waddingham

Helen Rounce Welcome Break

Roy Milne

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service

2 Vantage Court

Ramco Electrotechnical Ltd

Potters Bar Fire Station

Milton Keynes

17a Balgownie Road

Potters Bar

Bucks MK16 9EZ

Aberdeen AB23 8JN

Herts EN6 2HF

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Etienne Scerri

December

Eugene Harrington

OHS 4 SME

Andrew Woolnough

Harrington Electrical Services Ltd.

32, Pepprina, Triq tal-Mentna

1a Kensal Road

93 Ringsend Road

Mqabba

Victoria Park

Dublin D4

Bristol BS3 4QX

Ireland

David Olive

Somnouk Iamkamphaeng

5, Holden Fold

752 Ladphrao 47 (Sapan 2)

Royton, Oldham

Ladphrao Road, Sapangsong

Lancashire OL2 5BY

Bangkok

MQB 1820, Malta Barry Onions 12 Ovington View Bewick Grange Prudhoe

10310

Northumberland NE42 6RG

Debra Williams

Thailand

North Somerset Council Nick Topham

Somerset House

Tony Bartle

104 Uplands Avenue

Weston super Mare

Tony Bartle Ltd

Connahs Quay

North SomersetBS23 1TG

The Old George Whitwell

FlintshireCH5 4LG Chris Christophi

Derbyshire S80 4QZ

CJC Alltech Consulting Services Ltd

John Pittwood 26 Dene Ave Kingswinford DY6 9TL

12 Ayias Zonis Str.

R Murali

Limassol, 3027

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation

Cyprus

Ltd 8,S.V.Marg

NEWS

Philip Parkin

David Hartle

Mumbai 400 001

Johnson Controls

Hartle Ltd

India

Johnson Controls Unit 1 Kesteral

Drakes Court

Road

Birmingham

Anthony Scarry

Manchester M17 1SF

Warwickshire B47 6JR

APS Consulting & Engineering Ltd

David Barber

John Jackson

Mountbellew

Harvey Shopfitters Limited

Blenheim Systems

Galway

Carrickarnon, Dundalk

Ireland

11 Ashbrook Close

19 Common Road

Louth

Bristol

Ireland

South Glos BS153LL

Graham Styles GadSolutions.biz

Robert Pillar

Orchard Cottage, Withyham

Tim Hinds

Devon County Council Trading

Sussex TN7 4DB

63 Roseacres

Standards Service

Takeley

21 Devon Square

Peter Fergie

Bishops Stortford

Newton Abbot

North Lanarkshire Council

Herts CM22 6QZ

Devon TQ12 2HR

Trading Standards

Alan Morgan

Robert Cardew

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service

Gloucestershire Trading Standards

Richard Millar

Service

Complete Fire Safety

Hillfield House

160 Hobs Moat Rd

Gloucester

Solihull

Gloucestershire GL1 3LD

West Midlands B92 8PH

Motherwell ML1 1SX

Potters Bar Fire Station Potters Bar Herts EN6 2HF David Gould

K Alflatt CC Cousins Ltd

Anyak Deng

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service

Eagle House, Sir Thomas Longley

Fire Brigade

Potters Bar Fire Station

Road

South Sudan

Potters Bar

Rochester

Juba, Bar Jebel

Herts EN6 2HF

Kent ME2 4DU

+249 Sudan

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

A petrol tanker was seconds away from a potential disaster when its brakes

seized

Birmingham

busy

motorway

December. The driver of the vehicle managed to pull over on the southbound carriageway of the M42, between junctions five and four, when he noticed smoke issuing from his Road Tanker. Fire crews from Bickenhill, and Solihull and Billesley were sent to the scene in case of a fire, but all three lanes remained open. Fire-fighter

required for ignition in a practical

French energy giant, and Murco

situation, as a guide for incident

Petroleum, which is owned by the

ignition assessments. A description of

American company Murphy Oil

the types and purposes of most of

Corporation.

the various designs of IBC currently

If successful, the private equity

available is included, in particular

group intends to merge the two

those designed for zone 1 and zone

networks into a company that

2 usages.

would rival BP‘s UK network in terms

Contact Details:

of sheer size, according to my

Bennett

Health

and

Safety

sources. The required investment,

Laboratory

Harpur

Hill

Buxton

which would probably amount to

well over £1bn and possibly as much

Derbyshire SK17 9JN

as £2bn, would be partly-funded by

UK, Isle of Man, Douglas. Island could lose Total petrol stations

capital from Blackstone‘s real estate and private equity funds, they added. People close to the situation

The “brakes

Five Total petrol stations in the Isle

were smoking and the driver wasn‘t

of Man could be sold. The proposal

sure if they were on fire”. “The

is part of a review of the company’s

motorway was quite busy at the

UK operations. In a media statement

time. I think it was quite scary for

the fuel provider said: “Total UK can

him.”

confirm it is undertaking a strategic

Robert Mann said:

review

UK, Derbyshire. Electrostatic risks associated with plastic containers

electrostatic risks associated with a selection of commonly available plastic containers ranging in size to

1000l

Intermediate Bulk Containers, and manufactured from a variety of

part

this

review

the company added: “Total are in the start of a sale process, of which the Isle of Man is part of. The company is considering a sale of downstream operations in the UK of which the Isle of Man business is an asset.” There are 12 Total petrol stations in the Island of which Total own five and serve seven. If the sale goes through it would include the

materials. The containers are assessed by measuring the amount of charge transferred from their surfaces in an electrostatic discharge, after being charged by rubbing with the most suitable

downstream

assets in the UK.” A spokesman for

contains an assessment of the

bottles

considering the sale of its marketing

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

50ml

its

operations.

This report, sponsored by the

from

materials

for

optimum

network of petrol stations and home heating oil service.

cautioned

that

there

was

certainty that Blackstone would be successful in its bid for either of the two networks and that other bidders were interested in both sets of assets. There are 780 Total-branded petrol stations in Britain, most of which are directly-owned by the French company. Murco has more than 460 forecourts, according to the company‘s website, many of which

have

Cost

Cutter

convenience stores on-site. Both companies have put their UK retail assets on the market as part of plans to refocus on their core upstream (essentially discovering and

extracting

oil)

businesses.

Blackstone‘s plot to become a significant player in petrol retailing is both a property play and an effort to tap into Britain‘s fast-growing convenience retail sector, I am told. And if it is successful with both bids, it would hand it control of 1240 petrol

UK, London. Blackstone eyes petrol retail empire

stations,

which

would

make

slightly larger than BP, which has 1200 sites.

charging. The charge transfer values

Blackstone, the private equity firm,

Blackstone has in recent years

obtained can then be compared to

is drawing up secret plans to

become one of the most visible

maximum

for

become one of Britain‘s biggest fuel

investors in the UK. It either has

different gas groups contained in

retailers by tabling offers to buy

owned or does own companies as

EN13463-1:2001. Incendivity tests

more than 1000 petrol stations from

diverse as Southern Cross, the

were

the

two major international operators. I

healthcare group, United Biscuits,

discharges from the containers,

can reveal that Blackstone has

the owner of Hula Hoops and Jaffa

which give an indication of typical

tabled

the

Cakes, and Merlin Entertainments,

amounts of charge transfer actually

forecourt operations of Total, the

which counts Madame Tussauds

also

permitted

values

conducted

separate

bids

for

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

NEWS

UK, Birmingham. Petrol tanker in M42 scare

among its assets. Goldman Sachs is

One man was airlifted to Bristol's

and other components. John Davis,

overseeing the auction of Murco‘s

Frenchay Hospital with serious burns.

managing director of Cyrus Energy,

UK downstream assets, while JP

Two were treated for minor burns.

which manufactures a range of

Morgan

Total

The explosion happened at the

advanced

other

Pullman Fleet Services garage on

products, says it is easier than most

prospective buyers for some of the

the Kingsway Business Park. The

people think for bio diesel to

assets

Health and Safety Executive has

become contaminated. – “Many

begun an investigation.

large scale users of bio diesel are

auction.

handling Among

are

the the

reported

Greenergy, a privately-owned fuel

UK, London. Prosecution resulting from Buncefield explosion It is over five years since Britain was rocked by a huge explosion at the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in Hertfordshire. On 11 December 2005, vapour from thousands of gallons of petrol ignited causing an explosion measuring 2.4 on the Richter Scale. It was Britain's most costly industrial disaster, destroying nearby businesses and leaving 43

NEWS

people injured. The cost of the disaster was estimated at more than £1 billion and

investigation

HSE

concluded that a series of failings by a number of companies led to the build up of the petrol vapour and caused the resulting explosion. A four month trial at St Alban's Crown Court concluded in July 2010, with five companies being found guilty of a number of health and safety and environmental

offences

conditioning

The garage where the incident

underestimating the amount of

happened is a subsidiary of the

damage that can be done”, he

logistics firm Wincanton, carrying out

says. – “It is not just the physical

vehicle repairs. A statement from

damage to tanks and pipework but

the

distributor. Blackstone declined to comment.

fuel

company

said:

“All

three

financial

implications

employees were treated in hospital

underground fuel tanks becoming

and our immediate concerns are for

contaminated.” “You only need the watercourse

them and their families. investigation

to leak or someone to lift the lid on

team is on site and will be working

the tank when it‘s raining for water

with the authorities to investigate

to get in. It‘s as simple as that and if

the cause of the explosion.” A

it gets left untreated you get

Gloucestershire police spokesman

contamination and bacteria.” Bio

said: “A 52-year-old man from

diesel can provide the perfect

Dymock

air

environment for bacterial bugs to

ambulance to Frenchay where he

thrive as it has the potential to

was treated for injuries described as

increase the amount of water held

“life-changing”.

in suspension within the fuel, which in

“The

Wincanton

was

taken

“Two men, a 33-year-old from

turn creates a rich food source for

Cinderford, and a 32-year-old from

bacteria to grow and the constant

Innsworth,

need to clean blocked filters.

were

taken

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with

According to Davis, the solution is to keep tanks and pipes clean and

minor burns.”

free of water, as well as provide

UK, London. Take action to avoid microbial contamination of biodiesel

regular treatment with a reliable biocide

eliminate

bacterial

growth. One such product is Cyrus Energy‘s Eradicate Fuel Biocide, which is successfully used by a large number of commercial operators to

and

Following a sharp rise in reports of

ordered to pay a total of £9.5 million

the microbiological contamination

contamination found in fuel oil, fuel

in fines and costs. One of the

of bio fuels, the managing director

storage

companies involved is currently

of a leading fuel biocide producer is

distribution systems. It works by killing

appealing against conviction and

urging fishing boat operators and

bacteria and it may also be applied

sentencing.

other large-scale users of bio diesel

to fuel on a preventive basis so pre-

to be aware of this serious and

empting any potential problems.

UK, Gloucester. Three injured in garage gas explosion

expensive problem that can easily be prevented.

eliminate

microbiological tanks,

bilges

and

fuel

Cyrus also provide treatments that have the ability to disperse water in

The introduction of bio diesel into

storage

tanks

containing

standard road diesel has resulted in

hydrocarbon fuel, thus eliminating

hospital following an explosion at a

involving

the conditions that allow microbes

garage in Gloucester. The fire

microbial contamination, which can

to grow and reducing corrosion. It

service said the blast was believed

cause the accumulation of harmful

mixes easily and quickly and holds

to have been caused by fumes from

sludge in fuel filters and physical

microscopic

an oxyacetylene tank igniting.

damage to tanks, pipework, hoses

suspension so that they are not

Three people were treated in

surge

incidents

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

water

particles

This removes the water particles as

worth about $2bn (£1.24bn). An

supplied with materials. For the UK to

Exxon spokeswoman answered the

trade its way out of recession its

company did not comment on

supply chains need to be cost

performance, reduces emissions

speculation

firm

competitive and its roads must

and

intended to keep investing in the

provide reliable routes to market.

region.

Neither is achieved by a tax base

fuel

used,

improves

dramatically

engine

reduces

the

conditions in which bacteria can grow.

Davis

says:

–

but

said

the

spiralling well above inflation.”

“Such

Exxon and other oil companies,

preventative measures are easy to

including BP and Royal Dutch Shell,

Brian Madderson, chairman of the

carry out and can save huge

have been selling assets in the North

Retail Motor Industry Federation,

expenditure in terms of eradicating

Sea in recent years, to focus more

who has appealed to the Prime

costly repairs and time lost from

on other locations such as Angola

Minister to scrap this year’s planned

expensive equipment not being

and

fuel duty rises, said: “It is way too

operational. Such biocides are easy

September Exxon and Shell said they

much tax they are taking. I am really

to apply and can make a real

planned to sell their interest in the

concerned that Government is

difference.”

Corvette field platform in the North

abusing the motorist and small

Sea.

businesses as well.”

UK, Shetland Islands. Man hurt at Girlsta after car collides with fuel tanker

the

Gulf

Mexico.

On its Scottish petrol stations,

The Association of British Drivers

Exxon said it was “testing a new

urged motorists to boycott out-of-

business

would

town shopping centres and multi-

involve the group selling its Esso-

screen cinema complexes next

owned retail sites to wholesalers but

weekend in protest at rising fuel

was in a crash with a fuel tanker at

keeping

costs.

Girlsta in December. The main road

continuing

had to be closed for about an hour

company spokeswoman said: “We

while

other

are currently in the bidding process

emergency services dealt with the

with a number of interested buyers.”

A man was injured after his car

the

police

and

accident. The 27-year-old car driver was taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital for treatment. The tanker driver was not hurt and nobody else was involved. The

model”

the

which

Esso

brand

supply

fuel.

and The

East

Midlands

regional

coordinator Keith Peat said: “Simply by not doing something that we do daily we can make a point. Can you imagine up and down the country retail car parks being empty?”

UK, Petrol rises will ruin UK fuel retailers and hauliers Britain’s

fragile

A fuel duty rise of 1p a litre is planned for each April between 2011 and 2014. Once inflation is factored in, the rise this April could

economic

be 4p, the Retail Motor Industry

tanker was reported to be laden

recovery is under threat from a

with aviation fuel when the crash

“perfect storm” of rising oil prices

happened at around 10.30am. The

Fuel duty rose now by 0.76p a litre

and increases in fuel duty which will

police are looking for witnesses.

and VAT will climb to 20 per cent on

see costs soar over the next three

Although drivers are having to be

Tuesday. This week’s double tax

years. David Cameron was urged to

careful in the snow, particularly

whammy will trigger record prices of

abandon

tax

during the ongoing showers, there

128.9p a litre for unleaded petrol on

increases in the pipeline, which

have

average and 132.9p for diesel. Some

could add another 4p a litre to

blockages.

forecourts are charging much more.

petrol prices in April, on top of this

The AA estimates the latest tax

UK, Scotland, Glasgow. Exxon Mobil mulls sale of Esso fuel stations

week’s 3.5p rise.

been

reported

road

the

“disastrous”

Federation said.

increases will add more than £34 to

It is feared cash-strapped Hauliers

the monthly fuel costs of a two-car

and petrol stations could go to the

family.

wall and many families will be

under pressure from higher prices for

unable to afford to run their cars.

food and other goods and services.

Oil giant ExxonMobil has said it is

The Freight Transport Association led

Mr Madderson said April’s duty

considering selling off 100 petrol

the criticism, saying the tax rises

rise, coming at a time when crude

stations in Scotland. However, the

could hinder Britain’s ability to trade

oil prices are climbing to nearly $100

company declined to comment on

its way out of the recession.

a barrel, would create a “perfect

reports that it planned to dispose of its North Sea assets. A newspaper said Exxon planned to sell its Scottish oil assets, which are

Households

are

already

Chief economist Simon Chapman

storm” for motorists. He added: “I’ve

said: “Diesel is not an optional extra

not had a reply from the Prime

for industry. It is essential to keep

Minister to the personal appeal I

shops

made in December. The price of

stocked

and

businesses

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

NEWS

allowed to settle out.

Brent crude oil is over $90 a barrel

Group manager and incident

and the City believes it could hit

commander Peter Jenkins, said; “On

$100. After the 0.76p increase,

arrival, crews were faced with a

there’s another rise in April. We have

severe fire involving the driver's cab

said to the Prime Minister that he

and the front tyres of the vehicle.

should at least put a halt to this year’s rises to assess where oil pricing is going. Give us a respite from this relentless increase in taxation.” Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Given that each penny increase in fuel

“The tanker, which was fully laden with 22,000 litres of unleaded petrol and 17,500 litres of diesel, was on the hard shoulder of the east bound carriageway, close to a bridge leading to residential properties.

Kenya, Independent petrol dealers hit by price controls in Kenya The price control regime slapped on

petroleum

products

has

allegedly precipitated a wave of closures among independent fuel retailing stations, due to profit margin erosion amid high operating costs. The independent margin on a

“Fire Service personnel worked

litre of petrol dropped to Sh1.40 after

£500million for the Exchequer, it is

quickly to reduce the dangers to the

60 cents which is the road tanker

easy to see why the Chancellor is

public,

both

delivery rate allowed in Nairobi, is

tempted to raise rates. But if the

carriageways

and

deducted, before salaries and other

nation’s

are

evacuating neighbouring houses

pushed too far they will drive less

within a 400 metre radius. This was

According

and the Treasury could actually see

achieved in close liaison with both

Independent

South Wales and Gwent Police

Association (Kipeda), job losses are

forces.

imminent

duty

raises

about

34million

motorists

extra

their tax take fall.” Hauliers estimate the latest rise will

closing to

traffic

cost the freight industry £95million,

“Efforts were made to contain the

threatening jobs and the viability of

fire to the cab, whilst other crews

many firms.

and appliances were used to bring

NEWS

UK, Wales. Fuel tanker fire in Cardiff Fire-fighters from across South Wales went to an incident involving the fuel tanker that had caught alight on the A48M at St Mellons,

large quantities of water to the scene in order to fully extinguish the fire.

overheads are considered to

the

Kenya

Petroleum

Dealers

and

retailers

who

borrowed money but are unable repay due to the high overheads, face foreclosures from banks. The setting up of a maximum retail cost for petrol at Sh94.03 in Nairobi from December 15, 2010, led to the wholesale price of the fuel brand

“Due to the severity of the fire, the

shooting up to Sh92 in depots, while

front section of the fuel tanker

diesel rose to Sh84.50 from Sh76.50 a

became

litre.

involved,

and

approximately 1,000 litres of diesel

The new control regime has

The fuel tanker containing about

was ignited. If the fire had been able

changed the previous structure

39,000 litres of diesel and petrol was

to spread to the remainder of the

where fuel prices were cheaper in

well alight when the first fire crews

tanker, then there would have been

western Kenya than in Nairobi where

arrived on the scene.

a very real risk of a massive

demand is higher because of its

explosion. Crews worked very hard

many economic activities.

Cardiff.

The cab and part of the tanker were destroyed by fire.

in sub-zero temperatures to bring

Yasin

Haji

Hussein,

who

the fire under control, and a

operates Lunar Service Station in

said,

potential

Ongata

“Approximately 70 fire fighters from

averted”.

A spokesman for the South Wales Fire

and

Rescue

Service

over 14 fire stations tackled the blaze in sub zero temperatures and hazardous weather conditions to quickly extinguish the blaze. This undoubtedly evaded what could have been a catastrophic situation. “Ten fire appliances, five water

major

incident

was

“I would like to personally thank all those involved in the operation, which was carried out in extremely difficult conditions due to the ice, snow and freezing temperatures. I would also praise the assistance

Rongai,

contemplating

already

reducing

the

number of his employees. Mr Yasin said unavailability of petroleum products, especially the super brand of petrol in wholesale markets had made replenishing stocks very difficult, while margins are low resulting in huge losses. “The

bowers, three ground monitors, two

provided by the Police, in particular

move to control prices was not well

jets, five breathing apparatus and

the information supplied by the

thought-out as it is killing the spirit of

over 50 litres of fire fighting foam

Police helicopter which used its'

entrepreneurship, innovation and

and approximately 70 personnel

thermal imaging camera to give us

competition which previously led to

were used to tackle and extinguish

useful info about the heat affecting

motorists enjoying efficient services

the blaze.”

the tanker.''

in many retailing outlets,” he said.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Independents dealers previously

drawings are ready for the two

oil firm added it plans to build three

posted lower prices than outlets

petrol stations in Abu Samra at the

more depots in Subic, Surigao, and

owned

Free

borders with Saudi Arabia and Al

Cagayan de Oro to support its

provision of air pressure and wiping

Karaana. Drawings for the station at

distribution network.

of winds screens using detergents

the entrance of Mesaied city and

are add-ons offered to motorists

another one on the trucks road are

billion

which are likely to cease.

still going on.

revenues, Flying V added.

multinationals.

The Energy (Petroleum Pricing)

Woqod is currently coordinating

Regulations 2010 was signed by

with the Ministry of Municipality and

Energy

Urban

Minister

Kiraitu

Murungi.

Planning

study

protecting consumers and ensuring

stations on the north road that will

that

recover

be comprehensive and include

prudently accrued costs and make

large rest-stops and truck parking

reasonable

spaces, in addition to establishing

players

margins,”

said

other

new petrol stations on Al Wakra road

Murungi. Petrol’s maximum price in Nairobi is

establishing

the

possibility

industry

“Price control has a two-fold aim of

Sh94.03,

diesel

Sh87.45.

and

and Mesaied road to serve the residents and visitors of those areas.

Regulatory Commission (ERC) risks a fine of Sh1 million, withdrawal of licence or both.

Qatar, Woqod plans to open several petrol service stations

Philippines, Oil company Flying V to expand retail network in Philippines

The municipal administration plans to shut down petrol stations that fail to meet safety standards and other criteria

set

the

HCM

City

authority. The city authority has asked relevant agencies to check

Under a decision by the HCM City People's

Independent oil player Flying V informed it would expand its retail network next year by allotting P1 billion in capital expenditures. The on the Philippine economy” that it

Shamal Al Jamia, Al Shahaniya and

will expand its retail network by

Rawdat Rashid in the first quarter of

adding 152 filling stations. This will

2011. The fuel company signed five

bring to 387 the number of Flying V

agreements with local companies

stations nationwide. Flying V plans to raise the P1 billion

Qatar. The contracts were signed to

through

build three new petrol stations and

investments from existing and new

additional

equity

stockholders, and by converting

in Bufsila and Rawdat Al Hamama

Vietnam, HCM City to close old petrol stations

quarter of the year.

new service stations in Al Daayen,

The agreements for petrol stations

gross

People's Committee during the first

company said it is “strongly bullish

two technical inspection centres.

company’s

and report the results to the city

Qatar Fuel (Woqod) will open four

for new projects in different places in

the

on the operation of all petrol stations

kerosene Sh75.83. A dealer selling fuel above price set by Energy

Higher sales will likely boost to P15

Committee,

petrol

stations were asked to close in 2006 because they failed to meet the standards.

But

those

stations,

including 54 that did not have a construction

licence,

have

continued to operate without any licences since 2006. Most of them are located in outlying districts. Nguyen

Thi

Hong,

vice

chairwoman of the city People's Committee, has asked concerned agencies

conduct

investigation and report to the city soon.

assets to cash. Some 65 percent of the capital

Under the same decision in 2006,

on north road in Umm Salal are part

expenditure

an additional 108 petrol stations

of Woqod's strategy to provide its

expanding its retail network, building

were found to lack some safety and

services

more retail stations in the Visayas

planning requirements, but were

Contracts to establish two technical

and

allowed to operate for no more

inspection centres at Wadi Al Banat

northeastern Luzon, the oil firm

than three more years, from 2007 to

area in Shamal Al Jamia, and

noted. The rest of the capex will be

2010. Of the 108 stations, 52 do not

Mesaimeer

used

have construction licenses. The city

across

between

the

were Woqod

country.

also

signed

and

local

companies. Meanwhile, drawings are finished

will

Mindanao

bolster

spent

well

its

logistics the

authority will allow the petrol stations

capacity of its five existing depots,

to resume operations if they can

Flying V said.

meet all standards set by the city

infrastructure

and

increase

government.

for the two stations in Al Khadira and

The company has five storage

Oum Sgheib in Zubarah region on

facilities in La Union, Cebu, and

HCM City has nearly 500 petrol

the north road. For the stations

Davao, as well as in Sta. Ana and

stations, according to the city's

located

Mandaluyong in Metro Manila. The

Department of Industry and Trade.

Salwa

road,

the

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

NEWS

Cameron Forecourt makes fuelling ‘Plain Salen’ for boat owners The new owners of a lochside jetty in a remote corner of the Scottish Highlands are providing sailing craft and commercial boats with the only fuelling facility for miles following the installation of equipment purchased from Cameron Forecourt.

PRESS RELEASES

The commercial fuelling specialists answered an SOS from Mark and Jan Drury when they took over Salen Jetty on Loch Sunart in Argyll. Due to the distance involved, Cameron Forecourt worked from plans and photographs to design a bespoke fuelling facility to replace an old, non-compliant installation at the jetty which offers the only marine diesel available on the 25-mile long sea loch. Explains Jan: “We realised the existing equipment was no longer suitable because the tank wasn’t bunded, therefore posing a potential pollution hazard to the adjacent loch, and it was obvious that the old pump had seen far better days. “We spoke to the fuel distributors up here and they pointed us towards Cameron Forecourt. We now have a fully compliant and approved system and we are very pleased with the service we received.” The new system features an above ground PPG compliant bunded tank, feeding a Hytek Alpha 70R Board of Trade approved pump. A pressure regulating valve is installed into the suction line to comply with 22

Board Of Trade regulations and to provide further environmental protection against leakage of fuel. Following installation, Trading Standards visited the site, checked, verified and stamped the dispenser leaving it ready for use. Adds Jan: “We moved up here from Yorkshire when we saw the jetty advertised on the internet. We felt it was our duty to maintain and improve a service to the commercial boats and pleasure craft using the loch. Word is getting round that we have a new, totally clean and reliable fuel installation via which we can provide a good service to the yachts and working boats.” Barry Jenner of Cameron Forecourt comments: “This is one of the more remote installations we have undertaken. We went into fine detail to ensure that a full turnkey system, down to the last nut and bolt, was delivered to site and successfully installed in one visit.” Mark & Jan, who also run visitor moorings and launching facilities from the jetty, have now mastered the complexities of duty charged on gas oil, with a three tier pricing structure based on whether the fuel is used for commercial work, pleasure craft propulsion & heating or just propulsion. They are also getting used to the 80-mile round trip to the nearest supermarket in Fort William! For reader enquiries please contact:Martyn Gent – Sales & Marketing Manager Cameron Forecourt Ltd Chambers Road Platts Common Industrial Estate Barnsley, South Yorkshire S74 9SE Tel: 01226 742441 Email: info@cameron-forecourt.co.uk www.cameron-forecourt.co.uk

Convault protect personnel and dispensing site during ultra low sulphur diesel You may have heard that there was a recent internal explosion in a Convault Aboveground Fuel Storage Tank. As is normal in our modern world, the news was quickly disseminated across the country by email. However, as has been true for centuries, news loosely communicated may begin only half-true and becomes increasingly corrupted as it travels. We thought you might want to know exactly what happened and why it happened. Following are the facts of the incident, determinations by Captain Tarkington who investigated the incident, and some recommendations to prevent such

incidents in the future. On June 28, 2010 there was an internal explosion in a 6,000 gallon aboveground fuel storage tank (AST) containing Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) at a US Border Patrol refueling station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. This was the third internal tank explosion of Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel in New Mexico this summer, and the first to involve a Convault AST. There are also unconfirmed reports of internal explosions of tanks storing ULSD in other parts of the United States. In studying the incident report, you will notice that the incident was not caused by the AST. The incident could have happened regardless of who manufactured the AST. The only advantage of the Convault tank over the other tank manufacturers is

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

• First the hose was connected,

that the concrete encasement contained the steel tank and prevented it from causing further damage. The use of Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel in the US is a relatively recent development having only been required for on-highway vehicles in California as of September 1, 2006, and in most of the rest of the country s i n c e S e p t e m b e r, 2007. By December 1, 2010, all highway diesel fuel will be ULSD. The Border Patrol incident took place around 9:13 in the morning, when a fuel delivery truck brought a load of fuel to refill the AST. About 6 inches of diesel remained in the AST when the refill began. The tank did have a drop tube, but the tube was constructed of non-conductive fiberglass and it ended approximately 10 inches from the bottom of the tank leaving a 4” air gap. At this particular installation, the fuel is gravity fed from the delivery truck to an on-site pump, which pumps the fuel into the top of the tank. There have been some reports that temperatures at the site were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but this is incorrect as the incident occurred while it was still cool in the morning. The

• next the valve between the pump and the tank was opened, • then the pump was turned on and • last the truck valve was opened.

The explosion happened seconds after opening the truck valve. The delivery driver and a representative of the US Border Patrol were both standing by the tank at the time of the explosion. One received a very minor injury and the other person was not injured at all other than ringing in his ears caused by the concussion. The Fire Inspector, Captain Kellen Tarkington stated that, “The concrete really did its job because if it had been a plain steel tank they would probably both be dead.” In the Incident Report, Captain Tarkington concluded that the “explosion was accidental in nature”. However, in his observations he made the following points, one or

a combination of which could have contributed to the accident: • The fuel tanker hooked up to the pump was using a fill hose that may not have been properly grounded and bonded. (ConVault’s note: Grounding of the AST was also not confirmed prior to removal of the tank from the site.) • The pump connected to the AST was running prior to opening the fuel valve on the fuel tanker. The pump may have pumped air inside the AST before it started pumping fuel. This may have helped in forming an explosive mixture in the AST. • Drop tube material was fiberglass instead of metal. Fire codes allow fiber glass drop tube for class II and III petroleum products. The tank was used for the storage of diesel fuel on this particular site, which is class II product. However, the diesel fuel was Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel which has created controversial issues and may have also contributed to the problem. No one is sure of this phenomenon, but it is a subject for discussion by many different groups. • Drop tube ending 10 inches above the tank bottom. Fire codes require drop to be a minimum of 6 inch from the tank bottom for gasoline fuels; but it is not a requirement for the class II and III fuels such as diesel. Again the Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel contents of the fuel might have changed the circumstances. • Spark could have resulted from static electricity generated as a result of the fuel dropping down from the fill pipe into the tank. Taking into consideration the above observations we make the following recommendations to prevent a similar incident in the future: • Make sure the tank is properly grounded per NFPA 780. • Make sure there is proper

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

PRESS RELEASES

temperature of the fuel in the AST shortly before the fill began was recorded as 84 degrees F. The procedure for this particular fuel delivery was:

grounding between the delivery truck and the tank. • If there is a ground mounted pump, it must be properly grounded. • Use conductive drop tube that reaches within 6” of the bottom of the tank for all Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel fuel, just as is required for gasoline tanks. • If an external pump is used to pump fuel from a tanker into the AST, the fuel valve of the tanker should be opened first, prior to turning on the pump.

PRESS RELEASES

You may wonder why the regular type of diesel is not being used, so there would be less chance of a static electricity sparked explosion. To improve air quality EPA has reduced the allowable sulphur content for diesel engines. The allowable sulphur content for ULSD in the US is now 15 ppm: much lower than the previous 500 ppm U.S. onhighway standard for low sulphur diesel (LSD). This in turn was down from regular diesel at about 3000 ppm. Reduction of sulphur in diesel fuel not only reduces emissions of sulphur compounds (a cause of acid rain), but also allows advanced emission control systems to be fitted that would otherwise be poisoned by these compounds. By December 1, 2010, all highway diesel fuel will be ULSD and by December 1, 2014 all diesel fuel including locomotive and marine diesel fuel will be ULSD. If you have any questions about this incident, please call ConVault, Inc in the US at 209-632-7571. A copy of the official Incident Report is available from Dona Ana County Fire and Emergency Services. The UK manufacturer of Convault Protected Aboveground Fuel Storage Tanks is Terence Barker Tanks http://www.terencebarkertanks.co.uk/

Westfield Pump and Tank Ltd change of name Westfield Pump and Tank Ltd is pleased to announce a change of name to Westfield Services (UK) Ltd. 26

The Batley based company which operates nationally in the forecourt and commercial sectors decided on a name change to bring it more into line with its current activities. Mario Cieply Managing Director of Westfield Services (UK) Ltd added that the operation of the 3 trading divisions of Arc Electrical and Data Services, Westfield LPG, and Westfield Pump and Tank will all remain unchanged and negotiations are underway to acquire further additions in the near future. All contact details for the business and management team remain the same and can be contacted on 01924 477324 or visit our website at www.westfieldpump.co.uk.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root takes headline sponsorship at Petroforum Africa OpenRoom

Events’

first

pan-

African event for the downstream m a r k e t , PetroForum Africa, has come about at the request of several fuel retailers across the region. Emma Faure, OpenRoom’s Director says, “With a number of African oil companies making the trip out to Malaysia for our 2010 PetroForum, the case for a focused event in Africa for the downstream market became clear and PetroForum Africa was born.” With interest from over sixty international suppliers, and registrations from oil companies spanning the entire African continent from Morocco to South Africa, the event promises to be truly representative of Africa’s petroleum industry. Leading fuel retailers operating service stations across Africa will meet with a wide range of equipment and solutions suppliers at the 5-star Hyatt Regency Hotel in Johannesburg. Oil companies already signed up to take part include: Total Afrique Moyen Orient,

Total Uganda, YB Petroleum, AP Oil & Gas, Ghana Oil, PetroCity (Uganda), Oando PLC, Engen South Africa, Engen International Business Division, Sasol, BP South Africa, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Sonangol, Gulf Energy, Puma Energy, Reliance Petroleum, Total Egypt, Misr Petroleum, Gulf Energy, Metro Petroleum, Petro Oil, Oilibya Morocco, Rava and Caltex Western Cape Marketer. Consolidating the industry’s support of PetroForum Africa, and reinforcing its commitment to the African continent, Gilbarco VeederRoot has stepped forward as the headline sponsor. As the leading provider of equipment, systems and services for c-store and commercial fleet operators worldwide, their sponsorship of the event highlights just how big an opportunity the emerging African market is. Stephen Richards, Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s Middle East and Africa Managing Director says, “Africa represents significant growth opportunity within the retail petroleum industry over the next few years. Gilbarco Veeder-Root is currently investing significantly in order to realise the full potential this region has to offer. We are focussed on ensuring we have the right people, products, technical & service support, distribution and customer relationships, to best position for resulting market growth. We are delighted to be supporting and sponsoring PetroForum Africa.”

Announcing the 2011 Fuel Distribution Forum 15-16 June 2011 OpenRoom Events is pleased to announce dates for the 2011 Fuel Distribution Forum. With the potential turmoil for the dealer and distributor sectors resulting from the withdrawal of Total, Texaco and Murco, there is no better time to meet like-minded individuals, find solutions and learn about the latest developments.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

“The scheduled meetings delete months of potential work in one fell swoop.” Mat Stone, Argus Media “I’ve already had follow-up communication with eight of the suppliers I met with, and they have all stated that they felt the two days very worthwhile.” David Fairchild, Wessex Petroleum

Forecourt hazards surprise results The biggest hazards on forecourts are caused by members of the public – erratic driving, theft, road rage, simple accidents and poor driving, drink driving and other criminal activity. At least ….that’s the conventional view. But all that could be turned on its head thanks to surprising results from research undertaken by Xmo Strata. The company used XmoMan, claimed to be the most sophisticated asset management software of its type (developed by the company’s own IT staff) to analyse 674 health and safety related incidents. It is believed to be the first occasion on which research of this type has been undertaken – and the results may take senior managers a little by surprise. According to the report: • 53.1% of the incidents – 358 – relate to contractors working on site. • A further 27.6% – 186 – relate to issues that could have been identified and/or mitigated by site staff – which, according to the researchers, indicates a need for training . • Only 13.4% – 90 – relate to issues caused by members of the public. “We can generate detailed reporting from XmoMan – on everything from the job status and deliveries to accident reporting,” said Michael Mott, the company’s Systems Manager. “It’s used mainly for commercial reasons and is one of the tools helping us to reduce cost without compromising quality – by increasing operational efficiency, avoiding repeat visits, and ensuring that we have control of every job, regardless of how many we’re running at any one time. “We can pinpoint specific tactical issues, generating data which facilitates penetrating analysis of costs, procedures, logistics and

project management, and since great strategy always springs from good data, it allows us to constantly fine tune the way we do business. “In this instance we focused on health and safety and tabulated the results of reported incidents from crews.” Managing Director, Steve Martin, said the results will be made available free of charge to anyone who is interested – even competitors. “This is about health and safety, not making a buck, and we’ll happily share it with anyone, even data on our own shortcomings. Having said that, I am delighted that the report shows 44% of all hazards identified on site are addressed at source by our crews. In a further 10% of cases we reduced the risk but couldn’t eliminate it, and in 17% of cases were only able to draw it to the attention of a responsible person – but at least we could do something.” Amongst the other interesting gems from the report: 29% of health and safety issues relate to electrical installation or maintenance – and only 6% relate to driving. “That is a fascinating statistic,” said Mr Martin. “You’d be justified in assuming the majority of incidents were about traffic speed or vehicle manoeuvring – the truth is electrical issues are statistically more frequent. “This data tells you where to focus training and education to generate the biggest health and safety ‘wins’ and I’m happy for anyone working in the industry to learn from it what they can in relation to their own operations.”

Partnership scheme brings fuel theft offender to book The recent arrest of a fuel thief highlighted the value of the partnership between Strathclyde Police and the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS), an independent organisation that works with police and industry partners to reduce crime on Britain’s service stations. Staff at a BP service station in Kirkintilloch, Glasgow, spotted the driver of a Vauxhall Vectra at one of

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

PRESS RELEASES

The forum takes place on June 15th-16th at the magnificent Tivoli Victoria Hotel in the Algarve. It will bring major fuel distributors alongside a wide range of suppliers in a new, sharper, more focused program, bringing delegates all the benefits of conference debate, networking and individual business meetings in just one-and-a-half days. With a topical opening session, as well as OpenRoom’s unique speed meeting formula, there will be plenty of networking opportunities. Flare 1980 Ltd. will be putting their weight behind the event by choosing to hold their AGM the morning of the first day. With a membership made up of large, UKbased, independently owned petroleum fuel companies with a combined turnover in excess of £800 million, and a delivered fuel volume of nearly 1.5 billion litres per annum, the Group’s presence brings some heavyweight distributors to the event. Flare Group members already committed to the forum include Wessex Petroleum, Airport Energy, Barton Petroleum, Eveson Fuels, Linton Fuel Oils, Highland Fuels, Chandlers Oil & Gas, Heltor, Goodall Bates & Todd, Swan Petroleum and Rix Petroleum. David Fairchild, Chairman of the Flare Group, said, “We’re delighted to be holding our AGM at the Fuel Distribution Forum, giving our members an opportunity to get together with other distributors and meet with a range of industry suppliers.” For more information, please contact OpenRoom Events on info@openroomevents.com. Testimonials from Fuel Distribution Forum 2010

PRESS RELEASES

the pumps that had previously been subject to ‘drive offs’, incidents in which motorists fill up and leave without paying. The operator noted the car’s registration number, which appeared to have been altered, before the driver drove off having failed to pay for £56 worth of petrol. The police were quickly contacted and a nearby crew stopped the car. They discovered that the rear plate had been altered by use of black tape and found a hat and jacket matching the clothes worn by the driver at the garage. A copy of the CCTV from the garage clearly showed the same man, who was arrested and kept in custody for court as a result. PC Des Clark, Community Safety Officer at Milngavie Police Office in Glasgow, said: “Some may think that stealing fuel does not hurt anyone, that it is a victimless crime; but this is not the case. It impacts on consumers, retailers and the police and costs millions of pounds to the industry. “The Forecourt Watch scheme is an excellent example of partnership working and we will continue to work closely with BOSS and fuel retailers to reduce incidents of fuel theft, increase detections and ensure the safety of staff and customers.” Jim Anderson, BOSS regional coordinator, added: “BOSS Forecourt Watch schemes are partnership arrangements with local police involvement that have helped to reduce the number of incidents of fuel theft and overall crime. By establishing efficient and productive local monitoring and reporting networks, crime at participating service stations is reduced while police are more easily able to identify and apprehend suspects.”

automated Truck Stop in Europe. The truck stop was initially privately owned but, since 1994, Moto Hospitality Ltd have been working hard to improve all the services on offer at the truck stop to enhance the service for their client base introducing better facilities and new services tailored to truck driver’s individual needs. Inside the amenity building there is access to soft seating, vending machines with vending coffee from £1, and hot breakfasts from £5.99. The automated fuelling system installed by HTEC has 12 HydraPOD outdoor payment terminals controlling 36 pumps. The HydraPOD is a free-standing, secure, outdoor payment terminal with a secure Pin Entry Device (PED) which can be used for both Chip and PIN and magstripe transactions in an unattended or cardholder activated environment. The terminal can accept most bank cards, local accounts and cash cards including Keyfuels and UK Fuels.

Moto Hospitality Ltd: Poplar 2000 Truck Stop

About Moto Hospitality Ltd Moto Hospitality Ltd is Britain's biggest operator of motorway service areas, with 48 sites catering for the needs of over 100 million travellers every year. Moto is owned by Macquarie Bank, a diversified international provider of special investment banking and financial services, with more than 8000 people in 23 countries. Macquarie Bank is listed on the Australian Stock exchange, with a market capitalisation of approx. £6.2bn. The Macquarie Bank Group's total assets are approximately £43.7bn with a further £57.8bn in assets under management. Macquarie is a global leader in the acquisition, funding and management of infrastructure and essential service assets with more than 90 assets globally.

HTEC Ltd has recently won the contract to supply Moto Hospitality Ltd’s Poplar 2000 Truck Stop in Cheshire with a brand new automated fuelling system. It is the largest truck stop in the UK and potentially the largest fully

About HTEC Ltd HTEC is one of Europe's largest providers of payment and loyalty solutions for the petroleum retailing industry. Established in 1979, HTEC has enjoyed significant growth since

then, supplying software and specialist hardware to most of the UK's major petrol retailers, as well as many European deployments. HTEC in brief • Europe’s leader in Forecourt Technology • £10bn payment transactions per annum processed on HTEC equipment • 3,500 UK petrol stations use HTEC Solutions • 50% of the main UK supermarkets use HTEC product and services • Bespoke innovative solutions to meet your needs • Contract Manufacturing Services For further information please contact: Janet Barraclough Group Marketing Manager, HTEC Tel: +44 (0) 2380 689 200

Petroleum regulators benefit from wetstock management training day Fairbanks, the UK’s wetstock management specialists, recently hosted an open day for 60 Petroleum Officers, Trading Standards Officers and Fire Authority personnel at its offices in Lancashire. The event was aimed at petroleum regulators who wanted to gain a better understanding of the latest technologies available to forecourt operators throughout the UK. At the same time Fairbanks explained what help and support is available to site operators. The day was supported by the Environment Agency with Jo Bradley, Principle Pollution Advisor for the North West, presenting the latest guidance and legislation on ground water pollution prevention. Bob Conlin, Managing Director of Fairbanks said “Over 55% of UK forecourts use a 3rd party wetstock management service but we are increasingly aware that local regulators are often visiting forecourts that do not have adequate systems to fully protect the site, given the risks. We want to support, educate and reassure regulators that there are costeffective systems available and that

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

PRESS RELEASES

we can all work together to ensure we set a minimum standard to help reduce the impact of leak incidents that are polluting our environment each year.” The day consisted of presentations on wetstock control, how SIR and real-time data systems identify leaks, and how DSEAR surveys are used to reduce the on-site risks to staff, customers and the environment. Rachael Croft, Fairbanks’ Business Development Coordinator said “We were delighted to see such a large interest in this area of our industry. The delegates came from a range of backgrounds and locations including Scotland and South-East England in addition to representatives from the North West and North Wales. “The feedback we’ve had from the delegates was extremely positive and we will now look forward to hosting another event in the UK in early 2011. Anyone interested in attending can contact us now on 01695 52175”. Neil Avery, Petroleum & Explosives Officer for West Midlands Fire Service added “It was a very worthwhile day that gave us a lot of information in a short space of time about wetstock management technological developments. It also showed how sites in our area can help themselves if they use the information and services that are available.”

Germany goes plastic – Agip installs first station with KPS piping Installers from Tokhiem Göhler have now installed the first German filling station with plastic pipes from KPS. The KPS Petrol Pipe System™ was approved by DIBt for the German market earlier this year, after extensive evaluation and testing where the pipes showed zero permeation. This is the first time ever that any plastic petrol pipe has been approved for Germany. Tokheim Göhler’s pipe installers 32

were trained and certified by KPS during the summer in the handling of plastic pipes and fittings, electrofusion welding, bedding, backfill, conductivity testing and pressure and tightness testing, all according to KPS’ installer certification program. The piping for the Agip filling station in Messkirch in southern Germany was installed in October. KPS Area Manager Ronald Pinka and Per Andersson from KPS Technical Support were on site to assist during the installation. Temperatures ranged between 4°C and 12°C with mostly sunny conditions. Ventilation and vapour recovery lines were installed using long jointless pipes. The installers who are used to lifting and carring steel pipes into position and then spend the better part of the day welding them together were all somewhat surprised to find the pipe runs to be completely finished once they were rolled out and connected in each end! Happy-looking installers testified that the work installing KPS double wall fill pipes was much easier on

the body than installing heavy steel pipes. This week they had energy left at the end of the work day! The pipe installation successfully passed all installation tests and is now waiting for the rest of the station to be finished before it is put into operation. For KPS this is only the beginning of the German adventure: - “Of course we are proud to yet again prove that we are at the forefront of technical development,” said Lars Selling, CEO of KPS. “The interest from the major oil companies present in German has been overwhelming. The advantages of a corrosion free and affordable piping solution are obvious to everyone and we will work hard to prepare designers and installers for a smooth transition to plastic petrol piping on this steel-dominated market.”

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Cameron Forecourt launches rescue service for fuelling facilities left high and dry

three or four years, but are finding

difficult to get any response as a number of

UK commercial fuelling specialist

manufacturers

Cameron Forecourt has launched a

are struggling

new

for

in the current

operators struggling to keep their

economic

installations flowing.

climate. As an

types”

package

The “Emergency” service and

established

repair package has been launched

fuel

in response to an increasing number

supplier

of operators who have issued an

installer with 30

SOS to Cameron Forecourt after

y e a r s ’

finding it hard to obtain satisfactory

experience,

after-sales back-up.

we are ideally

The

and

placed to help

round-the-clock

in almost all

company

nationwide

systems

operates

computer-controlled

service

cases.”

operation for its own customers,

Cameron’s

which is now being extended to all

engineers

leading brands of pumps and fuel

have a broad

management systems.

experience of

Explains Cameron’s Sales and

Marketing Manager Martyn Gent:

installation, gauging equipment,

“We

dispensing

have

noticed

marked

pumps

and

fuel

increase in enquiries from fleet

management systems commonly

operators who are struggling to

used by fleet operators who bunker

obtain the levels of service support

their own fuel. Adds Martyn Gent: “Much of the

they need. in

technology and equipment used is

equipment as recently as the last

industry standard and, as such,

“Many

have

invested

experienced engineers can deal with the majority of faults, whatever the system being used. It’s very much like calling out someone to repair a domestic appliance – skilled people can easily deal with all makes. “That

means

can

operators

help keep

the fuel flowing and make sure their vehicles are on

the

earning

road them

revenue, which is essential in the c u r r e n t e c o n o m i c climate.” In addition to its emergency service, Cameron Forecourt is also offering

“all

makes”

service

contracts, subject APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

PRESS RELEASES

“all

Save the da Date te! 22 Venue

nd Se pt 201 1 Ricoh Cove Arena ntry

Exhibition | Conference | Awards Dinner

Preparations are underway... has your company secured its place yet? ARTICLES

We are delighted to announce that APEA Live, which will once again encompass the annual exhibition, conference and awards dinner, will take place on the 22nd September 2011 at Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

alike. However, we want to make 2011 even better. To this end we hosted the APEA Live Forum on the 28 January, in order for you to let us know what you thought about 2010 and what you want in 2011.

With over 50% of exhibitors rebooking their stands on site, or immediately after the 2010 event, the exhibition alone is off to an powerful start. In addition 50% of the available sponsorships have been confirmed already, with the APEA sponsoring the Small Enterprise Award; Elaflex sponsoring the Personal Contribution Award; Scheidt & Bachman sponsoring the Quality Award; and the Environment Award being sponsored by Terence Barker Tanks.

APEA Live 2011 will be your chance to engage the industry; integrating, growing and developing your company within it. This event is truly unmissable this year!

APEA Live 2010 was an outstanding success all round, with great feedback from attendees, members, sponsors and exhibitors

Opportunities available now include: •Exhibition Stands •Award Sponsorships •Conference Sponsorships •And much more!

Stand & Sponsorship Bookings If you would like information regarding stand booking, positioning and other sponsorship packages for APEA Live 2011, simply contact:

David Lonergan davidl@f2fevents.co.uk + 44 (0)1442 289 928 34

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

The Environmental Damage Regulations (2009) Explained

Protected Species, Natural Habitats

By Mike Marston, Divisional Director OHES Ltd

Countryside Council for Wales

This is an article based upon a

& SSSI England Natural England Wales

and would be wise to implement

Scotland

workshop presentation given by

and

Scottish Natural Heritage

Mike Marston ACII FCILA of OHES

preventative measures and have

Environmental at the APEA 2010

disaster plans and fully trained staff

N Ireland

conference.

in place. Failure to know what to do,

Department of the Environment

The

Environmental

monitor

appropriate

Damage

or to respond promptly in the event

Regulations were introduced to

of an incident, is likely to result in the

The Regulator decides whether

make

full weight of the Regulations being

environmental damage within the

imposed.

terms

businesses

prevent

environmental damage and pay for any damage which they cause.

the

Regulations

has

occurred and will request proposals

The regulations bought into law the European Liability Directive of

Liability

for remediation to be submitted strict

within a specified period. (There is a

2003 which came into force on the

liability for environmental damage

following dates;

right of appeal to the Secretary of

caused by a business operating

State for the Environment). For less

under an Environmental Permit or

serious offences, existing legislation,

under

such

ARTICLES

•England

1 March 2009

•Wales

6 May 2009

•Scotland

24 June 2009

•N Ireland

24 July 2009.

The

Regulations

Transport

impose

Dangerous

and only applies in respect of: • Serious damage to surface or ground water.

the

Environmental

Protection

Businesses who do not require an

Resources Act 1991 still apply.

Environmental Permit or who do not

The legislation is not retrospective

Goods by Road or Rail legislation.

Act

1990

Water

Once the Regulator has agreed

operate under this legislation will

that

only be liable if they have been

targets to be achieved and time

negligent and even then their

frames are set. The Regulator’s costs

liability is limited to damage to

in respect of their involvement will

natural habitats and species.

be added to the remediation costs

proposals

are

adequate,

that the polluter must pay.

• Damage to land that results in a risk to human health. • Serious damage to protected species, natural habitats or sites of special scientific interest.

Procedure

the

Regulator

feels

that

If you believe that Environmental

inadequate steps have been taken

damage has occurred or is likely to

to prevent damage, or if there has

occur the relevant Regulator must

been a failure to notify them quickly

be informed immediately.

or if there is a failure to comply with

The Regulators are;

a remediation notice, the polluter will be prosecuted.

They apply to all businesses in the

Water

public and private sectors which

England and Wales

carry out activities that may cause

Environment Agency

damage or actual environmental

Scotland

damage under the Regulations and

Scottish Environmental Protection

therefore almost all businesses are

Agency

The emphasis is therefore on good risk management - to identify and measures. many

APEA

members are particularly vulnerable 36

It should be noted that if a business is found guilty, a Director or

N Ireland

also be personally prosecuted if it is

NI Environment Agency

found

that

offence

was

committed with their consent or if

put in place pollution prevention that

sentence will result.

Manager or person in authority can

affected by them.

means

The legislation is criminal based, so if found guilty a fine or prison

imminent threat of environmental

This

Prosecution

Land

they

Local authorities

Individuals can therefore also face a

Environmental Health Department

personal fine or prison sentence.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

have

been

negligent.

remediation to take effect. If the

will be no cover for the damage

The aim of remediation is to

amenity value of an area has been

caused by the leak, even if the

restore the natural resource to the

lost until work is complete, for

eventual rupture and loss of product

level that would have existed if the

example a path along a river bank

can be attributed to a particular

damage had not occurred.

cannot be used, the Regulator can

date.

demand There

are

three

types

remediation:

1. Primary Remediation This is the removal or in situ

Compensatory

Even if the causation problem is

Remediation to reflect the interim

overcome, a standard material

loss of amenity (in addition to

damage policy provides cover for

Primary and Complementary). This

defined items - buildings, machinery,

might be at the site where the

plant etc. Thus land around a

original

building or groundwater is not

breach

occurred

treatment of contaminants and any

elsewhere and will be in the form of

covered

risk to human health. It can involve a

adding value - meeting the cost of

contaminated.

managed natural recovery or the

information signs, improving paths,

implementation

repairing or replacing fences etc.

strategic

Doing

nothing

these

are

often

A standard liability policy covers a policyholder’s legal liability to pay a

The important point to note is that

damages award to someone who

and

it is the Regulator who decides

has suffered loss or damage as a

management plan with ongoing monitoring.

and

natural

which method or combination of

result of an actionable nuisance or

attenuation is not an acceptable

methods are to be used and their

negligence by the policyholder.

option.

interest is in restoring any damage to

Regulators are not third parties

the environment and not what it

who have suffered loss or damage

may

hoping

for

gradual

2. Complementary Remediation

the

to their property. The Environment

Regulations could therefore turn out

cost.

breach

Agency does not own the ground

Where Primary Remediation fails

to be very expensive indeed. It is

water, Natural England and their

to fully restore the site to its former

always recommended that advice

equivalents

condition,

Complementary

from an environmental consultancy

protected

species

Remediation is required, in addition

such as OHES is obtained so that

affected. They only have Statutory

to and not instead of Primary

close liaison with the Regulator is

powers to prevent or deal with

Remediation. The Regulator will

achieved and their expectations

environmental damage. A demand

select an alternative site (which

are carefully managed, otherwise

from

ideally is relatively near to the site

costs can run out of control.

complementary or compensatory

and

request

that

Regulator

own that

for

the are

primary,

remediation, plus their own costs will

where the Regulations have been breached)

not

Insurance

insurers as a damages award and so

This could happen if an ancient

believe that they are fully covered in

there will be no cover for any of

woodland was damaged. It would

the

these costs under a standard policy.

be impossible to restore to the

damage occurring. Many will be in

Environmental Impairment Policies

baseline

existed

for a nasty and expensive shock if

are available. An increasing number

before the event, so the Regulator

they find they are in breach of these

of insurers provide this cover and

might

Regulations.

premiums are reducing as demand

condition select

that

alternative

Most

not be recognised by the courts or erroneously

remediation is carried out there also.

companies

event

environmental

woodland somewhere else and

Standard material damage and

require that money was spent on

liability policies will provide limited

generally

improving it.

cover for incidents that are sudden

sudden losses, plus statutory costs

and

gradual

will and

demanded by a Regulator as well as own and third party site clean up

Remediation because this might be

in the event of a hydrocarbon leak

costs. Many policies extend further

more economical that spending

or spill? They will examine the cause

and

vast sums on a near impossible task

of the incident and if a valve or pipe

containment costs and even cover

of fully restoring the site that was

is found to have corroded over a

for personal liabilities of Directors

originally contaminated.

period of time and then leaked,

and Officers.

It can take time - sometimes months

even

years

for

how

cover

policies

commercial insurers define sudden

3. Compensatory Remediation

But

These

in having to do Complementary

There might be a cost advantage

accidental.

increases.

provide

emergency

they will conclude that if the

The message is that if you are

gradual corrosion had not occurred

relying on cover for environmental

the leak would not have happened,

damage under standard policy

so the cause of the incident is

wordings - think again and consult

gradual and not sudden and there

your broker. If not you could find that

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

ARTICLES

Remediation

you have very limited cover and

Environmental Damage Regulations

with an incident will be very high.

might have to find many tens of

the Remediation Notice will specify

Preparation

thousands of pounds from other

the strategy, timeframe and target.

management is essential to reduce

budgets in the event of an incident

If analysis confirms that the pre

your exposure in your day to day

occurring where the Regulations

agreed target has been met, the

business.

apply.

Regulator will be required to sign off

The Regulations are extremely

and

adequate

risk

the project as complete. This will

complex, and this article is only a

these Regulations is that they will

allow

brief overview. Should you wish to

introduce

timeframes to be set.

One of the positive aspects of more

certainty

with

regard to the extent and cost of remediation

required

the

accurate

costs

and

discuss the implications of the

There is some way to go, the

Regulations or any other issues

Regulations are largely untested at

regarding

investigation of

the moment and so the full impact

remediation

remains unknown. It is only a matter

damage, ecology issues or any

Regulator is not required to approve

of time before there is a major

associated queries, please feel free

proposals for remediation. Instead

incident

to contact us at:

they will usually allow work to be

headlines, when the full weight of

done and will then advise whether it

the Regulations and all the adverse

OHES Environmental

is acceptable to them. This means

publicity of a major environmental

The Courtyard, Denmark Street,

that

damage incident will be faced by a

Wokingham

company.

RG40 2AZ

Regulators. Under

existing

considerable

legislation

costs

and

resources may be utilised, but there is no guarantee that further work

that

makes

national

It is clear however that some

and costs will not be required before

businesses

the Regulator is satisfied. Under the

vulnerable and the cost of dealing

are

particularly

environmental

T. 0870 240 3329 Email: mike.marston@ohes.co.uk website: www.ohes.co.uk.

ARTICLES

Removing the Bio Confusion By Nigel Plumb, director DP Fuel Tank Services

Nigel Plumb

In our nearly 50 years in business, no one in the company can recall a time when there has been so much consternation and confusion among fuel site operators as has been caused by the introduction of a percentage of biofuels. At DP Fuel Tank Services, we believe that it is up to those of us who are in the business 38

of helping these operators solve their problems to give them the best advice possible. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of advice, but much of it is contradictory, biased and overtechnical. So we have tried to cut through this with what we believe is a straightforward, easy to understand 10-point advice sheet, that we have sent out by email and made available on our web site. There is now the added problem that the industry could have invested in equipment to gear up to deal with a problem that may possibly, if some environmentalists get their way, not continue; at the moment, this is as categorical as anyone can be. One of the main proponents of biofuels has been the US Government. For America, biofuels had the dual advantage of increasing its flagging environmental credentials in the world, while tackling some of the problems with its rural economy and

Ultrasound testing

reducing its dependence on Middle East oil. However, many in the environmental lobby have pointed out that the farming and production of biofuels actually creates more CO2 than oil derived fuels and that its cultivation has resulted in a huge increase in world food prices, due to land formerly used for food production being transferred to

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

ARTICLES

They are now urging the European Commission to rethink the plan. The admission coincides with a major study published this week which concludes that biofuels will create an extra 56 million tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of 12 to 26 million cars on Europe's roads by 2020. Also, for Europe to source the amount of biofuel needed within its own borders, it would need to cultivate an area somewhere between the size of Belgium and the Republic of Ireland. Added to this is the problem that a small proportion of bio-diesel is DP Fuel Tank Services cleaning an underground tank on a made from animal fat, a forecourt fact that the growing biofuel crops. number of vegetarians in the Now the US Environmental population has not yet realised. This Protection Agency (EPA) has is likely to cause something of a approved E15 (petrol with 15% bio- back-lash when they do wake up to ethanol) for cars made in 2007 and it. At the moment, there is no way for after, but has delayed a decision on retailers to know whether all or part allowing it for use in 2001 to 2006 of their bio-diesel delivery has come models. This decision is being legally challenged by the American P e t r o l e u m Institute and various food industry groups. Without the US, g l o b a l momentum for biofuels could slow down. This cooling in enthusiasm is also beginning to show on this side of the Atlantic. The Guardian has RPM adding the final coat of a tank lining reported that UK ministers have said that Britain’s from an animal source, so they are policy of supporting the EU unable to offer a vegetarian commitment to biofuels is proving alternative. All this means that we could be counter-productive and the greenhouse emissions associated faced with a complete reversal of with biofuels are substantially policy, stuck at the current 5% level, greater than the savings. or it might be decided to press on to 40

15-20%, with the probable need to have more than one blend available on the forecourt. Or one of the current research projects involving different methods of biofuel production may bear fruit. The only certainty is uncertainty. This means that we are faced with the situation that there is an undoubted current problem with which fuel site operators have to deal, but there is a disincentive for companies to invest in research and equipment to tackle the problem more efficiently. For this reason, we have kept our approach as straightforward as possible, approaching it step by step, so fuel site operators can understand it as well as research chemists. The first thing we have done is set out the three main symptoms that operators and maintenance companies are likely to spot: pumps running slowly, filters continually clogging, pump motors burning out and, worst of all, customers’ vehicles breaking down. The first, and most likely cause is the fact that biofuels are extremely good cleaning agents. All tanks, except brand new ones, will have a build-up of sludge in the bottom of the tank and rust and other contaminants around the walls and in the pipes. Biofuels will pick up dirt and particulates and deliver them to the pumps. The other two causes are biological: bacteria and algae. Algae forms a dark green to black slime when collected by filters out of suspension and bacteria form gelatinous clumps, which resemble jellyfish when viewed in the tank; these can be up to a foot across. Both organisms need water, food and a conducive environment in which to thrive. Biofuels provide the food

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

and,

because

their

propensity to absorb water, they can also provide the hydration. Biodiesel is more susceptible than the ethanol in petrol, as ethanol is a mild bactericide. At this point, some companies would leap to the recommendation that their product or service is the only answer to the problem, but we have resisted this, as we do not believe a full scale tank cleaning and fuel polishing operation should be the first step. If it is a simple sludge problem and the tanks are not too old, changing the filters a few times, until the sludge has passed through the system, may cure the problem and is a much cheaper option. We also recommend the regular testing of fuel by a specialist company, whether there is an apparent problem or not. Sometimes problems are not obvious by eye alone. A test will show just what problems there are and their extent. It will also establish a base line against which to judge the effectiveness of any remedial work that may have to be carried out. As well as testing for particles and bio-contamination it is worth testing the specific gravity of the fuel. Normally, water in the fuel is reasonably obvious, but biofuel absorbs water and masks the problem. Often, the only indication is a change in the density of the fuel. Water in the fuel helps the growth of bacteria and algae. There is also the question of where the water is coming from. The

biofuel could be masking another problem – a topic I will return to later. If these first steps lead to the conclusion that there is a sufficient problem, then, and only then, would we recommend tank cleaning. All the advice from the USA and Australia, where they have had biofuels longer than we have, is that it is vital to have a clean tank when dealing with biofuel. Our experience has shown that removing the fuel and thoroughly cleaning all sediment from the tank will cure a clogging problem caused by sediment. It will also remove bacterial colonies and algae clinging to the inside of the tank or in the residual sludge. From reading the trade press, I noted with interest that other companies are beginning to support the line we have consistently taken for some time, that the only way is to thoroughly clean a tank. This is especially true if the aim is to end up with a thoroughly dry tank. There has been pressure from some quarters to move to remote cleaning from the outside. While we offer this service for customers that demand it, it uses a great deal of water, which has to be disposed of as contaminated, and cannot hope to result in a dry enough tank to deal with biofuel problems. We also firmly believe that tank entry is perfectly safe if the proper procedures are adhered to and operatives are correctly trained. Also, while the tank is empty and clean, it can be checked for leaks and thinning, both by eye and by

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

ARTICLES

DP Fuel Tank Services cleaning an underground tank on a forecourt

ultrasound probe. This is also a good opportunity to get the tank lined, which can reinvigorate a corroded or leaking tank, provide leak detection and help keep the tank clean. To do this, we have a joint working relationship with Repair Protection and Maintenance. There is, of course, also the value of contaminated stock to consider. If the volume of fuel and contamination is such that it cannot be sold through, or its safe disposal would represent too much of a financial loss, it is worth considering fuel polishing. This is where contaminated fuel is sucked out of the tank and put through a series of filters to clean it. For optimum results, we recommend the processed fuel should then be delivered to a cleaned tank. If the contamination is heavy, the fuel may have to go through the filters more than once. Fuel polishing and tank cleaning go together, as there is little point in returning polished fuel to a contaminated tank, or contaminated fuel to a clean tank. We are currently developing our own polishing service, which we are taking pains to ensure will polish the fuel thoroughly; especially when it comes to removing water. Once a fuel site operator has clean fuel in a clean tank, we recommend keeping it that way. As each new tanker load can bring in fresh biological contamination and, possibly, water, we believe it is prudent to schedule regular fuel analysis. This may lead to further polishing and cleaning, but taking action early will reduce subsequent costs and disruption. Finally, we recommend regular tank cleaning. The best way to head off future problems is to schedule a programme of cleaning dependant on site conditions. Again, scheduled maintenance is always going to be cheaper and less disruptive than emergency remedial action. For further information contact: Nigel Plumb Director DP Fuel Tank Services 01737 767524 Phone 01737 762524 Fax tanks@dptanks.co.uk

Modes of Petrol Forecourt Operation New Guidance Presentation at the Conference at APEA 2010 Live By Ray Blake & Brian Humm of the Petroleum Group of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority We chose to talk about this subject because the guidance is hot off the press, has been years in the making and is an excellent example of one of the main APEA aims i.e. “Industry and Regulators working together”. The guidance was compiled by the Petroleum Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG). PELG’s aim is to facilitate appropriate and consistent enforcement by Petroleum Licensing Authorities through the dissemination of advice, guidance and good practice.

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Representation on PELG comes from: • • • • • •

Health and Safety Executive Chief Fire Officers Association Regional Enforcement Groups Environment Agency UK Petroleum Industry Association Retail Motor Industry Petrol (formerly PRA) • Downstream Fuel Association (formerly AUKOI) In recent weeks the Chief Fire Officers Association has taken over the facilitating of PELG, and has undertaken to publish the advice and guidance produced by PELG via their website: http://www.cfoa.org.uk/10038?not_l ogged_in=true The guidance we are introducing has been incorporated into Section 8 of the Red Guide which you can access via the link above. We should like to mention that the person who carried out a vast amount of work for PELG, and who is the author of the Red Guide is Roger Marris of West Yorkshire Fire Service. He retired in mid October, and his contribution to PELG and hence safety on petrol forecourts in 42

general over the past 15 years cannot be underestimated.

The process that led to the new guidance The need to review the guidance was first raised at the PELG meeting held in December 2006. The two main issues were that it had been realised that underage sales could no longer be controlled at sites operating in unattended self service (USS) mode by limiting transactions to credit and debit card sales only, and that one operator had exceeded the number of dispensers that the existing guidance (Blue Book and PETEL 65/59a) allowed to be operated in unattended self service mode. There was also a conflict between the nationally recommended model Petroleum Licence Conditions and the risk assessing approach of the Dangerous Substances Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002. Legal advice had been sought by PELG from HSE’s solicitors and from legal counsel by the Petroleum Group of the London Fire Brigade. The conclusion being that Petroleum Licence Conditions, are ‘absolute’ i.e. there is no defence to a prosecution based on ‘what is reasonable practicable’. Therefore the duty is with the licensee to ensure that they have measures in place to control both underage sales and container filling even on sites where there is no immediate supervision of the forecourt.

Intelligence gathering actions 2007 until 2009 Members of PELG, both enforcers and industry reps, were tasked with investigating whether debit and credit transactions could be age determined. The outcome was that

whilst they could be, currently and for the foreseeable future, the financial institutions were not under sufficient pressure to fund the implementation. The Petroleum Group of the London Fire Brigade agreed to explore the existing arrangements on sites operating in USS mode. This action evolved into the overseeing of a national inspection exercise and this was proposed by the CFOA Pet/Ex Working Group. The operators with sites operating USS were approached, and all agreed to co-operate in the exercise. They provided a list of their USS sites and were forewarned of how, and over which period, the exercise was to be carried out. The exercise was aimed at ensuring that the ‘approved arrangements’ were in place at the sites, and that the control measures identified in the operators DSEAR risk assessments and emergency plans for USS mode of operation were also in place and effective.

The National Inspection of USS sites exercise. Over a 6 month period extending to mid 2009, 25 PLA’s spread from the highlands of Scotland to the extremities of Cornwall inspected 110 of the 304 sites identified as operating USS. Sites operated by 4 companies were inspected. For continuity, an inspection check list was devised to be used and returned for all inspections by all PLA’s. The inspections were carried out in two parts; the initial inspection was during the day, and was carried out with forecourt staff. The purpose of this inspection was:• Familiarise the staff as to the requirements • Check that the two part USS DSEAR risk assessment had been carried out • Identify the control measures • Ensure that the control measures were in place • Check on staff training • Inform site staff of the second (overnight) inspection. (Particularly that the emergency phone and stop switch would be tested, and that staff must be

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available to react to a test of their emergency procedures) The second inspection was carried out when all of the sites were operating in USS mode normally overnight. This involved a risk assessment being carried out to ensure the safety of the personnel carrying out the inspections. In London, we used a minimum of two Inspectors, and a liveried Brigade vehicle to block the area of the forecourt in which we were working, and we activated the blue flashing lights on the vehicle. The second inspection involved:• Checking the lighting of the dispensing area • Checking the three minute dispensing limiter • Ascertaining the number of dispensers available • Emergency stop actuation • Summoning a responsible person to attend the forecourt within ‘a reasonable time’ via the emergency phone

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The results of the 110 inspections were collated, and we discovered that:• At approximately 60% of the sites inspected contraventions were discovered • Different levels of enforcement action followed ranging from informal action through to the issuing of Prohibition Notices on the USS mode of operation The conclusion was that many of the control measures that both the site operators and enforcers thought were in place were either not functioning, or did not achieve their aims. Also, that the level of competency of the staff on duty at the time of the inspections was in many cases not at an acceptable level.

PELG Working Group A working group was set up to review PETEL 65/59a, the inaugural meeting was held on 8th July 2009. All interested parties were invited to the meeting, this included companies and consultants with an 44

interest in USS even if they did not have representation on PELG. The meeting established the aims and objectives of the group:The Group would start with defining the operating arrangements for unmanned and unattended self service mode and then cascade this down to the other types of forecourt operations. • Several different types of site, from small rural to large scale urban would be considered and appropriate controls recommended. • Response times in an emergency would be listed. • A “goal setting” approach would be used to ensure technical innovation was not discouraged The Working Group met a number of times and liaised via email during 2009 and into 2010. During the course of the Working Group a decision was made that rather than issuing the finalised guidance as a PETEL, it would be incorporated straight into a rewrite of Section 8 of the CFOA Red Guide. This has now been completed and can be accessed via:-

attendant. The latching of nozzles is permitted.

Attended self service Attendant with vision of forecourt operations. Authorising dispensing into vehicles or approved containers. • Only change to previous guidance is the reintroduction of the 8 pump limit which was ‘lost’ from the previous guidance.

Attended self service with pre-authorisation Either some or all dispensers using the Pay@Pump system which does not require the attendant to

http://www.cfoa.org.uk/11542?not_l ogged_in=true The engineered control measures will also be reflected in the revised Blue Book due for publication early in 2011. The guidance works through the various modes of operation, the main changes for each are as follows:-

Attended service Attendant dispensing fuel into customer’s vehicles • No changes to previous guidance • The safest and easiest mode of operation to control. Because the public do not carry out the fuelling operation, the control of underage sales and dispensing only into approved containers is easy to achieve. All subject to the training/competency of the

authorise the transactions. • Same as ASS but the attendant only has to be available to stop any unlawful dispensing, and to deal with emergencies. • Existing additional control measures: 3 minute time limit. • Change to guidance states that only 10 transactions or 10 minutes shall pass before the system needs to be reset by the authorisation of a transaction.

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No attendant immediately available (usually a trained person is available in a nearby supermarket). • Change: guidance now defines ‘low number of transactions’ as less than 120 transactions per hour, instead of limiting the number of dispensing positions to 4. • Change / Clarification: live CCTV monitoring from adjacent premises (if no direct vision of forecourt). Immediate direct communication with customer. Alarm to sound at the monitoring point when an emergency stop is activated

Unattended self service/automated site (exceeding 120 transactions per hour) Change / Clarification • Remote live CCTV vision of the forecourt • Direct communication with customer • Ability to stop transaction from remote location • Limit of 8 transactions at any one time per controller • Controller to alert trained person to respond to any incident within 5 minutes

Enhanced (engineered) control measures There are remote surveillance systems available that include a ‘prompt’ feature to highlight activities on site which could lead to

intervention by trained control centre staff. The ‘prompts’ would/could include:

Enhanced control measures have been identified with the aim of indicating that technology exists that could be employed as an addition to, or as an alternative to control measures which cannot be achieved. Two examples would be where automated sites exceed 120 transactions per hour, or where the eight dispenser limit on remote monitoring is not feasible. The enhanced control measures would have to be identified within the DSEAR RA for USS or automated self service and be accepted by the PLA.

• failure of CCTV camera(s), which would result in closure to be instigated by the control centre; •a d i s c r i m i n a t i n g movement/mass/action system which would for example prompt should there not be a vehicle present adjacent to the dispenser when a fuelling transaction is initiated. Or that people are moving about on the forecourt, but making no effort to operator a dispenser; • a variable pre-set frequency prompt i.e. this could be a prompt for every tenth transaction, used to ensure that control centre staff monitor the general site conditions from time to time; • abnormal dispenser running time / If the dispensing is stopped by the 100 litre / 3 minute limiter; Photo shows what could be the controlling of container filling • repeated rapid nozzle by enhanced control measures removal and replacement; New managed control • repeated authorisation attempts measure at payment system; Each time a site is changing from • opening of emergency ASS to USS a check list is to be

cabinet/operation of emergency switch; • operation of customer communication system; and • a fire / smoke / vapour detection system.

completed by 2 members of staff, the person handing over control of the forecourt, and the person taking over control of the forecourt, they must sign to verify that control measures are in place. This control measure is aimed at overcoming one of the main issues discovered during the national inspection exercise. This being that on sites which alternate between ASS and USS, the outgoing daytime staff close the site leaving the pay@pump dispensers operating, on the assumption that the control measures for USS are working, and that there is a competent person available overnight. The use of a check list would address this issue, and ensure that the control measures have regular checks. Representations were made to the PELG Working Group from enforcers and operators who were concerned about the cost of providing control measures in

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Unattended self service (low number of transactions)

remote geographical areas of the UK where the existence of a petrol filling station is essential to the community and often not viable from a commercial point of view. The operation of petrol filling stations under these circumstances has been included within the guidance. This is summarised below.

• Site monitored by trained person(s) living or working near to site who may not be employees • Emergency stop switch and telephone provided. • Attendance within 5 minutes • Instructions to customers must be displayed

Stand alone isolated USS site (commercial)

Sites located in rural locations Stand alone rural USS sites (non commercial)

New guidance control measures: • Remotely located control centre with live CCTV monitoring of the forecourt

New guidance control measures:

What is Primary Authority Partnership

where a list of all partnerships can

(PAPS) and what is role expected of

be viewed. There is secure access

the Partnering Authority?

for all enforcing authorities to a database where details of the

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The partnerships were introduced as

partnerships can be seen and

part of an aim to reduce the burden Government

contact made with the Primary Authorities.

(Regulatory Enforcement & Sanctions Act (RESA) 2008). Any

Once a partnership is in force all

business that trades across areas

enforcing authorities are required to

covered by different enforcement

view information on the website and

authorities for any of 18 pieces of

heed any details therein before

legislation covered by the above

inspecting

Act can form a partnership with one

organisation’s establishments. This

of the authorities (for one or more of

can be “Authoritative Advice” or

these pieces of legislation or form

details of the location of required

one or several partnerships for

documentation or, in the future,

different legislation) so as to gain a

details of an “Inspection Plan” to be

consistent source of advice and

adhered to when inspecting. Also prior to issuing any enforcement

business

guidance on enforcement issues.

any

the

partner

action (with the exception of a The role of the partnering authority

Prohibition Notice) an inspecting

known as the “Primary Authority” is

authority must consult with the

Primary Authority via the “Make

work

with

their

partner

organisation to ensure that the

Contact” facility on the website.

organisation is compliant with the relevant legislation, to give them “Authoritative Advice” and to act as an

intermediary

between

the

partner organisation and other

Jean Fincken Deputy Petroleum Inspector (PAPS) London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority

enforcement authorities.

Better Regulation Office (LBRO).who

As a Petroleum Officer I look for a copy of the most recent Electrical Certificate. On one of my old sites

facilitate a website www.lbro.org.uk

the Electrical Certificate quotes

The scheme is hosted by the Local

A great deal of work has gone into the compiling of this new guidance with input from right across the UK and from enforcers and industry representatives. We all believe that it is of great value and hope that it helps to continue the fantastic record the UK has for the safe operation of its petrol forecourts.

“PME” as the type of earthing system. What does “PME” mean and is it acceptable?

Ask The Experts

• Direct communication with customers • Ability to stop dispensers remotely • Control centre to be able to alert local emergency services

“Thanks Brian for setting another common item found on reports and certificates. This is a reference to the type of earthing system used on the filling station or is found in the regional electricity companies network. The problem is its redundant terminology – nothing more. Guess it’s a bit like some people still measure in Feet and Inches despite the UK being Metric for a good number of years!! PME stands for Protective Multiple Earthing and the change in terminology was carried out in 1981 when the 15th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations was introduced. The new terminology for PME is TNCS and really all competent electrical technicians should have been referring to TNC-S earthing systems since 1981, but of course it’s human nature that one often slips into the past or uses detail that we were originally trained to. Before the introduction of HS (G) 41 in 1989 many sites would have used a TNC-S (PME) earthing system, but the publication of HS (G) 41 indicated that no new filling station or one undergoing a major refurbishment should ever use a

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TNC-S earthing system because of the inherent risks of that type of earthing system and dangers that may be introduced by Diverted Neutral currents, a subject I have already answered for you. Now we are in 2011 a good proportion of the UK’s filling stations have already had the TNC-S systems removed, as sites were rebuilt or refurbished, but unfortunately there are still many sites using a TNC-S system. Consideration must be given by site owners, electrical contractors and, more importantly, Petroleum Officers in the planning of future onsite work towards taking the opportunity to replace an earthing system which, as I say, was prohibited for new sites some 20 years ago. Gareth Bourhill Electrical Consultant

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I am a new Petroleum Officer and recently inspected one of my sites which is very small and when a Tanker arrives to deliver it blocks off most of the Dispensing Islands. What can I do to reduce the risks when this happens? Basically you have two options – see that any Risk Assessment produced to comply with the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) embraces the complications of their Tanker Deliveries OR you can add a Special or Additional Condition to the Petroleum Licence and thus restrict the use and access of part or all of the forecourt area when a Tanker Delivery is to take place. In either case you should advise the Licensee as to why you are asking for this, but it has to be emphasised that the highest state of risk on any Licensed Forecourt is when a Tanker Delivery takes place. The power to append any additional condition comes from Section 2 of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 under sub section 3 – “A local authority may 48

attach to any petroleum-spirit licence such conditions as they think expedient, as to the mode of storage, the nature and situation of the premises in which, and the nature of the goods with which, petroleum-spirit is to be stored, the facilities for the testing of petroleumspirit from time to time, and generally as to the safe-keeping of petroleum-spirit.”

The external surface coating is tested using a minimum test voltage to ensure the tank is completely covered and to the correct thickness However in the UK and most parts of Europe tank manufacturers use a Polyurethane coating supplied by BITUMES SPECIAUX - BS COATING a

Brian Baker Fire Safety & Petroleum Officer Milton Keynes Council I understand that double wall steel tank s are coated with an anti corrosion resin but is there a set thickness of this resin type material? Underground Tanks manufactured to EN12285-1 are a vast improvement on what used to be installed over 20 years ago. Part of the standard covers corrosion protection which is of course very important for the Coating type

Min Thickness

Minimum Test Voltage

Bitumen

5mm

20,000v

Epoxy

0.7mm

6,000v

GRP

2mm

15,000v

Polyurethane

0.8mm

6,000v

PVC

1.25mm

10,000v

customer. Tanks built to this standard are required to be prepared for a coating by being shot blasted to a clean finish SA 2.5 and then the tank is coated. The standard permits a number of types of coating. A thick bitumen still used in parts of Germany, Epoxy, GRP, Polyurethane and PVC.

French supplier. This is a two pack coating which when applied on a properly prepared surface has proved to be very reliable and offering excellent corrosion protection. Jamie Thompson Chairman Technical Committee

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assembly, this air is blended into the flowing fuel. As long as the sensing port at the end of the nozzle remain free, fuel can be dispensed.

After the dispenser is switched on, there is sufficient pressure (min. 0.5 bar, max. 3.5 bar) at the nozzle valve seat to start refuelling. At this point of time, no fuel will be dispensed though as the poppet assembly remains closed due to the liquid pressure acting on the main spring. To start dispensing, the lever of the nozzle is pulled upward (i.e. squeezed). When fitted with the 2speed latch, the lever can be latched in the open position, but please note that in the UK, and in some other countries, the use of latches is not permitted.

After pulling the lever, which in turn compresses the spring, the fuel pressure is then sufficient to open the poppet assembly against the check valve spring and refuelling begins. In the gap between valve seat and poppet assembly, the fuel flow causes a vacuum, due to the socalled Venturi effect. (This is not covered here!) Passing the area above the diaphragm and via air passage and sensing port, a mixture of air and fuel vapour is sucked in from the fill pipe / neck of the vehicle. In the gap between the valve seat and poppet

The shut-off mechanism also trips if the air passage is closed by the ball of the safety cut out assembly within the nozzle itself. This will occur if the spout is pointed upwards or if the nozzle is dropped onto the ground. ZVA nozzles are safety critical components to EN 13012. ATEX certified by Notified Body

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How does the automatic shut-off work on a nozzle?

When the fuel rising in the filler neck of the petrol tank reaches the sensing port, the air flow is interrupted. Promptly, vacuum builds up, this causes the diaphragm to be lifted and triggers the roller mechanism, causing a shut-off. The main spring pushes the pull rod assembly against the poppet assembly and the valve is closed. The return spring within the lever brings it back to its initial position.

Anton Martiniussen Managing Director Elaflex UK Ltd www.elaflex.co.uk

Interview with Phil Lambeth Engineer, BP’sGlobal Fuels Technology Team By Brian Baker Phil Lambeth is an Engineer with BP’s Global Fuels Technology team supporting retail engineering through the BP- Bovis Global Alliance in BP’s European retail businesses and is well-known in the downstream Industry. He chairs the Energy Institute Service Station Panel, co-chairs the Blue Book Review with APEA’s Gareth Bourhill and has written numerous articles for this journal over the years. I was fortunate to catch up with him here in Milton Keynes near his home in Towcester to talk about his career and thoughts on the industries future.

Hi Phil, just to set the record straight, where in Scotland are you from? Brian, I was born and raised in Edinburgh and still have an intense pride and delight in the city when I get back there and look out from the castle or one of the hills.

Let us start at the beginning, tell me about your career and how you came into the downstream oil industry and your earlier Mobil days? I did a degree in Civil Engineering and from University joined the government’s Property Services

Agency in 1980. I was with them for nearly 8 years working on a number of large civil projects for the RAF and Royal Navy across southern England. The opportunity with Mobil came together with getting married and wanting to move away from PSA’s home in Croydon and I joined them at offices in Oxford. Mobil were highly innovative, keen to introduce US and other new technologies to the UK. I fairly early on got involved in fuel systems

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equipment and design with the introduction of GRP tanks and the first plastic pipework systems and through the years although having worked in most equipment areas on the forecourt it remains my main interest.

The merger between Mobil and BP back in 1996 must have created major problems as the operational service delivery was vastly different including their respective management styles. What are your recollections of the merger?

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A £40 fine and 3 points on my licence for speeding! A colleague and I in the Milton Keynes office when the news was announced decided to nip out and have a look at a local BP site. I was clearly too keen to get there and was stopped at a radar trap about 200 yards from the office. Once the Joint Venture was confirmed though, I was fairly quickly involved with the European re-imaging which followed the merger, and then with the BP Europe design team based in Brussels helping bring together the BP and Mobil standards of the time. At the same time BP were embarking on the then innovative and controversial step of setting up the Alliance with Bovis to provide their retail engineering services across Europe and I joined that team in setting the initial common fuel system and branding standards. I’ve been part of the Global Alliance European team for 12 years now, responsible for fuel systems engineering standards, and it’s been exciting to have been part of delivering some tremendous successes over the years which simply would not have happened under old structures.

Now tell us of your current role not just here in the UK but globally as I know you are often called upon to visit abroad? As I just mentioned I am responsible for the fuel system engineering standards used by the Global Alliance and work closely with the 50

procurement and country engineering teams in selecting and sourcing the equipment used across all our operating countries in Europe. This brings, despite our challenging moments, what I have to say is the great pleasure of working with the key international suppliers to the industry as well as many local ones in the UK and elsewhere. As with many people in the industry now, I do have multiple hats and within BP I am part of the Global Fuels Technology (GFT) Market Support Team based in Bochum in Germany. GFT are BP’s chemists and fuels technologists and working with them brings the whole additional perspective of both ends of the fuel supply chain from the refinery to the vehicle engine. With that team I support the development and introduction of new fuels from the retail infrastructure point of view. Last but by no means least is my role as Engineering Authority for BP’s European Retail Businesses. In this I provide technical assurance to the business managers that we properly assess and manage the risks inherent in storing and selling fuel at the 5,500 retail sites we own. This gets delivered through control of standards for new builds and the establishment of minimum standards and site improvement programmes for the existing network. In all these roles I not only work with colleagues across Europe but with those in South Africa, Australia, China and the US. Solving the problem of the safe storage of fuel has been tackled in many different ways around the world, pointed or pushed by history, local concerns, local regulation and local capabilities in all countries. Systems have been Darwinian in there development. The same basic function ending up with a wide variety of detail solutions to crack there own particular nuts. Borrowing and sharing ideas and solutions with my international colleagues is one of the big advantages of being part of a multinational organisation with the proviso always to make sure you

have understood the local context.

BP have traditionally had a zero tolerance policy on accidents but we all know sometimes things can go wrong. Can you advise of your investigative role and the application of your knowledge to provide any findings and more importantly, remedial measures? I’ve just been reading both BP’s and the US Oil Spill Commissions initial report on the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the problems and issues highlighted there are the same as those we see in our everyday events. Things don’t just go wrong, people, from management on, through action or inaction at all points in the design, install and operate chain, allow things to go wrong. Inadequate communication frequently tops the root cause bill followed by the appropriate use of competence by individuals. People often know what the right thing to do is but just don’t do it. We need to get smarter with these “human factors” issues. Procedurally it helps if we make sure things are thoroughly worked through before starting and the awkward questions both asked and answered. In a time pressured world it’s not easy but we need to promote a discipline of doing it right. We all, managers, designers, workers and regulators, need to encourage and pay attention to an “awkward bugger” on our shoulder who insists on answers to difficult questions.

I recall back in 1998 when you came intro my offices dropped a piece of “Brugge” pipework in my hand asking “What do you think of that?” We are of course talking about the early days of the LPG Roll-Out Programme that saw a substantial rise in installations on existing and new sites throughout the BP network. Can you advise of your significant input into this large project including the controversial decision to put LPG storage vessels below ground? BP’s Autogas programme in the UK was one of the first results of

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applying risk assessment to the design process. The decision to put the LPG vessels underground was a direct result of identifying the need to eliminate any fire risk from the vessel and to minimise the number of deliveries by having greater on site storage. These considerations remain valid. I have to say I never saw that decision as controversial. There was an element of innovation in the UK but it was the inevitable conclusion of the process we went through. We had been doing similar things in Australia for several years before then and were able to pick and learn from their experience. Putting the system below ground created further issues of adding ventilation and gas detection which again were brand new in this application. These added time in the development, cost and complexity but working with the GA team and suppliers we got a system which, albeit with various bits of learning as we went, has stood the test of time. It was a great example of sticking to the course and doing it right.

What would you say has been one of your most challenging projects over the years? Almost since I started with Mobil I have been trying to understand what actually happens in an underground storage tank. The stratification, settlement, water separation, evaporation and layering of the vapour in the tank is not well understood given we have been doing it for close to 100 years. I’ve built various models over the years but it’s a hugely complex system and as we modify fuels the dynamics of the system can change in ways we just don’t understand. The definitive maths of the whole system is beyond me but I do hope to be able to get a better engineering approximation than we currently have and I continue to keep an eye open for the bits of information which I can use to add to that.

Come on let us into your thoughts, how do you get on with us Petroleum Officers? 52

Innovation is one of my own personal drivers and the UK regulatory regime has consistently supported innovations. I’ve always found, back to the days when Jamie Thompson was pushing the industry along from London, that working with PO’s helps us get to the solutions which we knew were needed. This then came together with the Blue Book, with regulators and the Industry coming together to give agreed guidance. PO’s today I’d see as our essential “awkward buggers” making sure the challenging questions are all raised and properly answered. Appropriate competence is essential in delivering the regulatory role and I am concerned that current cuts are spreading it all a bit thin. It is possibly time to look at a different regulatory structure rather than the current local authority based one.

BP are constantly looking ahead, what is the most likely projects that the company are likely to embark upon within the next 5 years? In retail fuelling operations the vehicle park and fuel infrastructure is a very large mass providing significant inertia to rapid change. For the future direction of automotive fuels, the whole picture around reduced emissions, sustainable solutions, electrical supply infrastructure, protecting food sources and green house gas sinks in the forests all without damaging national economies, is a challenge which it would seem at the moment is too big for the world to address. I expect we will therefore continue with step by step progress on piecemeal actions looking for that world saving innovation. BP are in there researching and developing better fuel solutions for the future. For the Industry I expect mainly more of the same over the next 5 years. Increasing levels of biofuels are coming and will challenge the robustness of the infrastructure in ways we don’t yet fully understand. We will need to manage the

changes carefully, from both the design and regulatory points of view, to make sure we maintain safe operations.

There must have been the odd comical moment – what would you say has been the best one from your angle? When innovating you can on occasion pass from the sublime to the ridiculous. Many times on working through the logical steps of B follows A you end up with the final required conclusion that it is safest simply not to put any petrol in the system. That’s the time to start again. Most avid contribution and consequent amusement tends to come from discussions on preventing our valued customers from compromising our carefully designed solutions. The usual end conclusion is not to let them onto sites but we get there through various considerations of barbed wires, electric shocks and machine gun nests which I’m sure have passed through the minds of many in the industry.

There must be times when you are “Off Duty” so what do you like doing when not at work? Walking is my main relaxation, providing the opportunity for fresh air, exercise and the chance to reset the balance between the possibilities of engineering solutions and the scale of nature. I have noticed that my other interests, astronomy, kayaking and yoga are all much more reliant on warmer weather and so tend to stop in the winter months. Maybe that’s something for me to think about when planning retirement. In the wet and cold winter Photoshop and flying aeroplanes on the computer give me something else to think about and if I get round to reading the instruction book I got for Christmas one day I might just be able to get one of my jets safely back on the ground.

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It is my problem, and I need to deal with it, but the most frustrating thing for me is a failure of others to follow up on logically arrived at conclusions. These conclusions are generally arrived at through careful examination of the options and the diligent weighing and balancing of alternatives. All right I know that logic is not the only way to arrive at a decision and that other routes through discussions and political compromise are equally valid, but it still annoys me.

Nearly there now – So what would you change if you had the single opportunity of doing it?

thing that that choice has brought

implemented

GRP

me. So with the full help of hindsight

tanks. More diligence on the initial

I‘m more than happy with the

design

career choices I’ve made.

double

assessment

wall

could

have

helped us avoid some of the significant

teething

issues

that option. More fundamentally

Phil, thanks for your time in sharing

given my flight simulator skills being

your thoughts with us – it is much

a pilot is clearly out but I have this

appreciated and by the way lunch

hankering to be captain of a ship so

next time is on me!

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ARTICLES

If there is something that annoys or frustrates you what would that be?

Good Housekeeping Fuel Storage By Trevor Mason, PFS Ltd a fuel separator and cellulose fine filter with a 3 micron absolute rating. The CCJ filter separator has the capability to remove moisture down to low levels and at the same time capturing particles and absorbing sludge into the filter media. The systems have the ability to remove both moisture / water, particles and sludge which are also the catalyst for increased Microbial contamination. Another benefit of utilising the CCJ Fuel Separator is that not only can it purify the diesel but each filter insert has

following observations. “Clean diesel fuel is essential for an efficient and reliable engine. To achieve clean fuel it is necessary to use purification – but how do you choose the right and best method?” CC Jensen believes that they have the answer. A cost effective way of removing and controlling microbes is to install

a very large surface area o f f e r i n g around 5 kg of dirt removal b e f o r e change is required. The systems are modular to construct therefore if you have a d i e s e l storage facility with 100 litres up to 1 million litres we can offer a solution. Historically, CCJ Filter Separators are designed as off line systems, drawing the fluid from the closest outlet at the bottom of the tank and returning to the top offering good circulation at all times. Their new

ARTICLES

Recently, the industry was advised that you can no longer just store and use your Diesel fuel – good fuel housekeeping is becoming an essential part of your daily operation. PFS Fueltec has introduced to the Commercial Vehicle, Transport and Fuel Storage Industries a fuel cleaning system that automatically operates 24/7 cleaning your stored fuel, as manufactured by, Denmark based, CC Jensen who made the

inline system can be used on fuel dispensing pumps between the pump outlet and the refuelling nozzle, filtering the fuel before it enters vehicle storage tanks. PFS Fueltec, UK national supplier of fuel storage installation and in service equipment designed to protect the environment from accidental spillage and storage system leaks for nearly 20 years are proud to add the C.C Jensen fuel cleaning systems to its range of products. Tel: 01708 252960 for more information. Oil care equipment manufacturer C.C.Jensen has 50 years’ experience in cleaning fuel both on land and marine applications. Land base applications are wide and varied from Diesel Storage facilities on Quarries to Back Up storage at Power Stations and Data Centres. In the marine sector CC Jensen can

call on over 90% of the Danish Fishing Fleet as a guarantee for an efficient and reliable product. In the past 5 -10 years the product has been exported to skippers from Iceland to Chile and in the Scottish fishing industry skippers are now retrofitting the system on existing and new vessels in high numbers.

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Risky Business By Jamie Cliffe MD of SMTS Ltd

ARTICLES

Risk assessments, or more particularly their rationale, are often misunderstood; and hence the resultant documents incorrectly constructed and poorly used. As a result, I’d like to take this chance to debunk the myths and mystique that can surround them and take a good hard look at what they are and why they are so important. Let’s start with their history. The expectation of their endemic use came into being after a series of dramatic and headline grabbing tragic incidents in the 80’s and 90’s – the “Piper Alpha”, “Marchioness” and “Herald of Free Enterprise” disasters drew media and public attention to the importance of health and safety. However, the one that made a particularly strong impression on me was the “Lyme Bay” disaster; this was a tragic situation at an outdoor activity centre where a group of 14-16 year old children were taken canoeing by an inexperienced and illequipped young tutor and drifted out to sea. With no flares or radio contact possible (both perfectly foreseeable problems), tragically, the lives of many of the children were lost. As a result of these tragedies, the government quite rightly took action, deciding that the risks generated in all occupational activities needed to be evaluated and documented formally, people needed to be culpable and there needed to be stringent regulations governing the whole arena of risk. Regrettably, often we appear to have drifted far away from these goals as the reality is that many organisations carry out risk assessments because they simply think they have to be done, or because their clients say they must do so. For instance, in our sector, if an oil company wants a job done, then they insist rather unwittingly, that the contractor who carries out the job carries out a risk assessment first. This then breeds a mentality in the contractor that says, ‘if we want to win this work, then we need to 56

have a risk assessment’ but that’s as far as it goes. This can produce a real disconnect between the requirement and the understanding of potential calamities that can occur if assessments are not carried out properly. On the reverse side, because assessments are seen as a way to secure contracts, people can then become obsessed with them, believing that the longer and more complicated they are, the more impressive they are going to look. The bigger the better! So they attempt to turn the whole process into a black art with the purpose being able to impress not control. I have seen it so, so many times in other industry sectors where desk top accreditations are passed so successfully by sending in the client a huge list of documents. Quite frankly, in my opinion it means very little. It’s not a complex science. I shall always remember going to a construction firm to conduct an audit and finding the group safety manager surrounded by graphs, pie charts and lists pertaining to risk assessments. That’s all he did all day long and it really is not at all appropriate or necessary. But, as a result of this desire to create a long paper trail, we all know that a lot of plagiarising goes on; whereby, a risk assessment is drawn-up for one job and then to save time and money is simply adapted and transferred to fit another. I’ve seen documents where the ‘find and replace’ function has not been used thoroughly enough and the name of the original job or site location is still lurking within the document that has been amended for the new task and sometimes even another contracting organisation. This practice breeds complacency and makes the whole process a waste of time. There is a real danger that we are losing sight of what risk assessments are for and whom they serve – the guys on the tools, doing the job at the coalface. The assessment is

there to ensure that they are protected along with the safety of others who might be affected by their work. So, while managers may feel that they need to “tick all the boxes”, it is these workers who need to understand the contents of the assessment. On occasions, they are workers for whom English may not be their first language and when things are a little bit more difficult they are unlikely to have the time or inclination to trawl through reams of turgid documents. There’s an assumption that the more complicated the paperwork the more under control a situation is; but, in my view, it is the reverse - it’s “smoke and mirrors”. Often, it is the companies that produce impregnable documentation that are actually less likely to be operating safely. The paperwork becomes a commercial show piece and not relevant to the audience it is there to serve. We have created this situation ourselves, by insisting risk assessment look impressive, but the result is that everything has been made too complicated. As a result, companies bring in consultants to write assessments for them to fulfil the desire that they will do a more impressive job – I believe strongly that this can be a big mistake. We consult for a number of firms but when we get asked to write assessments, which we do on a regular basis, we decline (preferring to coach the relevant in-house people to do it for themselves). Risk assessments need to be written by the people who they affect, the people doing the job. Only they know what the real risks are. My advice to any manager is to select someone at the coalface who has a passion for ensuring the safety of their colleagues and get them

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

• • • • • • • • •

identification and quantification of risk but also to look in real-time for risk reduction. To continue: • Who – who within your company will undertake the work? Are they experienced at this kind of work, are they competent, have they worked at the prospective clients premises before? If the work is to be sub-contracted, what do you know about the company and/or the person that they will send – if little there is an intolerable risk with huge liabilities identified immediately? • What – what precisely is the nature of the work? Has the task been described/prescribed precisely to you by the client? If that is the case, are all of the steps for your work known – including any foreseeable deviations. • Where – where is the work to be undertaken? Does that pose any risk in and of itself, or are activities being completed in closeproximity that might change the risk profile. This is to be considered both in a macro-geography (i.e. the north of Scotland might be colder than the tip of Cornwall whereas the West coast might be windier than the East coast) as well as micro-geography (i.e. in site).

why, who, what, where, when, how, how often, how many “so what” and what are you going to do about it

• When – when the work is to be undertaken may have a significant bearing on the risks i.e. hours of daylight are shorter in winter for safe visual acuity or colour rendering, or the sun too hot in summer to be fixing fascias onto a canopy or shop from a scaffold tower.

So, to take these in turn, the most pivotal question is why? It informs everything that we do and, in particular the Risk Assessment and Safety Method Statement - why do the work, why do it in that way, why do it with that equipment or with those people or at a certain time of year, etc. So, the intent of the “why” question within the RA (rather than the SMS) is both to inform the

• How – it is the “how” that typically generates all of the efforts in RAs but usually in a very “classic safety” orientated way. Perhaps, it is important too to consider exposure to: the chemicals used (and the routes of absorption – inhalation, skin, ingestion and inoculation) and say how volatile they are (i.e. how much will vaporise at ambient

temperatures); the noise and vibration a hand-held tool generates; the bugs retained in water systems, the duration a job takes and how long it has taken to get to the site and how long to return, etc. • How often – in terms of “how often”, it might be that a single task does not generate significant risks, however, repetition of this task many times (whether within a day or over long time referents) does summate to something of importance. It could be, of course, that the risk decreases with repetition wherein the risk manifests due to inexperience. • How many – how many can mean different things whether it is being posed within a Risk Assessment, a Safety Method Statement or a Sampling Strategy. Within this context perhaps its most common referent will be in terms of how many people will be completing the task. The consideration will then be around whether more or less people increases or decreases the risk • So what – the only reason to undertake RAs is to control unacceptable risks. So, if you have found intolerable risks whilst undertaking the RA, what are you going to do about it? It is the result of this thought process that should be fulfilled by means of the Safety Method Statement. In summary, risk assessments are seen as crucial paperwork needed to win a contract, at worst, an interference and nuisance. However, the truth is that the quality (and simplicity) of the risk assessment could change a person’s life - for better or for worse. It is hoped that the foregoing has provided some useful hints. Let’s all make sure that it is to safeguard our friends and colleagues. In the next article we will be looking in more depth at Safety Method Statements and Clearance Certificates.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

ARTICLES

involved with the process, even if you have got a safety manager or consultant working for you. This brings me to one of the biggest problems; the real lack of understanding of the three key elements of a risk assessment; hazard, risk and control. The difference between a hazard and a risk causes lots of confusion. A hazard is something with potential to cause harm, such as working at height, whereas risk is the actualisation of that potential i.e. falling is the risk produced by the hazard. By the same token, temperature is hazard, burning is the risk. If you become too concerned with risk and risk ratings then you can miss out on the essential control element. Risk assessments should help provide workers with knowledge about what is and is not acceptable to do. What I’d like to see is a back-to basics approach. Simple, specific assessments backed-up with safety method statements that take into account changing conditions such as the weather. This opportunity is missed ~75% of the time. I have always found the following aide memoir a useful and powerful tool to ensure that Risk Assessments are comprehensive and robust; and the nature and complication of the work itself generates the complexity of the RA not this procedure:

Storing and Dispensing Fuel in High Risk Areas Presentation at the Conference at APEA 2010 Live By Jamie Thompson Chairman of APEA Technical Commitee If we look at the progress this industry has made over 100 years then the last 20 years has seen the

EA Principles of Storage; Underground Storage P1-7 and PI-8 state-

Protection Code it:

most remarkable change and I

P1-7 Where we judge that an

guess much of that change is down

unacceptable risk is posed to

to one word: “Environment”.

groundwater

One of my industry friends said that

the

because

change the

oil

storage

pollutants, we will oppose such

happened

storage. If other priorities determine

companies

that

the

development

should

ARTICLES

suddenly “got religion”, but of

proceed, we expect Best Available

course we all know that perceptions

Techniques (BAT) to be applied.

changed over time and oil and

Elsewhere,

petrol leaks caused other problems

practice should be followed. We will

than fire and explosion risk and

work with operators of existing

these have been well documented.

storage to assess and if necessary

During my career as a regulator I was one of those people who

established

good

mitigate the risk to groundwater. P1-8

will

object

the

helped “push” industry into making

underground storage of hazardous

the

substances in SPZ1. On principal and

stations

secondary aquifers outside SPZ1 we

options

also object, unless there are genuine

moves

construction

to of

underground

improve service

and

the

industry has now means that leaks

and overriding reasons why:

these new designs.

a) The activity cannot take place on

• And

also

“Above

source

protection zones major and minor aquifers” • Also it says “Current good practice would be to utilise double skin pipe work” I must state that I support a Groundwater Policy and the reason for such a policy has been brought about by the history of problems in the industry over many years, from leaking

single

wall

tanks

and

unprotected steel pipes, but it by EA staff is not consistent and also add that much of the pollution

What I want to challenge however

b)The storage must be underground

policy and its implementation on

(for

storing and dispensing of petrol fuel

in high risk areas such as SPZ1 areas,

the risks to be appropriately

where water extraction takes place,

mitigated.

example which

public

case

safety), expect

was caused by unregulated tanks such as diesel storage where there was no control and petroleum inspectors had no input. We should all be aware that much of the drive for better protection in

or where the fuel tanks are situated in groundwater. The apparent lack

a resource”

varies from region to region. I would

unproductive strata, and

is both the Environment Agency

be installed where groundwater is

would seem that its implementation

involving fuel entering the ground are a thing of the past by using

• Requires “double skin tanks should

Where such storage already exists

both

safety

and

of understanding they have of the

we will work with operators to

progress this industry has made, the

mitigate the risks, with an aim to

Directives which are turned into

development of widely recognised

meet this policy.

legislation

safety

and

environmental

It is the interpretation of these

comes

environment

sectors

from all

European European

Countries so in theory the same rule applies to all.

standards, and the fact that they

principles

are out of step with what is

regulators and industry problems

happening in Europe and the wider

and it has not been helped by the

are

world.

apparent mixed messages in other

Standards and this certainly applies

published codes.

to many of the standards applied to

Let’s look at the EA Policy: 58

the

that

DEFRA

has

caused

Groundwater

In addition many of the Directives supported

this industry.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

European

Some of the Directives that apply to

the

industry

environmental

and

members of the public is minimal.

an above ground tank as safe as an

both

Where environmental concerns

underground tank and to help

safety

were expressed because of leaking

ensure that an above ground tank

single wall tanks and steel lines,

involved in a fire situation would not

there developed a trend in the US

explode, that standard is UL2085.

cover

concerns:• The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/CE (WFD)

over the last 20 years for above

The trend for above ground

ground fuel storage (both oil and

storage has not included public service stations but has only been for private or industrial installations and it has not been a requirement of any regulators but is one driven more by: • The banking industry, as obtaining bank loans for such storage has made the industry nervous in such cases • The insurance industry who insure the risk In both cases the reason being that old single wall tanks/lines leaked

into

the

ground

and

contaminated land. It is also interesting to note that

ARTICLES

many of the UL 2085 tanks used in the US are used for diesel as well as petrol. Above ground tanks for public filling stations are not new, the first one I recall seeing was 25 years ago in

France

where

the

ELF

transportable service station was used

and

had

fire

resisting

structure of “Durasteel” around the double wall tank; some of the older members of the Association may petrol) to be

• Groundwater Directive

used.

2006/118/EEC

The

above

ground storage

• ATEX 95 equipment directive

of petrol has of

94/9/EC

course

the

added danger

• ATEX 137 workplace directive

99/92/E

fire

and

explosion. The fire

Safety versus Environment?

test

was

a c t u a l l y

Traditionally we have installed

developed by

petrol storage tanks at public filling

the Uniform Fire

stations below ground and one of

Code

the main reasons for this is to ensure

and the goal

the risk of fire and explosion to

was to make

(UFC) This installation was required to be put inside a building to satisfy planning requirements

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installation h

• Risk of spillage during a pumped

delivery process is considered by

d e s i g n s

an Energy Institute risk assessment

which

are

as being much higher than for

longer

underground tanks which use a

conducive with

gravity delivery

the

principal of the fire test

• All lines to dispensers from above ground tanks are pressurised

in UL2085. It w o u l d appear that

Annual Conference. The reason for its

development

was

not

for

environmental reasons but to be transportable. The

main

l i t t l e thought

had

gone

into

these

installations other than to meet the

have

experienced is the fact that a

• Petrol is not just a pollutant it is flammable!

requirements of the EA and the planners and the designs have increased the fire and explosion risk

problem

per minute

to the public, at the expense of conforming to EA policy.

What is wrong with underground installations? My concern is those people making EA policy do not have enough

understanding

the

situation has developed when the

In a recent inspection tour of some

EA during the planning process

of these facilities inspectors were

progress this industry has made over

have insisted that above ground

asked if they were trained for entry

the last 20 years in altering the way

tanks be installed, they then try and

into confined spaces and did they

that underground installations are

impose

which

have all the safety equipment to do

protected from leakage.

and

an inspection. In one facility the

Underground tanks are now all

explosion. The planning authority

deep bund (an EA requirement)

double wall tanks with positive leak

also has their input making the

surrounding an above ground tank

situation far worse.

will cause major inspection issues as

other

increases

the

conditions risk

fire

You will now see installations with

both inspectors and maintenance

above ground storage at public

engineers try to overcome the

filling stations with large bunds

Health and Safety issues.

around

the

tanks,

and

EN 12285-1. This means that the tank once installed and fitted with the leak detection system will be under test the whole of its working life and

some

enclosed inside buildings. All these

detection systems and conform to

Other Safety Concerns

should a leak occur in either the inner or outer skin an alarm will sound before any product can reach the environment. Underground

lines

which

traditionally accounted for 80% of leaks from filling stations are now plastic

and

European

conform

Standard

the

14125.

Where installations are at a higher risk then double wall pipes with leak detection can provide the same security as in tanks. What about existing filling stations in the Special Protection Zone 1? Well it would appear that the EA policy is different here it states; “We

will work with operators of existing storage to assess and if necessary mitigate the risk to groundwater”. Perhaps again accepting that APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

ARTICLES

remember the presentation at our

• Losses can be as much as 200 litre

•

The US EPA does not

insist

anywhere

above

ground

on tank

storage

The containment spaces around the

pipes

and

the

tanks

are

maintained at a positive pressure of 300mbar. Any failure of the primary or secondary layers will result in an

•

Above

ground

alarm. The pressure is greater than

storage is driven by the

the internal liquid pressures and will

insurance industry and

always push air into the fluid rather

used almost exclusively

than allowing it to escape.

on commercial sites

Alarms

are

passed

the

Automatic Tank Gauge to ensure •

Above

ground

tanks for petrol storage in the US are not used on public filling stations The EA and DEFRA both

mention

Available and

for

installation

These

can

also

remotely

monitored (perhaps even by the EA themselves?)

London’s Experience

risk

Building a filling station in London

are

can bring unusual challenges and

high they

one system.

Best

Techniques a

they are all handled through the

they are often built in very high risk

these:

areas. Twenty years ago London wall

adopted a policy of accepting only

underground tanks to

double wall underground tanks and

recognised standards:

non metallic lines and the success of

•

Double

ARTICLES

tanks with double wall or the lining of single wall tanks with a double wall lining

accordance

with

the

recognised European Standard EN 13160 – 7 is sufficient will help. The protection of groundwater is not a problem unique to the UK and the Environment Agency, it is a European and worldwide problem and if we look at the policies around the world it is clear the EA is out of step. Europe In

Germany

Environment

the

Federal

Agency

Umweltbundesamt and in France the French Agency for Environment and Energy Control (ADEME) These all accept the security of double wall underground storage with class1 leak detection even where drinking water is extracted.

• Class 1 pressure leak detection system • Double wall underground pipes

detection. The number of leaks from service stations has as a result of this policy dropped dramatically over

The USA California

65% of the service stations operating have double wall tanks with leak

with class 1 leak detection

• In

the policy in London is such that now

with

the

most

stringent environmental standards

• Chambers made water & fuel

that period. Such installations have been

resistant and tested before use

successfully installed and operated

in the US they accept double wall underground tanks in sensitive

These are high integrity systems using

even though they are very close to

areas

interstitial monitoring

the London Underground railway,

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

the London Underground railway,

storage I am not; it has its place in

cellars and basements, and they

the system and if you look at its use

pioneered

in Golf Clubs, Car hire installations

much

what

accepted as good practise.

and the temporary filling stations

Perhaps the best demonstration of

operated by Sainsbury it works

a successful installation is one that

remarkably well and I am sure will

was built and operated until quite

continue to provide an option for

recently in the middle of Heathrow

the industry.

Airport,

immediately

over

the

What

happening

with

the

concourse to the underground

current EA policy is that people are

railway serving terminals 1 to 3. The

being

tanks were 6 x 50,000 litres double

ground tanks in certain areas and

wall with leak detection, the lines

by the installation of unnecessary

were

bunds and enclosures producing a

double

wall

with

leak

detection.

forced

install

above

hazardous situation which can no longer be acceptable.

safe

high

system

It is also the application of this

protected the millions of people who

policy that needs the EA attentio;,

come

someone in the EA has more

into

integrity

Heathrow

the

underground railway each year.

recently decided that triple wall tanks are now required and they

This surely must be an example of

have been asked for on at least two

ARTICLES

what is perfectly acceptable to

occasions

protect the public, but which seems

England. There is absolutely no sane

to be unacceptable to the EA to

reason why this should be made a

protect groundwater.

requirement other than by the whim

Understand the massive learning

of some official unless the EA has

curve the industry went through in

changed

any

1990 and that both industry and

So there are no failures?

the

policy

southeast

without

consultation. I would point out there

regulators recognised the problems

• There have been a very small

are no standards for triple wall tanks,

of past poor designs.

number of failures of one wall of

there are no benefits from having

the new double wall underground

triple wall tanks and I am unaware

industry made to ensure product

storage tanks but most importantly

security by installing non-metallic

any

country

that

has

any

requirements for triple wall tanks.

Recognise

pipe

the

and

changes

double

wall

the

tanks

• There has been no recorded

As I write this paper I have also

product release from any double

been informed of a failure of a valve

wall underground tank installed in

in one of the new above ground

around the world, that double wall

the UK

installations where the “suction” lines

tanks

became pressure lines because of

underground even in high risk areas.

regulators

the fact that the tank was above

The APEA and I am sure the Energy

inform me there have been none

ground and fuel overflowed out

Institute would also be happy to

recorded in Germany and France

across the dispensing area creating

contribute to debate and discussion

who have records going back to

a very hazardous situation, another

with the EA over these issues to

1968

case

• Manufacturers

and

• The Steel Tank Institute have also informed me there have been no

the

underground. Accept, can

other

agencies

safely

used

“environmental”

ensure a more sensible approach to

requirements of the EA causing

the EA policy; no one in the industry

unnecessary

wants leaking tanks and pipes.

environmental

and

safety hazards.

records of product release from

The Blue Book which will be published later this year provides

double wall tanks in the US

My message to the EA is:Please urgently review your policy

above ground protected tanks and

Although it might appear that I

on petrol filling stations, and ensure it

firmly recommends that double wall

is applied uniformly.

tanks

am against above ground petrol 64

better guidance in the area of

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should

installed

The Southern branch autumn meeting was held at the Compass Inn, Tomarton on 9th November 2010; the Chairman, Paul Reyner, welcomed 33 members and 4 guest speakers. The first speaker of the day was Richard Wigfull of John Wigfull & Co. Ltd. on LPG operational issues.

registration is not a requirement to work on a LPG installation. Richard then showed examples of LPG incidents, resulting in both fatalities and serious injuries.

Darrin Francis

Richard Wigfull

Richard advised on the role of the UKLPG working group, in particular with regard to the blue and red book revisions; related regulations include DSEAR, pressure system safety regs and PUWER. BSEN documents will be issued without having to update the blue book details, and there will be more detail in CoPs, especially UKLPG CoP20. All LPG installations must comply with UKLPG CoP22, and are to be checked and tested before being put into service; subsequent testing needs the LPG to be removed before the leak test is carried out, test pressure is current not less than 6 bar, but this may increase to 15 bar. Duration of testing varies due to the length of the pipework/proportion of pipework above/underground, and sensitivity of instrumentation. Another change is the introduction of an emergency shut down sign, which will be white writing on a green background; this facility is primarily for the LPG tanker driver use. Richard clarified that CORGI

lunch was Jean-Marc Singer of Synertest on tank lining, compatibility with biofuels, and effects on European Standards. Jean-Marc advised that by the end of 2010, all underground tanks in France should be twin walled, but this has now been postponed until 2013. Tank testing must be carried out every five years, and also each time a fuel tank is opened for cleaning/lining etc. Tank lining must be carried out by quality assured companies and their equipment must be certified. The leak detection systems used must conform to European standard EN13160. Synertest started carrying out tank

The second speaker of the day was Darrin Francis of Cookson & Zinn Ltd. with an introduction of a new fuel tank for biofuels (Biobase). Darrin advised that biofuels contain approx. 25 times more water than conventional fuels, and that the presence of water is the single and biggest cause of microbial contamination. The new biobase tank is slightly sloped (approx. 1:50) at one end, in order for the water to be collected and removed by using a sump and contaminant extraction pipe. Each compartment can be fitted with this extraction system. By careful re-design of their current tank system, the biobase tank can be supplied at no additional cost. A two course lunch was then served, over which a lot of discussion of the first two presentations was done. The first speaker after

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

BRANCHES

Southern

Jean Marc Singer

BRANCHES

linings in 2004, as well as doing tank testing, but the testing aspect was dropped in 2008, in order to concentrate on lining systems. Synertest steam clean fuel tanks and sand blast prior to lining, then any required repairs are carried out. An epoxy resin coating is then applied, before the interstitial space of 1mm is done with aluminium mesh. A 450g/m2 laminate is then manually applied, with epoxy resin, to strengthen the lining system. The final epoxy resin coating is then applied, and thickness readings checked. A conductive coating is then applied, if required. A certified leak detection system is then installed, and the system commissioned. Synertest’s lining system carries a ten year warranty. The last speaker of the day was Barry Evans of Gas Fuelling Technology on CNG/LNG as an alternative fuel. As oil is a finite resource, a viable alternative is available from fossil

Barry Evans

sources, which is methane, which can be used in spark ignition engines, and could be half the cost of current fuels. Bio-gas can be produced from a wide range of organic wastes by anaerobic digestion. Natural gas vehicles have been around for over 100 years, and currently there are 12 million vehicles worldwide. The number of natural gas vehicles is growing at the rate of over 200,000 vehicles per month. CNG has environmental advantages, such as at least 20% reduction in CO2 emissions. Emission comparisons have been done on a Volvo V70, which showed a 34% reduction compared with diesel. Noise levels are also up to 50% lower. NG is lighter than air and is easily dissipated, therefore it does not ‘pool’ when released. It also has a very high energy spark. NG is slower burning, resulting in increased engine life. There are significantly more world reserves of NG than oil; and is distributed through pipeline infrastructures. Biogas will continue to be a sustainable supply. CNG costs are between 25-35% less than conventional liquid fuels in the UK, and capital cost payback is generally between 2-3 years for fleet owners in the UK. Warburton currently operate a NG fleet, along with several bus systems in Europe. Tesco have just purchased a NG fleet, with Sainsburys to follow. Paul concluded the meeting by thanking all the speakers for the very informative presentations, and all delegates for supporting the branch. He advised that the next branch meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th February 2011 at Marlborough Golf Club; presentations to be confirmed are:

• Groundwater protection policy update. • Web-based risk assessment. • Fuel storage solutions to address the challenges of new diesel fuels. The new APEA Chairman, Brian Humm, will also be giving an address, to include his vision for the future of the APEA, and how it will benefit local membership.

North West The North West Branch AGM and Technical meeting is to be held on March 24th 2011. Once more the venue will be Haydock Park Racecourse. More details will be available shortly. and on the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk

Eastern The Committee would like to take this opportunity of wishing you a Good New Year and hope it brings all good things. The Eastern Branch hosted its early Christmas lunch on December 8th at the picturesque location at Hanbury Manor near Ware, Hertfordshire. The Early Christmas lunch has become one of the Eastern Branch members’ favourite meetings and provides a great place to network and share business experiences. The presentations on topical subjects were, as always, excellent. Jean Fincken, who is Petroleum Inspector for London Fire Brigade, gave the “regulators update”. This slot is an invaluable part of the meetings with a great deal of information conveyed to members. If you haven’t been to one please make a note in your diary. Sam Carson, Operations Manager of OHES, talked about ‘Site Sensitivity and Environmental Risk’. The Environment Agency estimates that there are 30,000 pollution incidents each year in the UK. Understanding the sensitivity of a particular site to an incident is critical to managing environmental risk. The aim of the presentation was to explain why different sites may be more or less sensitive to pollution and how this

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

a stalwart of the Eastern Branch cover an interesting titled subject “Nothing much happens on Filling Stations – Does it?” Certainly an education and an awakening for all despite all the modern technical stuff that a safe working environment both for employees as well as the public should not be taken for granted. The Eastern Branch would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who gave of their time to provide us with these interesting presentations. The branch meetings are technical information workshops Dr Aubrey Burrows

and qualify for CPD points so people

may influence decisions on site management. Dr Aubrey Burrows, Senior Technical Manager – Fuels,

option both environmentally and operationally. We were also delighted in these difficult times for

should take advantage of this benefit

when

meetings

are

attending. intended

The to

Tesco Stores Limited gave a talk about some of the challenges with Biofuels – Under the heading: A retailer’s perspective. This was a timely subject. We have

BRANCHES

had presentations in the past from companies describing how they are managing and treating tanks and pipes. Here we had an opportunity to gain an insight from one of the leading

fuel

retailers

and

the

problems they are faced with on a daily basis. Jacquie Holt, Director Terence Barker talked about the significant benefits and ‘Safety Features

environmental

well

Benefits

the of

“Convault” above ground storage tank.

The

Presentation

also

emphasised the use as a totally safe

Brian Baker

many local authorities to have Brian Baker of Milton Keynes Council and

relevant to all those who are in one way or another involved with the forecourt related industry. For the diary. The next Eastern Branch meeting and AGM is scheduled for May 2011 and currently is scheduled to be held

Imperial

War

Museum

Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

Other

members are also welcome to join us on the day and can bring a friend or colleague. The Eastern Branch will be electing new officers if you are interested in doing interesting things for fellow members please contact the 68

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

secretary

likewise

for

nominations of branch officers. Members will receive the agenda in the normal way which will also be posted on the APEA website. If you would like to give a presentation to our members and talk about your business or specialist technology please do contact me.

North East Mike Silmon - Rep and Sec W O Silmon Ltd Industry Road, Heaton Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE6 5XB Tel: 0191 224 0777 Fax: 0191 224 0707 email: associationtreasurer@apea.org.uk

Southern

Midlands Rob Tunnicliff - Rep/Acting Sec 37 Victoria Park Road Tunstall Stoke on Trent ST6 6DX Tel: 07815 069846 email: rob.tunnicliff@stoke.gov.uk

Sue Meadowcroft - Sec

Philip Monger - Rep Petrol Retailers Association Meadowside West EndSherbourne St John Basingstoke, Hants RG24 9LE Tel: 01256 850164 Fax: 01256 851273 email: phil.psac@gmail.com

Anton Martiniussen Secretary & Treasurer APEA Eastern C/o ELAFLEX LTD Hoddesdon Herts, EN 11 0PA phone office 01992 452 914 fax 01992 452 911 email elaflex@aol.com

Next meeting 17 March 2011

Yorkshire & Humberside Nothing to report

Scotland Nothing to report

Ireland

North West Louise Morgan - Rep Petrocom Ltd Wash Farm (Office) Rainford Road, Bickerstaffe Lancashire L39 0HG Tel: +44 (0) 845 678 0790 Fax: +44 (0) 845 678 7820 Mobile: +44 (0) 7789 744281 email: louisemorgan@petrocom.co.uk

Nothing to report

Branch Representative and Secretary Contact Details Eastern Adrian Holyomes - Rep HYTEK GB LTD Delta House Green Street, Elsenham Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire Tel: 01279 815600 email: adrian@hytekgb.com Anton Martiniussen - Sec ELAFLEX Ltd Riverside House, Hoddesdon Herts EN11 0PA Tel: 01992 452 950 Mob: 07831 595620 email: elaflex@aol.com

Bridgend CF33 4RN Tel: 07795 841891 email: sue@high-cross.com

Killian Tallon - Rep Topaz Energy Ltd Topaz House Beech Hill, Clonskeagh Dublin 4, Ireland Tel: + 353 1202 8705 email: killian.tallon@topazenergy.ie Ronnie McArdle - Sec McArdle Doyle Limited Unit A8, Santry Business Park

Nothing to report

North East

South Cornelly

Ireland

mob 07831 595 620

Midlands

1 Rock Cottage

Bob Conlin - Sec Fairbanks Environmental Ltd The Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View, Skelmersdale Lancs WN8 9TN Tel: 01695 51775 email: bobconlin@fairbanks.co.uk

Swords Road Santry, Dublin 9 Ireland Tel: 00353 1 8423404 Fax: 00353 1 8423416 email: mail@mcardle-doyle.ie Yorkshire & Humberside

Scotland Ian Hillier - Rep North Ayrshire Council Bridgegate House,Irvine KA12 8BD Tel: 01294 324969 email: ihillier@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Craig Brocklehurst - Rep Lbi Installatiosn Ltd The Former Post office Station Road, Sowerby Bridge Halifax West Yorkshire HX6 3AA Tel: 07703336264

Paul Devine - Sec South Lanarkshire Council Consumer and Trading Standards North Stand, Cadzow Avenue Hamilton ML3 0LU Tel: 01698 476170 Fax: 01698 476180 Mobile: 07795 090903 email: paul.devine@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

email: craig@lbiinstallations.com Michelle Brocklehurst - Sec LBI Installations Limited The Former Post Office Station Road, Sowerby Bridge Halifax HX6 3AA Tel: 01422 833122 email: michelle@lbiinstallations.com

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

BRANCHES

Branch

2011 Training Course Dates Petrol Filling Stations Construction, Safety and Environmental Protection

Wetstock Management 12 April

Luton

Petrol Filling Stations – Enforcement Procedures An Awareness

12/13 April

Luton

14 June

Cardiff

11 April

Solihull

21/22 June

Manchester

13 Sept

Glasgow

16 May

Belfast

13/14 Sept

Solihull

15 Nov

Manchester

6 June

Luton

1/2 Nov

Glasgow

12 Sept

Cardiff

14 Nov

Manchester

Explosives and Fireworks Petrol Filling Stations Risk Assessment, Audit and Inspection 19/20 April

Luton

10/11 May

Manchester

14/15 June

Glasgow

5/6 Sept

Solihull

7 Sept

Manchester

13 Sept

Luton

5 Oct

Solihull

9 March

Luton

12 Oct

Derby

9 June

Belfast

14 Sept

Glasgow

10 Nov

Solihull

Forecourt LPG Installations

DSEAR

TRAINING

6 April

Manchester

Electrical Installations An Awareness

17 May

Belfast

Petrol Filling Stations; Vapour Recovery Installations

25 May

Solihull

21 Feb

Manchester

24 May

Solihull

28 Sept

Luton

26 June

Belfast

13 Sept

Glasgow

9 Nov

Glasgow

29 Sept

Luton

29 Nov

Luton

7 Dec

Cardiff

7 Nov

Cardiff

Courses will be designed around the new TCB Document, Guidance for Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations (currently 2nd Edition 2005). Please contact the APEA Business Manager on 0845 603 5507 or at admin@apea.org.uk if you wish to find out about purchasing a copy. APEA Members can purchase the guide at the discounted rate of £40 (non member rate £120). The Blue Book 3rd Edition will be available in March/April and will be £70 to members and £140 to non APEA members. This will be available in hard copy format and a pdf download from the APEA website www.apea.org.uk It is strongly recommended that attendees have access to this document during courses. All courses can be booked online at www.apea.org.uk on the ‘Training’ page. Bespoke courses can be made available provided the minimum number of Delegates is 8. This offers a discount. For details of this and any other training enquiry, please contact: Jane Mardell - Training Coordinator, (contact details on page 3) or Brian Baker, Training Chairman Mobile: 07932 785 166 70

email: brian.baker@milton-keynes.gov.uk and/or bakerb4@sky.com APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk