The Bulletin
Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration
Sept 2010
Chairman’s Report
4
Editor’s Report
7
Brian Baker Editor 52 Milton Grove
Letters to the Editor
7
Business Manager’s Report
8
Bletchley Milton Keynes MK3 5BH
New APEA Members
11
News
12
Press Releases
26
tel:
+44 (0) 1908 252332
fax:
+44 (0) 1908 252319
mob:
+44 (0) 7932 785166
email: Bakerb4@sky.com
Jamie Thompson
Articles
Publishing Chairman
40
APEA 2010 Live - Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner
42
70 Wangford Road Reydon Southwold
Help for Hereos - APEA 2010 Chosen Charity for Awards Dinner
46
Abbrieviated Accounts 2009
48
Suffolk IP18 6NX Tel/fax: +44 (0) 1502 722999
Fuel Tank Cleaning Machine & Temporary Vent Innovation
52
The Case for Forecourt Competency
54
Mobile: +44 (0) 7770 625851 email: Jamiethompson@ukonline.co.uk
3rd Annual Oil & Distribution and Retai Conference, China-
58
Nine Months with Total Vapour Solutions T V S Part 1
62
Jane Mardell Business Manager
Ask the Experts
64
PO Box 106 Saffron Walden
Branches Branch reports Training 2010 course dates and booking details Recent training course photographs
Essex CB11 3XT
66
United Kingdom Tel/fax: +44 (0) 845 603 5507
73 74
Mobile: +44 (0) 7815 055514 email: admin@apea.org.uk
Front Cover - This Total site near Cape Town has Table Mountain in the background (supplied by Jamie Thompson) 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.
3
CONTENTS AND EDITORIAL
Interview with John Dallimore, John Dallimore & Partners
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Welcome to another edition of The Bulletin which I hope you will find packed full of interesting stories and articles. Our focus of course at this time of year draws to our annual conference and awards dinner. This year we have a new events company F2F Events and we are hoping that this year will continue to see the rise in popularity of the event. We have listened carefully to what you, the members, have indicated and I think we have responded correctly regarding the costing structures and opportunities for all our members to attend this event from whatever part of this industry you work in. Please see the enclosed articles for the event regarding attendance for the conference, afternoon workshops, AGM and the Awards Dinner or why not all day. During May I attended a Conference in Beijing representing the Association and I have written an article and enclosed some pictures of the trip. One thing that was obvious during my attendance was how well known the work and publications of the APEA are received in other countries. At this year’s AGM, I will be stepping down after two very enjoyable years as your Chairman. I have had a great time representing the Association and would like to thank all Council Members and Jane Mardell for the help they have given me. I would also intimate that our Honorary Secretary, Geoff Oldham, is stepping down from his role and I would like to express my gratitude for all the help and advice Geoff has given me in my term of office and for his dedicated work for the APEA throughout his time as Secretary The Association always needs fresh blood on Council to help any whatever small way they can, so please if you are interested in taking a more active role please contact myself or any other Council member. The last two years has just flown by for me and we have achieved progress on many things and technology advances with the approaching publication of the 3rd Edition of the “Blue Book”.
4
What does disappoint me and something we all need to wake up to is the number of incidents and accidents still occurring. We have now just about 9000 sites left in the UK but I still receive and have to work on an increasing number of incidents where things have “gone wrong”. This should not be happening given all the regulations and procedures that we as an industry are meant to follow, but I’m afraid there are those entering the industry and those that should know better, taking risks with dire consequences. In the last week alone I received two very worrying phone calls, one from a individual who was on site allegedly carrying out a periodic inspection of the electrical installation for license conditions and he wanted to know where he would find the “check list” of what he should be checking!! How can we end up with this situation? Where were all the checks by the oil company and licensee as to the competency requirements of the persons they were employing? What about the contractor involved and the individual on site working with electrical systems and a potentially explosive atmosphere, the specific details of DSEAR 2002 and EAWR 1989 have not been considered by any party with potentially fatal results for what I consider as saving a few pounds on an established contractor being employed! The other call was from a contractor who has won some installation work on some forecourts and wanted to know if there was any specific training or knowledge they should have electrically as they had not worked on filling stations before! Again why are they winning work in the first place or even being considered when there are very competent and well established forecourt contractors out there in a competitive market with the skills and experience and proven track record. I just find this situation disappointing given the work put into regulations and standards and what appears to be the solution of employing the “cheapest” and not addressing the risks involved. I fear that sooner rather
than later we will have a serious incident on a UK forecourt resulting in loss of life either to a site employee, contractor or member of the public. I have seen and been involved with incidents of injury to persons and damage to site facilities, mostly by fire, that are totally avoidable over the last few years if only the correct checks on the “competency” of the project managers, main contractors and sub contractors had been carried out plus of course the actual persons on site having the appropriate experience. Filling stations are not just any other type of retail premises; they have some very complex engineering systems primarily aimed at the safe delivery, storage and dispensing of fuels which are highly flammable and result in potentially explosive atmospheres to which we allow the public uncontrolled access, with sites operated by non technical persons or even totally unmanned. Then we must consider whether the abilities of those that plan, design, install and maintain these premises are the correct people to do so and are competent for the tasks they are to carry out. So if I have one last message before standing down it is please consider those that you may employ to do work on your forecourts; are they the correct people for the job and do they have the skills? Better you ask yourself this question than have the magistrate asking you after the incident! Please enjoy this issue of The Bulletin and I look forward to seeing you on the 14th October at the Ricoh Arena.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
get in this time. As Editor, it is reassuring to be in this position, not often I hastily add, but my thanks go to our contributors and I think we have some worthwhile articles to read this time. Our Chairman has written an interesting report on his recent official visit to China as the Association continues to make its mark globally and we hope to increase our presence and membership. Each issue you can see a list of new members and it is fascinating just how we have spread our wings to so many countries nowadays. You may recall the news report in the last issue of the fire and explosion in a taxi office in Immingham in North East Lincolnshire where tragically two women lost their lives. At the request of some of our members seeking more information I have made contact with the Petroleum Licensing Authority and it is expected that a feature report will appear in the pages of this journal in the near future. There are numerous lessons for us all to learn from an incident of this nature. I hope you pause at the advertisement for our conference that is not that far away. Bob Conlin, our Event Chairman really has got hold of this event in recent years and this time we are trying something new; Workshop Sessions in the afternoon. These are designed to be less formal and in smaller groups where we can all learn more about our industry and how things are done. Personally I want to be at each of them, as despite so many years in this business, I have never stopped
Dear Sirs/APEA
these number of years I have known
learning new topics, so I hope many of you will join me there. The conference, exhibition and dinner are always a great event and a chance to network and have fun as well! Although it seems quiet, the Blue Book revisions continue and the team led by Gareth as Chairman, are forging ahead and news will be coming out soon. Having seen a first draft last month and the first round of comments received it is looking good. Everyone will have a chance to comment but I always feel that the end product is a team effort across all the industry with best techniques and knowledge being brought together. The APEA team are fit (well reasonably so) and raring to make sure our Association is something that
membership
something
and
better (a lot better) than our soccer players! Regards Brian
Take care and who knows what's
that I am leaving my current job and
carry on doing the professional job
Regards
returning
this industry requires.
Mike Carpenter
(Tankers ).
You do a fantastic job in your own
Thank you all for your support over
profession as well as helping others.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
represents
the hope that the England boys do
around the corner.
duties
means
I am off to watch cricket now in
you. May the APEA expand and
operational
it
exceptional value.
I thought I had better let you know to
of
Delivery Risk Assessor Bp Oil 7
EDITOR’S REPORT/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I write this as the World Cup reaches its closing stages for what has been a marvellous occasion in any imagination and now my attention returns to the job in hand. My interest was drawn recently to what is going on in my own area of Milton Keynes, a city that has been built (and continues to be built) since 1967 with a population increase of from around 40,000 then, to one of 240,000 now. The city was an ideal choice for the UK Government with its grid road system for the introduction of a pilot scheme on the electrification of transport with the rise of the electric car. The first of our public charging points goes into Central Milton Keynes in November to be followed in the ensuing 18 months with 2,500 more around the city, focusing on the central parts and park and ride schemes. It can be said that the biggest drawback is the range of these electric vehicles, as they are currently limited to between 80 and 100 miles on average, but one feels that it’s only a matter of time before these distances will increase to be more equal to those that run on fossil fuels. Charging times also play a part and the one I have seen will have two options, one hour or 20 minutes. I know that there are now over 1,000 charging points in London and that we in Milton Keynes are linking heavily with Newcastle, another of the 8 cities chosen in the pilot project. I am waiting to receive the first application for a charging point on a petrol filling station! The History series is on hold for this issue, as I am delighted to say that we have had a lot of submissions to
I hope you are all having a lovely summer, let us hope the weather will continue, like it is now, in late June, whilst I am writing this report.
2011 Yearbook Thanks to all of you that completed your online registration entries for the 2011 Yearbook and also to those of you who booked advertising. The artwork is now at the printers and the Yearbooks will be distributed on 1st October. If you have not received your copy by the end of October please let me know and I will chase up your delivery. We will be sending all Yearbooks by Royal Mail recorded delivery and by courier so that we can follow up any non deliveries.
APEA 2010 Live
BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT
APEA 2010 Live takes place on 14th October at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, comprising of conference, exhibition, AGM and awards dinner. The event takes place in a dedicated conference and function centre, boasting top class facilities. Anyone wishing to book for the Conference, Exhibition or Awards Dinner should go the APEA website home page at www.apea.org.uk and click on the box link for the event. This will take you to a dedicated website where you can make your bookings, including accommodation. If you would like to enter any of the awards you can do this online from the home page of the APEA website or please contact me for an entry form at admin@apea.org.uk, please specify which award you wish to enter so that the appropriate form can be emailed to you. The deadline for entries is 6th September. Details about the awards can be found on page 44.
APEA AGM 14th Oct, 1.15pm With this issue of the Bulletin you will have received an invitation letter to the AGM and nomination form, should you wish to nominate someone to Council. If you would like to attend the AGM please email me at admin@apea.org.uk or telephone me on 0845 603 5507 to pre-register your attendance. 8
Bulletin - articles/news items Thank you to all of you that have contributed to this issue of The Bulletin. Please send me any news items, press releases or articles for the December 2010 issue and I will pass them onto our Editor for approval. The deadline for final copy is 11th October. We are always pleased to receive contributions from our members and it ensures that the Bulletin remains an interesting and informative read.
Bulletin - 2011 Advertising I will be sending out renewal letters to current Bulletin advertisers for 2011 advertising in October. Positioning of adverts is on a first come first served basis, so to ensure your advert is in a good position please make your bookings as soon as possible after receiving the renewal letter. If you would like to reserve space now in the 2011 Bulletin, please email me at admin@apea.org.uk with your requirements or call on 0845 603 5507.
please do not hesitate to contact me for a quote. We can offer discounted rates for these courses if you are able to provide a venue and catering. You can book online from the Training page on the APEA website or you can download a booking form from our website training page, just click on the course you are interested in and the course details and form are displayed or please contact me by email or by phone and I can email you a copy. Also anyone booking a training course now, that is not an APEA member will automatically receive membership to the APEA.
New Members Publications The Blue Book is available at the discounted rate of £40 to APEA members. If you wish to purchase a copy please contact me on 0845 603 5507 and I will be able to provide you with details on how to purchase. We also publish the Code of Practice for Ground floor, multi storey and underground car parks. This can now be downloaded directly from the APEA website.
Training Thanks to all of you that have booked on the APEA training courses. The 2010 dates are detailed on page 73 of this issue of the Bulletin and are also on the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk where you can book online or download a booking form. I can also arrange bespoke courses for companies, which enables members to receive training at a discounted rate and at a time and location suitable to them. If you are interested in hosting a bespoke course for your company
There have been 43 new members joining during April, May and June 2010 and details can be found on page 11.
Website I am currently in the process of redesigning the website and hope to have this live Sept/Oct time. It will be more user friendly, easier to navigate and with a great new look. The website continues to be a useful site for information, to make online bookings and payments. I am glad so many of you are using it. If you wish to contribute anything to the site please email it to me for review. You can also use the website to change your contact details, just logon and you will be able to access your record. If you cannot remember your logon details please contact me.
General Assistance Finally if any of you need any assistance with general or technical matters, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0845 603 5507 and I will endeavour to help. Jane
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
April Robert Baxter URS Corporation Ltd Forthview House 30 Hilton Road Rosyth Fife KY11 2BL Peter Richards Gilbarco Veeder Root PO Box 6804 Silverwater New South Wales 6804 Australia Paul Bannister North Lanarkshire Council 79-81 Merry Street Motherwell ML1 1JJ Brian Anderton North Lanarkshire Council 79-81 Merry Street Motherwell ML1 1JJ Dawn Prior 22 Beaconsfield Way Fome Somerset BA11 2UA Steven Rees-Pullman Energy Level Systems K1 - 2 Welland Industrial Estate Valley Way Rockingham Road Market Harborough Leicestershire LE167PS Paul Jones Abbey Fire UK (Ltd) Unit 22 Willow Court West Quay Road Winwick, Warrington Cheshire WA2 8UF
Ruth Holton Westmeath Fire Service Mullingar fire Station Lynn Industrial Estate Mullingar Westmeath Ireland Jim McCartney Wigan Council Environmental Services - Operations Christopher Street Ince Wigan Greater Manchester WN3 4QY Neil Campbell Greenergy International Limited Suite 12 Egerton House Towers Business Park Didsbury M20 2DX Craig Brocklehurst Lbi Installatiosn Ltd The Former Post office Station Road, Sowerby Bridge Halifax West Yorkshire HX6 3AA Paddy Ryan R&M Technologies Ltd Cuchulainn Road Thurles Tipperary Ireland Kirsty Draycott Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards Sackville House Sackville Way Great Cambourne Cambridgeshire CB23 6HL
Peter Farmer Glasgow City Council Land & Environmental Services Exchange House 231 George Street Glasgow G1 1RX
May Keith Hodgson Hillcrest Red Beck Road Stump Cross Halifax West Yorkshire HX3 6XL
Gary Shephard Fleming Technical Ltd Brunel Road Croft Business Park Bromborough Wirral CH62 3NY
Dean Monkhouse Hartle Ltd Drakes Court Alcester Road Wythall Birmingham B47 6JR
Alan Butterwick Lane Head Cottage Flagg Buxton Derbyshire SK17 9QR Yaw Agyemang-Duah Ghana Oil Company Limited P. O. Box GP 3183 Accra West Africa Ghana Chris Cleaver ConocoPhillips High Gables Main St, Frankton Rugby Warks CV23 9NZ Stephen Harburn 18 Lion Lane Billericay Essex CM12 9DL Justin Daglish Process Environment Ltd 7 Southcourt Drive Cheltenham GL53 0BU
NEW APEA MEMBERS
Detailed below are new members that have recently joined the APEA during April, May and June 2010.
Ian Wilson Lisburn City Council Building Control Island Civic Centre, The Island Lisburn Antrim BT27 4RL Fintan Lyons 4 Front Energy and Environmental Ltd Grattan House 67-69 Lower Mount Street Dublin D2 Ireland Neil Roberts 133 Harcourt Avenue Sidcup Kent DA15 9LH Nicholas Goodger 52 Russley Road Bramcote Nottingham NG9 3JE Martin Schofield RP & P Management Limited Beta House Parkside Court Rooley Lane Bradford West Yorkshire BD5 8JX
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
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Allison Bruce
Matthew Orton Engen Petroleum Limited PO Box 35 Cape Town 8000 South Africa
Aberdeenshire Council Gordon House Blackhall Road Inverurie Aberdeenshire AB51 3WA
Paul Ecclestone-Brown Veolia Environmental Services 1 Station Road Four Ashes Wolverhampton WV10 7DH
Greg Tonner North Lanarkshire Council 79-81 Merry Street Motherwell ML1 1JJ
Nicolas Tsioutis KODAP 20th Themistokli Dervi Nicosia 1066 Cyprus
John Nock Wefco (Gainsborough) Ltd Britannia Works Spring Gardens Gainsborough Lincolnshire DN21 2AZ
Daniel Griffiths Assets Training and Technical Services Pte Ltd 28B Penjuru Close,#01-06 609130 Singapore
NEW APEA MEMBERS/NEWS
June Wayne Gibson Anderson Architect 92a Thomas Street Portadown Co. Armagh BT62 3AG
Vince Dalton Dakin Service Station Contractors Ltd 128-130 Church Street Croydon Surrey CR0 1RF
Godwin Sant Malta Resources Authority Millenia, 2nd Floor Aldo Moro Road Marsa LQA 06 Malta
Robert Greasley Trent Barton Mansfield Road Heanor Derbyshire DE75 7BG
Surrey KT3 3LZ
more by stealing fuel than from selling class A drugs. According to figures from the AA, the average petrol price in the UK is over £1.20 a litre - the highest it has ever been - and diesel more than £1.21 a litre, the second highest in Europe. As Brits struggle to afford to fill their cars, criminals like Alex - not his real name - have seen the demand for stolen fuel rocket. Stealing petrol hasn't been done on an organised scale since the Eighties. Now, criminals can make so much money many fill containers at forecourts and drive off without paying - known as bilking. Forecourt thefts have risen sharply in the past six months. Alex said: “On a good day I can make £800. I have a special 45gallon drum in my vehicle. It has a
nozzle to pump out the fuel later when I am selling it on. “The entire drum would cost £250 to fill at the pumps, which is over £5 a gallon. I sell it for around £3 a gallon. All the profit's mine because it's cost me nothing.” He can sell up to six drums a day. Criminals like Alex are much more organised than opportunist thieves. He said: “The best times to do it are when the police change shifts, so there are less of them on the roads. I never fill up more than £80 at a time because petrol station staff get suspicious. “The petrol companies also can't be bothered to chase up such a small amount because to prosecute it would cost them more in solicitors' fees. They often think it's an honest mistake as well. “I fill up my special
Mountford Pigott LLP 50 Kingston Road New Malden
Hooded criminal Alex proudly shows the specially-adapted oil drum he uses to steal hundreds of gallons of petrol from garage forecourts every day. The back wheels of his old banger groan under the weight of the fuel sloshing around in it in the back seat. The stench is overpowering – almost unbearable, and black petrol marks stain the upholstery. Not that he is bothered. With petrol prices soaring to an alltime peak, organised criminals such as Alex are cashing in and making up to £800 day. The recession has made petrol such a valuable commodity that it is being dubbed “liquid cocaine” by the criminal underworld, with gangs earning
Dawn Frazer WashTec 14 Oak Industrial Park Chelmsford Road Great Dunmow Essex CM6 1XN
Raymond Ziska Concorde Interiors (Europe )Ltd Unit 13 Belvedere Industrial Estate Fishers Way Belvedere Kent DA17 6BS
Susie Nelhams
UK, London. £800 a day fuel thieves
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Alex Boudry PetroTechnik Singapore 2 Marina Boulevard #19-04, The Sail Singapore 18987 Singapore
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
of the AA, said last night: “We have heard of this issue and we are pleased that The Sun has chosen to investigate it.”
Liverpool Drive-off theft from garage forecourts was rife in the Seventies and Eighties but has died down for years. Colin Borrows, 52, a former criminal from Toxteth, Liverpool, said: “I started stealing petrol when I was a teenager. It was the mid-Seventies and people were queuing up at the pumps because petrol was expensive and running out. “We used to fill up the tank then we'd have four ten-gallon oil drums in the back seat and two or three in the boot. “We did it again in the Eighties when petrol went through the roof once more and there was recession. There was no CCTV back then but it was still risky. “We were just opportunists. We'd have four of five cars doing it at the same time. But now the people who do it are more organised and there's more money it. At the end of the day it's like having a barrel full of liquid cocaine because punters will buy it off them all day long. “There's no way of stopping it. Even if criminals get caught driving round with oil drums. Unless the police catch them redhanded, all they can do you for is no tax or insurance.”
UK, Worcester. “Crazy” thieves drill cars for petrol Police patrols have been stepped up in parts of Worcester after nearly 100 incidents of fuel tanks being drilled and petrol drained. The thieves have targeted vehicles in quieter streets in Warndon, St John's and Claines over the past three months, West Mercia Police said. Replacing a tank can cost between £400 to £1,000 depending on the car, mechanics in Worcester said. Victim David Thomas said the offenders were “crazy” to risk such danger. His car, his wife’s, and five of his neighbours were all drained of petrol during a night-time raid.
“It does make you wonder what facilities they have with them”. he said. “To drill into tanks for petrol, a single cigarette could set light to it, and in a residential area, they must be crazy.” Mechanic Richard Stanley, who has repaired damaged cars, said that the thieves have drilled at least two holes in the tank and drained off what they want, leaving the rest to spill out. Chief Inspector Sharon Gibbons said there had been an increase in reported incidents, particularly in February. She said there were 22 incidents in January, 48 in February and 26 so far in March. “It does make you wonder what facilities they have with them,” she said. “We don't know exactly how they are doing it.” She is urging drivers to keep their cars in garages where possible, and said she hoped increased patrols would deter the thieves.
UK, Storrington. Woman dies after head-on crash with petrol tanker A woman died and her boyfriend was injured when their pick-up crashed head-on into a petrol tanker. Police believe the driver, Zoe Ross, 34, lost control of her car as she negotiated a bend on the westbound carriageway of the B2139 Amberley Road in Storrington. Her car veered on to the opposite carriageway and was struck by an empty Tesco tanker. Miss Ross, who had recently moved to Storrington from Burgess Hill, was taken to hospital but died a short while later. Her boyfriend Joseph Warren, 29, from Storrington, was taken to Worthing Hospital with concussion and cuts and bruises but has since been discharged. The driver of the tanker, from Essex, suffered minor injuries. The road was closed for five hours while police investigated the scene 50m west of the junction with Clay Lane. Sergeant Alan Spicer, from the Sussex road policing unit in Haywards Heath, said the couple were on their way to Chichester
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
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NEWS
tank in three stops, then take it to my clients. Most of them are white van drivers. “For a big day's work I'll rent a transit van from a small hire firm, then put fake business branding down the side. “Then I'll work a patch all day. I never stay in one area for more than a week, as you'll get known. Then I'll move on somewhere else. I work all over the country and have clients everywhere. “Petrol companies make billions in profits, so how can I feel guilty about stealing from them?” We met Alex, in his late-twenties, in London, just one of the major cities he works. He was using a car he picked up for £200 and can not lead back to his door. He said: “If I'm using an old banger I never register it so I can't be traced. I'll also pop down to a scrap yard and pick up 20 number plates from old cars.” Alex, who was not paid for this article, only ever steals diesel refusing to work with unleaded petrol. He added: “Unleaded is much more flammable than diesel, it is extremely volatile. “If I got into a high-speed chase with the cops, all it would take is to hit a small bump in the road to turn me and the car into a fireball. “Only desperate junkies steal unleaded. I've heard stories of them blowing themselves up - they're complete idiots. Unleaded also smells much more than diesel. “If you drove past the “Old Bill” they would literally smell what you are up to. “If you want to be a successful criminal, you need to remember one thing - NEVER underestimate the police.” Petrol companies are tightening security on forecourts to deal with theft of fuel. A BP spokesman said: “Forecourt crime is a growing problem, with filling up with fuel and making off without payment a major problem. It is costing the industry millions of pounds each year. “We have introduced numerous measures in an attempt to combat forecourt crime. “The use of sophisticated CCTV systems is a major benefit in identifying persistent offenders.” Edmund King, president
when the crash happened. The Toyota Hilux they were travelling in featured a logo for Connick Tree Care, a tree surgeon specialist with a head office in Reigate, Surrey and staff based in Sussex, Surrey, Kent and London. Sgt Spicer said no one had been questioned or arrested in connection with the incident. He said: “It would appear that the Toyota Hilux has lost control on the right-hand bend but we do not know the reason for that loss of control. We have to give consideration to all lines of inquiry.” It is the third accident on the B2139 this year but the first at this spot and the only one in which drivers or passengers were hurt.
UK, Suffolk. Tanker hijacked for fuel
NEWS
A petrol tanker driver has told how he was rammed on a country road by a gang trying to steal his £50,000 cargo. The ambush, thought to be the first of its kind, is being blamed on soaring fuel prices. The 62-year-old driver told detectives how a gang of four young men in a Range Rover and a Transit van bumped into his vehicle, containing 40,000 litres of fuel, on the A12 near Blythburgh, Suffolk. When the driver, thinking the crash had been accidental, pulled over to check for damage the gang pounced and demanded his keys. But he fought the men off and they fled empty-handed. The driver was examined by paramedics but did not need hospital treatment. John Howells, of the Road Haulage Association, said: “With the price of fuel as it stands; people will inevitably make attempts to steal it.”
UK, Wales. Caernarfon. Man suffers burns in Gwynedd DIY garage accident A man received burns to his hands and neck after a spot of DIY in a private garage near Caernarfon went wrong. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze 16
started when the man used an electric drill to drain the fuel tank of a scrap car. It is believed a spark or the heat from the drill caused a small explosion at the garage at Talysarn. The man, aged in his 40s, was treated at the scene and was then transferred to hospital. Fire fighters from Caernarfon were called to the garage in Station Road shortly after midday. Crews used breathing apparatus to tackle the car fire. Paul Jenkinson from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “This fire appears to have started when the occupier used an electric drill to drain the fuel tank of a scrap car. “It is thought that the heat or a spark from the appliance came into contact with the fuel and caused a small explosion. “Residents must remember that drilling can cause sparks which have the potential to cause fire. This incident highlights how easily fires can start and demonstrates the need to be extremely cautious when undertaking DIY.”
UK, North Wales. Diesel thieves steal 32,000 litres of fuel; they siphon tankers for £25,000 haul Diesel worth thousands of pounds has been stolen from tankers in North Wales police have revealed. Police in Kinmel Bay are appealing for witnesses and information after over £25,000 worth of diesel was stolen. More than 22,000 litres of road diesel and a further 10,000 of red diesel were stolen from two tankers at premises on the Tir Llwyd Enterprise Park. PC Owain Williams said the theft is believed to have happened sometime between April 3 and April 6. He said: “Once access was gained to the site, the offender or offenders damaged tankers situated at the back of the premises and siphoned the diesel. “Inquiries are already underway and CCTV footage from the vicinity is being studied as part of the investigation. I
urge anyone who may have seen any vehicles leaving the site or who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the vicinity to contact us as they may hold vital information which may assist with the investigation.” Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area or who may have seen any big tankers leaving the site to contact them. Last year there were a spate of diesel fuel thefts from vehicles in the region. About 15,000 litres of diesel, worth between £15,000 and £16,000, was stolen from a council yard in Dolgellau. The diesel was stolen by connecting a 100 yard blue water pipe to the diesel store and letting it run down a field owned by the livestock mart to a tanker. Diesel fuel was also stolen from premises in Wrexham. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
UK, Oxfordshire. Fierce fire destroys M40 service station One of Oxfordshire's biggest service stations was almost completely destroyed in a fire. More than 120 fire fighters from three counties battled the blaze at Cherwell Valley Services, at junction 10 of the M40, at Ardley, near Bicester. The fire is believed to have started in a back room just before 1pm before spreading through the complex, causing the roof to partially collapse. The cause of the blaze is not known. Fifteen crews from Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire battled to stop the blaze spreading to the neighbouring Travelodge Hotel and the Petrol Station. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated, but there were no reported injuries. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Richard Bowley said: “There is very significant damage.” Thick black smoke poured into the sky and could be seen for miles around. Police urged drivers to
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tried to start the fire in Edlington, Doncaster. The fuel ignited and exploded, causing severe burns to the faces and chests of some of the children. It is thought some of them could be left permanently scarred. Crews were called to the address. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) said none of the group were believed to have suffered lifethreatening injuries, but some may be scarred for life due to the severity of the burns. Steve Makepeace, of SYFRS, said: “It exploded in front of them so obviously they're going to be faced with a wall of flames coming at them. “They were probably surrounded by flames for a few seconds while it all burnt away, but in that time the heat is enough to burn your skin very badly.” Edlington Station Manager Neil Baugh said it was the second such incident he had attended in a matter of weeks. He said: “It appears that young people had been trying to get the fire going when they poured this model car fuel - nitrous methane on to it. “It is so volatile it just explodes, and some of this group have suffered some severe burns. “It appears to be a bit of a trend and it is extremely worrying. “I would urge young people not to play with fire of any kind, and definitely not with accelerant such as this fuel or petrol.” Doncaster Council said its children's services department had been involved with some of the children in the past but none of them were subject to child protection plans.
UK, Buncefield. Trial starts for three Buncefield depot firms
UK, Doncaster, Edlington. Children burnt; emptied a can of nitrous methane model car fuel Seven children in Doncaster suffered burns, some of them severe, when they caused an explosion trying to light a fire with model car fuel. The youngsters, aged between seven and 13, poured nitrous methane on a brazier when they
An oil storage company manifestly failed in its duty to prevent a giant explosion that wrecked homes and businesses and caused disastrous levels of pollution, a court heard today. A jury heard that it was 'miraculous' that no one was killed in the 2005 Buncefield Oil Depot blast caused by spray from
quarter of a million litres of petrol that spilled from a large tank at the site at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead. Car engines were choked by a cotton wool-like cloud of vapour or fog that caused them to rev to the maximum level before grinding to a halt. People living nearby thought there had been an earthquake and a vast amount of damage was caused to properties as windows were blown out, doors ripped from their hinges just after 6am on December 11, 2005. At one house, 500m from the site, a ceiling and beams fell. Prosecuting, Andrew Langdon QC said: “The word miraculous is perhaps used too frequently today, but it was indeed miraculous that no one was killed in this incident.” Tanker driver Paul Reed, working at Buncefield at the time of the incident, was knocked off his feet and choked by fumes after vapour from the spillage caught fire and exploded. Mr Langdon, summarised his evidence, saying: “He heard and felt a whoosh like the sound of wind hitting him in the back. Immediately on hearing this coming he heard a loud explosion. He said: “It blew me from my feet and I went to the floor.” The driver said he was hit by falling debris and gasped for breath crawled under his lorry to protect himself as the air was “sucked away” by fumes. St Albans Crown Court heard that the fire raged for several days, destroying the tank and those around it. Thousands of litres of petrol and fire fighting chemicals then leaked into the ground into a vulnerable chalk aquifer that feeds into the water table. Mr Langdon said the damage was greater because Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd, had “manifestly failed” to maintain bunds - walls surrounding the tanks to protect the environment meaning the chemicals poured into the ground below. The prosecutor said: “That the ground water was polluted is not in dispute, although the full extent of that pollution is not yet fully known and may not be for a very long time. “In simple terms this is
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19
NEWS
avoid all roads near the service station because thick smoke was drifting across the area and reducing visibility. The roads affected were the M40 from junctions 9 to 11, the A43, B4100 and B430. Witnesses described plumes of black smoke coming from the blaze. Paul Jarvis, a van driver from Kidlington, was making a delivery at Ardley at about 2pm when he spotted the smoke. He said: “I just saw plumes of black smoke billowing. “The smoke was really intense and black, then we heard a lot of banging. I understand it was the roof caving in.” Allan Kelly, 42, from Cholsey, was travelling from his home to Birmingham on the M40 when he saw the blaze. He said: “Traffic was really slow, because everybody was braking to have a look. “There was really thick smoke being blown across the motorway and it did make conditions quite difficult. It was hard to see anything. “There was so much smoke, it looked more like a volcano erupting than a normal fire.” The main building had a Marks & Spencer food store, Costa Coffee, Burger King, WH Smith and cafe. It was opened in 1994 and gave the 89mile motorway its first service station, four years after building work was completed. Andy Leatham, spokesman for the station’s parent company Moto, thanked the emergency services for their hard work. He said: “Our priority now is to open an extensive, temporary facility, which we hope to do within the next few days. “After that we will start planning the rebuild of the station.”
NEWS
because the polluting material pollutants from the fuel and fire fighting chemicals - has yet to work its way in the system.” The jury of 11 men and one woman heard that Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd, known as HOSL, denied responsibility for the explosion or subsequent pollution, the long-term effects of which are still not known four and a half years after the blast. Mr Langdon said the company, owned 40 per cent by Texaco and 60 per cent by Total, claimed to bear no responsibility for what happened. He said: “They say they had no obligations in terms of human safety nor protection of the environment. “They acknowledge that these are important things but say that the responsibility for them lay with Total.” He added that Total had already pleaded guilty to offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The prosecutor explained that oil arrived at the storage depot by pipelines from three oil refineries, including the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincs. He said it was collected from a loading gantry by oil tankers and then distributed. He asked the jury: “How could (this incident) happen, with all the resources available to the oil industry, who say they need sites like Buncefield in order to distribute their fuel?” HOSL, of Clarendon Road, Watford, denies failing to prevent a major accident and causing pollution. TAV engineering of Sydenham Road, Guildford, denies failing to ensure employees were not exposed to risks. Motherwell Control Systems 2003, of Castle Street, Liverpool, denies failing to ensure employees were not exposed to risks. The company, which is in voluntary liquidation, was not represented. The trial continues.
UK, Car fire at Tetbury filling station A woman rushed to save her children when smoke started pouring from her car and set alight while sat at a Tesco filling station in Tetbury. One crew from Tetbury was called out at about 2.50pm. The fire 20
was out when they arrived so they disconnected the battery. A police spokesman said the fire was put out by 3.20pm and the female owner, who witnesses said had her children and pet dog in the car, arranged recovery of her vehicle. Witnesses said a customer and staff member grabbed fire extinguishers to put out the blaze, which was under the front of the car and in the wheel arch. One witness said: “There was a loud bang from the car then smoke started coming from it. “Two guys ran out from the garage. A customer grabbed a fire extinguisher as did one of the garage staff. “The other ran back inside to turn off the pumps. The fire was under the front of the car and in the wheel arch. “The woman was trying to start the car but smoke was coming out from the bonnet. She realised something was wrong.” “She grabbed her kids out of the car and took them to the far side of the garage then she went back for her dog, which was in the boot in a cage. “It was quite shocking to see something like that. I hate to think what would have happened if the garage had gone up “The car was right in front of the door to the garage.” The cost of the damage is unknown.
UK, Lancashire. Contractor issued false electrical certificates Between 2004 and 2006, a contractor issued three fraudulent electrical test certificates to two petrol filling station’s in Lancashire. All had been written and signed off using the details of a bona fide electrical contractor who was unaware that his details were being used in such a manner. Investigating officers discovered the certificates in the filling stations site registers during routine inspections. On the 24 February 2010, the contractor, John Marsland, who is Company Director with Northern Forecourts Ltd based in Chester,
appeared at South Ribble Magistrates court, Leyland, where he pleaded guilty to three charges under the Counterfeiting and Forgery Act 1981. During the investigation, the three fraudulent certificates were submitted for handwriting analysis by the Forensic Science Service along with authentic documentation that had been previously issued to other sites by Mr Marsland. Conclusive matches between the documents led to the eventual charge of Mr Marsland. Mr Marsland was fined a total £2025 and ordered to pay a further £1800 in costs. A filling station licensee also connected to the enquiry received a formal caution for his part in the proceedings.
UK, Motorist dies in petrol station fire A motorist died after his car caught fire on a petrol station forecourt, police said. Firefighters said the “flash” fire had been contained inside the car and noone else was hurt. Police said the fire was thought to have broken out shortly after the man had bought fuel and climbed into the car at a Shell garage in Guyhirn, Cambridgeshire. “It obviously could have been much worse,” said a police spokeswoman. “It seems that the fire didn't spread at all and the garage was able to reopen.” A fire service spokeswoman said there had been no flames and the fire was over by the time crews arrived. Police, who have yet to name the man, said an investigation was under way. The spokesman said the man had been trapped in the car and was later declared dead.
Scotland. Petrol station fined for under-age sale It is illegal to sell petrol anyone under the age of 16. An Edinburgh petrol station has been fined after admitting selling
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EU, Autogas as part of the solution: The EU takes notice With a view to fostering the emergence of a more competitive, secure and sustainable transport model, the European Union has made the promotion of clean and efficient vehicles a top policy priority
over the past year. Since 2009, the AEGPL has undertaken a corresponding campaign aimed at ensuring that the potential contribution of Autogas to this objective is recognised and understood. In its dual role as a legislator and a developer of policy strategies for the consideration of its constituent Member States, the EU has a significant impact on the national policy frameworks in which all European LPG operators do business. It is therefore encouraging to see highly positive references to
Autogas in the recently published EU Competitiveness Council conclusions on clean and efficient vehicles. There is no doubt that the Autogas message is being heard in Brussels! Alongside
the
gradual
emergence of electric (and, in the long term, hydrogen) vehicles, the Council explicitly acknowledges the scientific and market evidence that alternative fuels “including liquid biofuels and gaseous fuels (such as LPG, CNG, and biogas)” have the potential
to
environmental
reduce impact
of
the road
transport. In order to speed up the market
uptake
of
clean
and
efficient vehicles, the Council calls on public authorities to “provide the appropriate support framework” with a view to “creating business confidence, which is necessary for investment
and
production
decisions”. The conclusions note that the European Union should take
leadership in “supporting the roll-out and
consumer
acceptance
of
alternative power-trains and energy efficient vehicles” but also refers to the important role to be played by national,
regional,
and
local
authorities across the EU. In order to guide consumers towards more sustainable choices, the Council calls on the Commission to “rapidly come up with guidelines on potential financial incentives for consumers to buy green vehicles…without giving preference to any particular technology”. This last clause is particularly gratifying for the AEGPL as it demonstrates that the danger of an “electriconly” policy has been avoided. Autogas is and will be eligible for inclusion in schemes designed to support the proliferation of clean and efficient vehicles, both at European level and in each individual Member State. This type of positive development demonstrates both the tangible impact of the AEGPL’s efforts to reposition Autogas in Europe through lobbying and communications initiatives such as the Autogas Roadmap and video among others, and looking forward, the need to continue this process. The AEGPL encourages its members to carry on pursuing parallel contacts with their respective national and local authorities in order to ensure that the broad vision being developed in Brussels translates to sustained growth and progress for Autogas in the field.
Germany. Shell aiming to surpass BP Shell has reached an agreement to purchase 44 service stations from leading German grocer, Edeka. The acquisition would enhance Shell's position in Germany as it looks to fend off the threat of supermarket fuel retailers, and pull ahead of its main rival, BP-owned Aral. However,
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23
NEWS
petrol to a customer under the age of 16. BP Oil UK Limited was fined £200 after petrol was sold to an underage volunteer in South Queensferry during a test purchase exercise in August. The sale was made to a 14-yearold, working on behalf of Edinburgh council. The company was fined for breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The test purchase exercise visited five petrol stations. At three of them under-age volunteers were able to buy petrol a 60% failure rate. “Petrol is a hazardous substance and we must ensure that it is not being sold illegally to children” said Robert Aldridge from Edinburgh City Council. An Edinburgh City Council spokeswoman said if young people were able to access petrol, then they may be able to “perpetuate anti-social behaviour” for example fuelling mini motorbikes. The exercise also tests whether petrol stations are obeying the law and providing the correct level of training to staff. Robert Aldridge, Edinburgh City Council environment leader, said: “I am very concerned that three out of five petrol stations sold fuel to young people regardless of age. “This behaviour is totally unacceptable. Petrol is a hazardous substance and we must ensure that it is not being sold illegally to children. “I hope this fine will serve as a stark warning that retailers must abide by the legislation.”
NEWS
in such a concentrated market, doubts remain as to whether the deal will be approved by the competition authorities. Each of the service stations in question are located at Edeka's Marktkauf supermarkets and if acquired would be re-branded and operated by Shell. Customers purchasing goods at Edeka stores with a Shell service station would be able to receive a discount of 2% per litre on fuel. The proposed acquisition would leave Edeka with 56 service stations, and increase the number of Shell branded sites in Germany to 2,240. However, this still wouldn't be enough to overtake Aral which has over 2,300 branded sites. Despite Aral having the largest network, both Shell and Aral are neck and neck in terms of fuel market share, with both retailers each accounting for 23% of fuel sales in the country. For Edeka, the proposed sale comes as no great surprise. Edeka is increasingly focusing on its discount stores as it attempts to challenge Aldi and Lidl with its own discount grocery chains, Netto and Plus. For Shell, the deal could move the fuel retailer above Aral in Germany, in terms of fuel market share something which is unlikely to happen simply through organic growth. The acquisition would also be positive for Shell (and other oil company branded fuel retailers in the country) as it would reduce the threat, however small, of supermarket fuel retailers in the country. On the other hand, the deal may be a blow for forecourt competition in Germany. Less than 1% of fuel sold in Germany is through supermarket sites, although 15% of German motorists in a recent Datamonitor survey reported they have been increasingly using supermarkets, believing them to be cheaper. It is partly for these reasons that the deal could still be blocked by competition authorities based on concerns that Shell and Aral are too powerful. Indeed, in 2009 French oil company Total was refused permission to acquire 59 sites in East 24
Germany from Austrian oil company OMV, as the deal threatened to strengthen its position as well as market leaders Shell and Aral.
New Zealand, Wellington. Documents reveal petrol station hazards for staff and the public Six investigations have been launched into injuries at petrol stations in the last two and-a-half years but less than half involve staff, according to documents from the Department of Labour. The injuries to petrol station employees included a fractured wrist after falling from a step ladder and a fractured right foot when an employee was run over on the forecourt. The other four injuries were to members of the public after slipping on wet surfaces. All six investigations carried out by the Department of Labour between January 2008 and April this year found no breach of the Health and Safety in Employment (HSE) Act. The information was contained in an Official Information Act Request by nzherald.co.nz after the issue of poor service at petrol stations was raised earlier this month. Aucklander Calvyn Jonker contacted the Herald after being “appalled” by the attitude of staff at one BP station, who refused to check the water level of a woman's car in case they were burned. BP defended the lack of service. Company spokeswoman Diana Stretch said checking water levels were a no-go zone for service station staff - along with checking tyre pressure. “OSH regulations state that we are required to do an assessment of hazards and take steps to mitigate those hazards.” In those assessments BP has identified that checking of water in radiators, changing tyres, and filling tyres with air are all potential hazards to our staff,” she told the Herald at the time. Information from ACC shows there were 435 injuries to “petroleum fuel retailing staff” between January
1, 2008 and May this year. Spokesman Fiona Robinson said these numbers cover all employees from petrol pump operators to baristas and mechanics who work in a petrol station. The injuries include 19 fractures or dislocations and 15 burns but strains and sprains were the most common with 321 cases recorded. There were 348 claimants who claimed a total of $682,576 from ACC. However, this money does not include costs of transporting the injured people to hospital by ambulance or their hospital care.
Turkey, Istanbul. Turkey fines petrol Ofisi 20 million Lira in tax probe Petrol Ofisi, which runs Turkey's biggest chain of gas stations, said the Finance Ministry fined it 19.9 million lira ($12.6 million) due to alleged tax irregularities. The fine, which includes back taxes and penalties, is the latest against a company controlled by Dogan Holding, which owns Turkey's biggest media group. Petrol Ofisi will pursue its legal options, including a settlement, and will not pay the fine now, according to a filing with the Istanbul Stock Exchange. The alleged irregularities occurred in 2005, 2006 and 2007, it said. The Finance Ministry last year fined Dogan Yayin, which controls about half of the Turkish media market, 5.7 billion lira ($3.8 billion) over alleged tax irregularities, raising concerns in the European Union about press freedom in Turkey, which is a candidate for membership. Dogan has said it was singled out because of its critical coverage of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government. Erdogan denies that charge, but has accused Dogan newspapers and channels of acting like an opposition party. His government has pledged to crack down on the country's unregistered economy, which accounts for more than half of gross domestic product. Last year, a court cancelled fines totalling 600 million
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lira against Petrol Ofisi for alleged violations of fuel-distribution regulations. Another court lifted a ban against its participation in state tenders. Dogan Holding controls 53 percent of Petrol Ofisi, while Austria's OMV owns 34 percent.
Australia, Victoria, Melbourne. 7-Eleven Australia may buy Exxon fuel outlets
NEWS/PRESS RELEASES
7-Eleven Australia is close to acquiring most of Exxon Mobil Corp’s local filling stations, the Australian newspaper reported on its website, without saying where it got the information. Caltex Australia Ltd., the nation’s biggest oil refiner, scrapped plans to buy 302 filling stations from Exxon Mobil for A$300 million ($257 million) after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission opposed the transaction on
Cameron Forecourt launches internetbased Elipse Fuel Management System A new fuel management system using satellite-based smart technology to provide up to the second round-the-clock monitoring via the Internet, will be launched at the CV Operator Show by Cameron Forecourt Ltd. Aimed specifically at the owners of commercial refuelling
26
concerns the deal would lead to higher prices. Exxon Mobil is looking at the options for its retail fuel business, Alan Bailey, a spokesman in Melbourne for the Texas- based company, said by telephone today. He declined to comment on potential buyers of the filling stations. 7-Eleven is interested in acquisitions and has looked at a “multitude of opportunities,” Melbourne-based spokeswoman Tracy Hammon said by telephone. No agreements have been reached, she said. Exxon Mobil Australia wants to focus on natural-gas projects, with plans to spend “many billions of dollars” in Australia and Papua New Guinea in three to five years, the company’s Australian Chairman John Dashwood said in an interview in Brisbane yesterday. Filling stations are “not our business model,” Dashwood said. “I guess the distinction I make is, are you an oil
and gas company or are you a groceries company? The industry has changed to the point where the two meld, and some have used the shop to move fuel. We’re not in the business of being a shop.” Dashwood declined to reveal potential buyers. 7-Eleven Stores Pty. had 182 filling stations at the end of 2007 and was the second-largest of “independent” retailers that represent 7 percent of the market, according to the nation’s antitrust regulator. Mobil had 11 percent compared with the 16 percent outright share of Caltex and 22 percent it holds through a venture with Woolworths Ltd. The Australian 7-Eleven is closely held by the Withers and Barlow families which brought the brand to Australia in 1976 through a license agreement with the U.S. company, then known as Southland Corp., the company said on its website.
installations, the Eclipse system provides extensive web-based realtime information without the need for any special software. Because the flow of information from the system is up to the minute via GPRS, it makes it far easier for fleet operators to monitor stocks, pinpoint deficiencies and stamp out theft or unauthorised fuelling. Used in combination with high accuracy tank gauging, the Eclipse system provides a cost-effective route to total wet stock
management encompassing monitoring of stock levels, deliveries, fuelling by authorised personnel and providing instant access to real-time data. Using “always awake” GPRS links, it will immediately communicate alarms to designated landlines, mobile phones, laptops or PC’s the moment an irregular action is detected, whether theft, tampering, short deliveries, attempted use of stolen keys or other forms of system misuse. The “front end” of the system has an alpha-numeric keypad and is available as a robust stainless steel stand alone unit, or integrated into existing pump units. It is also suitable for retro-fit replacement of existing fuel management systems. Highly flexible, Eclipse has been designed to interface with vehicle tracking systems and provide seamless data export to fuel management software. It offers a choice of access to fuelling including RFID tag, magnetic cards or Dallas I-Button and can use and/or import data from fuel cards. Comments Cameron Forecourt
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
This
flexible pipe is based on the proven Thermoflex® technology developed by Polyflow Inc. and successfully applied as tubing in the oil & gas
Sales and Marketing Manager Martyn Gent: “With traditional landline or GSM-linked fuel monitoring systems, the information polled can be anything up to 24 hours old. “The Eclipse informs you immediately when things start going wrong, be it theft, fuel loss or any other exception. Because Eclipse is web-based and active round the clock it can be monitored via a standard browser to provide realtime highly accurate information, whether linked to one site or a network.” He adds: “Coupled with advanced electronic tank gauging, it allows transport managers to keep their finger on the pulse and base their decisions on real information, not an artificial picture presented by earlier systems. The Eclipse addresses the need for communicating problems as soon as they happen.”
Flexible, non-metallic pipes for the underground LPG transport in service stations TCI Environment International nv, a member of the CGH Group, is the first
company
worldwide
to
introduce a really flexible, fibre reenforced, thermoplastic pipe for the
industry. The Thermoflex® - LPG pipe construction is comprised of three components. An inner liner of a special Nylon grade that is compatible with LPG in both liquid and vapour form. Aramid fibres which provide all of the strength of the pipe, many are aware of the poor creep (stretch under a load) properties of plastics in general and PE pipes in particular. Aramid fibres have exhibit excellent creep and strength properties as proven by their application in bullet proof vests and tyre cords. Longitudinal fibres are applied to minimize stretch and radial braided fibres provide the burst strength of the pipe. Locking the fibres at the ends of the pipe requires a coupling similar to a hydraulic hose fitting. The metal coupling that is swaged onto the pipe’s ends grabs the fibres and holds them in place. One should think of a pipe where the fibres are providing all of the strength with the polymers acting as a caulk filling in the holes around the braid. Unlike with PE pipes it’s wall thickness does not determine the strength of the Thermoflex® - LPG pipe!
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PRESS RELEASES
underground transport of LPG -
The polypropylene outer jacket’s sole purpose is to provide an abrasion resistant layer to protect the braiding. Unlike with solid unreinforced PE pipes, scratches, nicking, abrading, gouging etc. of the outer jacket does not degrade the physical properties of Thermoflex® - LPG pipes. As long as the braiding is not damaged or cut, the integrity of the pipe remains unaffected. Traditionally, underground piping of LPG installations are in welded carbon steel tubes that need to be protected against corrosion. TCI is the first company worldwide to introduce a fibre re-enforced, flexible thermoplastic pipe that eliminates all the disadvantages and concerns related to steel tubing®. TCI’s Thermoflex® LPG pipes are always installed underground in continuous runs between tank & pump and dispenser, eliminating the delicate and time consuming jointing & welding work associated with steel tubing. The LPG pipes come in sizes DN20, DN25 and DN32; larger pipe sizes for tank offset fill lines and industrial butane/propane installations will be manufactured on request. The pipes and associated couplings have a
rated pressure of 500psi - 35bar with a 1,5 design safety factor. The LPG pipes were thoroughly tested and certified by INIG, the Polish Oil & Gas Institute in Krakow Poland. Thermoflex® LPG pipes are supplied in coils of 200m or longer and are cut to the required length on the building site. Couplings are machine swaged on site. The installation and the testing are done in a few hours versus days when using steel tubing. Since its introduction in April 2009 more than 20 installations are operational in Poland. Early 2010 in Belgium, BK Gas used this pipe to equip its LPG facility in a Q8 and a Shell site. The first LPG pipe installation in Italy is planned for May 2010 using this pipework The Thermoflex® LPG pipes offer: • No Corrosion
PRESS RELEASES
• Strong, 35 bar rated pipe & couplings • Installed in continuous runs • Flexible, easy and fast to install
unit has a significant installed base of sites that spans both multinational and regional oil companies, primarily in India. Gilbarco Inc. is wholly owned by Danaher Corporation. The acquisition is a reaffirmation of Danaher's interest in India and its commitment for long term growth. PDP will be joining fourteen other Danaher companies in India.
Bentley Motors introduces Cameron fuelling installation BENTLEY Motors Ltd has appointed commercial fuelling solutions specialist Cameron Forecourt Ltd for a major storage and dispensing installation at its engine testing facility. The prestigious contract, announced at FPS Expo, includes the supply, installation and commissioning of fuel tanks, gauging, pipework and environmental safety equipment at Bentley Motors’ research facility for fuels, including ethanol-based blends.
Installation work at the company’s plant in Crewe, Cheshire, is already under way and will take a total of 22 weeks to complete. The new equipment will provide Bentley Motors C5 engine test facilities with the ability to test using fuel blends containing up to 85 per cent bio-ethanol and assist the development of their new range of “FlexFuel” vehicles, which are capable of running on a variety of blends without change or adjustment. The contract includes refurbishment of six existing 9,000 litre below ground tanks for future storage of ethanol-based E85 fuel and unleaded petrol, introduction of tank gauging, including water detection and leak detection, installation of two 10,000 litre tanks to contain any accidental spillage and meet environmental requirements, together with associated pipework to deliver fuel to the engine test beds. Cameron Forecourt will also provide electrical control of the completed facility, commissioning and training. Maintenance will be provided on an on-going basis as
• Less pressure drop than steel tubing • 30+ years life expectancy
Gilbarco Inc. completes acquisition of Petroleum Dispensing Pump Business Unit of Larsen & Toubro Limited March 11, 2010 - GREENSBORO, N.C. USA / MUMBAI, INDIA – Gilbarco Inc. announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the Petroleum Dispensing Pump (PDP) business unit of Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T). Located in Mumbai, India, L&T is a leading industrial conglomerate. The PDP business unit manufactures, sells, integrates and services petroleum dispensers, LPG equipment, and automation systems solutions. L&T’s PDP business 30
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Martyn Gent – Sales & Marketing Manager Cameron Forecourt Ltd Chambers Road Platts Common Industrial Estate Barnsley, South Yorkshire S74 9SE Tel: 01226 742441 Email: info@cameronforecourt.co.uk www.cameron-forecourt.co.uk
commence or to warn the operator that the pump should not be activated. Functionality includes: • Comprehensive reporting system • C-DONP web site for drive-off management • Viewable and exportable event logs • Local Accounts with groupable customers • Alerts based on groups, such as “Assistance Required” • Local 'Black Lists' • Customer Schemes
HTEC launches the latest addition to its growing Automatic Number Plate Recognition System product range HTEC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universe today announces the launch of Forecourt Protect for Petrol Forecourts. Forecourt Protect can be used on any forecourt and runs independent of the POS. This means that you do not need to have HTEC’s petrol forecourt POS system HydraPOS installed to benefit from the Central Database of “drive off” records. Forecourt Protect uses at its core the same enhanced version of HydraANPR version 3 which already prevent Drive Off’s at many of the UK’s petrol forecourts. Forecourt Protect - Standalone ANPR solution for Petrol Forecourts. The system requests a central database check of the car registration plate and the host responds back with a message that indicates if the vehicle has been previously registered as a drive off or non payment. The response is passed direct to a terminal to determine the correct course of action, i.e. allow fuelling to
specific
Loyalty
• Vehicle search screen that allows queries to be made on the database, including: - Vehicle transaction details - Vehicle history trace - Registration Plate query - Image requests Extenders: • Stand alone screen • Serial based wallboard • Text messaging Commenting on the launch, Paul Cooper, CEO of Universe, said: “We are proud to launch another product from our development team which strengthens our position as market leader in this sector and enhances our existing managed services to our traditional customer base such as major inner-city UK supermarkets.”
Case study Ireland: Maxol leading the way Maxol Group is Ireland’s oldest and foremost independent oil company. The Maxol brand covers a network of 214 service stations on Ireland and Northern Ireland. The
company operates a stringent standards programme throughout its activities and as such always seeks to improve the safe operation of their service stations. In 2009, one of Maxol’s service stations reported problems of audible static discharges. The problem was that during the filling of the underground tanks an audible and repeated “clicking” could be heard in the fill box. The clicking ceased when the filling process was completed. Concerned, Maxol contacted KPS immediately to discuss potential causes and their immediate resolution. The station was operating with non-conductive piping and it was quickly concluded that there was a need for grounding and bonding of the metal work surrounding the pipework in the station’s fill boxes. In early 2010, whilst filling the underground tanks at evening time a lorry driver observed a spark jumping some 50 mm (indicating a charge of approx 50,000 volts) in the fill box. Immediately Maxol closed the station until further analysis could be undertaken and measures to eliminate the problem identified. Maxol agreed not send further fuel deliveries to the station whilst the problem persisted and called out for quick action to rectify the problem, again contacting KPS and the installation company. KPS commissioned the services of an independent electrostatic consultant, who concluded that the problem was likely to be related to static discharges from the nonconductive pipework used at the station. Previous grounding of all isolated metal work had not rectified the problem. The consultant went on to recommend immediate replacement of the non-conductive pipe with conductive pipework, which would then dissipate any static electricity to earth. The pipe replacement work was immediately undertaken by the installers Tokheim and KPS working in close collaboration with Maxol. Since the installation of KPS conductive piping, the Maxol station has had no further incidents
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PRESS RELEASES
part of the agreement. Comments Cameron Forecourt project leader Terry Smith: “The make up of liquid fuels is likely to change significantly over future years and the solutions we are currently able to offer now take account of this. We are delighted to be associated with the provision of Bentley’s facilities for research into alternative fuels.” For enquiries please contact:-
of sparking and the station is fully operational with a “clean bill of health.” The workplace for installers and other staff is now compliant with the ATEX 1999/92/EC Users Directive. Maxol is now leading the way across Ireland to ensure the safe operation of its service stations and is working in close collaboration with both its pipe supplier and installation company.
Technical
Services
Laboratory,
before joining Shell South Africa in Cape Town in 1985. He returned to the UK in 1993, joining Shell Research Limited at their Thornton Research Laboratory as manager of Shell’s industrial lubricants research and development group. moved
to
Shell
In 1997 he International
Petroleum Company in London, where he held a number of brand, product management and product
Fredrik Hellner Sales & Marketing Director fredrik.hellner@kpsystem.com Tel: +46 702 85 75 21 Lars Selling CEO lars.selling@kpsystem.com +46 706 72 14 44
PRESS RELEASES
stewardship roles in Shell’s lubricants
Phil Prow
business. Married with three daughters, Andy’s interests include hockey, where he captains an over 50s Super Veterans team and motorsport, especially classic cars and the Goodwood Revival.
Phil Prow, formerly Regional Director for Eastern Europe at Gilbarco Veeder Root, as Sales and Marketing Director of the Group’s Petrol Forecourt Division, reporting to Phil Maud, Managing Director of Brulines Forecourt Services. This was the latest in a flurry of announcements from the Stockton based PLC as they continued the rapid development of their forecourt strategy and offering. Brulines’ forecourt strategy aims to deliver a market leading, integrated toolbox of data management, analysis, and associated products and services that allow forecourt operators to optimise return on investment from their fuel stocks and the assets designed to store, control and issue fuel. This strategy has progressed through a series of developments commencing with the acquisition of Edensure, a wet stock management business, in October 2008 followed
Suresite Group Move On
Andy Roberts appointed UKPIA Director, Environment, Health & Safety UKPIA, the trade association representing the UK’s main oil refiners, has appointed Andy Roberts as Director of Environment, Health and Safety. He takes over from Ian McPherson, who has retired after seventeen years with UKPIA.
Andy joined UKPIA in June 2007 and was seconded into the then
To accommodate expansion in both businesses, Suresite Ltd and Suresite Card Services Ltd have moved into new offices at 5D, Millennium City Park, Barnfield Way, Ribbleton, Preston PR2 5DB The new premises are conveniently located close to the M6 Motorway and provide more room and enhanced facilities. Chairman, Geoff Oldham, said “This move demonstrates the Board’s confidence and commitment to the future growth of our companies.” Managing Director Keith Gater said, “We had been in our old offices for 6 years during which time the company grew significantly. We were able to secure brand new premises which are almost twice the size at no additional cost which will provide much better facilities for our staff and visitors whilst also laying the groundwork for future expansion.”
Department of Trade and Industry as Head of Downstream Oil in the Energy Resilience Directorate.
He
returned to UKPIA in January 2010 and took over the role of Director responsible for Environment Health and Safety issues on 1st May 2010. Andy has a PhD in Chemistry and began his career in 1980 with Mobil at their Coryton Research and 32
Brulines’ Forecourt Division Developments On the 5th July Brulines Group plc, the leading provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the leisure and forecourt services sectors, announced that it had appointed
Phil Maud
by the appointment of Phil Maud, who had spent 8 years at Morrisons Supermarkets as Forecourts Director, in September 2009.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
gauging systems, tank lining, LPG and forecourt services business in April 2010, and the acquisition in June 2010 of APEA 2009 Innovation Award winners Retail & Forecourt Solutions Ltd, the UK market leader in fuel pump calibration, adjustment and legal verification, and a leading provider of forecourt audit and compliance services Finally, on the 21st June Brulines announced a further agreed acquisition, by mid July 2010, of LBI Installations Ltd of Halifax, a company offering web-based contract management solutions for forecourt operations and the appointment of LBI MD and Chairman of the APEA Yorkshire and Humberside Branch, Craig Brocklehurst as Operations Director of Brulines Forecourt Services. Established in 2006, LBI operates web-based contract management solutions for forecourt operations, including those of a leading UK supermarket retailer, which has recently extended that contract for a further 3 years. LBI’s proprietary solution has been designed to significantly simplify management of multiple contractors for both reactive and preventive maintenance, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance in a sector where exemplary control measures are essential. In addition, LBI offer forecourt engineering and project management solutions to a number of forecourt operators. Phil Maud, Managing Director of Brulines’ Forecourt Services Division said: “The appointment of Phil Prow and the acquisition of LBI are some of the final elements in building a product portfolio and organisation capable of delivering our forecourt strategy. Our recent acquisitions in forecourt services are well run, profitable businesses employing high calibre people. We are now focused on growing our business organically by building on the broad customer base which has resulted from this year’s acquisitions. Across the division we now supply solutions to UK forecourt retailers accounting
for over 60% of the fuel sold in the UK, including most of the major supermarkets and leading oil company brands.” Commenting on the proposed acquisition and appointment, James Dickson, Chief Executive of Brulines, commented: “This acquisition is a key element of our customer proposition and ensures that Brulines Forecourt Services Division is in a strong position to continue our innovation and to challenge established players in the fuel management sector in the UK and beyond. I am very confident that we are now well placed to replicate in the forecourt market our long-term success in the leisure sector.”
Charging of electric vehicles mandate officially handed over to the European Standards Organisations
General Assembly Chairman, Mrs Elena Santiago Cid, CEN-CENELEC Director General and Ms. Margot Dor, Director of Partnerships and EU Affairs of the ETSI Secretariat, at the European Commission premises. Electric vehicles have become an increasingly important topic in the European agenda, representing an undeniable potential in achieving the 2020 target of reducing carbon emissions. The push to develop viable electric cars has been driven in particular by the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to curb climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The transport sector has been offsetting emission cuts from other sources, as it has become the fastest-growing consumer of energy in the EU. Safety, interoperability and performance of electric vehicles chargers are at stake. The essential contribution of standardization, and the work of the official European standardization bodies, in completing these objectives is again recognised by the European Commission and EFTA. Interoperable chargers will allow consumers to easily charge their vehicles across Europe, and to use the same charger for different brands of electric vehicles. The standard will ensure the interoperability and connectivity between the electricity supply point and the charger of electric vehicles, and guarantee the safety of the electric vehicle batteries and their electromagnetic compatibility. The setting-up of new standards for
Brussels, 29 June 2010 - Green standardization is again in the spotlight with a new mandate given by the European Commission and EFTA, the European Free Trade Association, to the European Standards Organisations, CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, and ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, regarding the charging of electric cars, scooters and bicycles. Mr Antonio Tajani, European Commission ViceP r e s i d e n t responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, officially handed over today the mandate (M/468) to Mr David Dossett, CENELEC (from l – r): Mrs Elena Santiago Cid (Director General CEN-CENELEC), President, Mr. Mr David Dossett (CENELEC President), Mr Antonio Tajani (European Commission Vice President responsible for Industry and John Phillips, ETSI Entrepreneurship), Mr John Phillips (ETSI General Assembly Chairman)
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PRESS RELEASES
This year has seen the acquisition of Energy Level Systems Ltd, the
electric vehicles will further promote the development of the European internal market and help withdraw barriers to trade. CEN and CENELEC have created a Joint Focus Group that will prepare an initial response to the mandate, by urgently assessing European needs and seeking to ensure that international standards meet these. The Focus Group hopes to complete its report by 31 March 2011. The Intelligent Transport community within ETSI is discussing the mandate with the Car-To-Car Consortium (C2C CC) in order to investigate the work that may be required to answer the communications aspects in reply to the mandate.
ARTELIA formed out of the merger of the two companies, COTEBA and SOGREAH. PRESS RELEASES
The ambition of this merger between equals is to build up an Engineering and Project Management Leader in Europe owned by its management and employees, offering to its private and public Clients a global vision and a multidisciplinary approach in line with the needs of an ever changing world. ARTELIA brings together engineering, project management and consulting teams sharing the same values, a common vision of their business and strong professional ethics. http://www.arteliagroup.com/home
Be Prepared, Biofuels are Coming Adler and Allan recently jointly hosted a discussion forum at the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire to highlight the issues arising from the potential introduction of biocomponents to all elements of the fuel supply chain. Mark Calvert, Managing Director of Adler and Allan chaired each of the three day's forums. Robin Lloyd, Biofuels Technical Manager for Mabanaft UK who jointly hosted the event, covered changes in legislation, regulation and fuel 34
Mark Calvert presenting at fuel forum
specification that are currently taking place within the industry. Dr Philip Nathan, Professor of Microbiology, Adler and Allan’s expert on petrochemicals presented the technical issues and solutions for the storage and distribution of gasoil and biodiesel. The forum was aimed at a wide cross-section of organisations who distribute, maintain, use or store fuel. The event also included live fuel polishing demonstrations on the college grounds
Biofuels The incorporation of biofuels into mineral fuel is not new: the first Model T ran on bio ethanol and the original diesel engine ran on peanut oil. However, their widespread use (apart from Brazil) is only something that has happened in the last couple of decades. The reasons for blending include: concerns over greenhouse gas emissions, energy security and alternative opportunities for agriculture, and now financial penalties for not achieving minimum percentages of biofuel inclusion. The main biofuels currently blended are bio ethanol into gasoline and biodiesel into diesel. Whilst bio ethanol is chemically identical (C2H5OH) regardless of feedstock, biodiesel varies significantly. The main feedstocks for biodiesel are: rapeseed, soy, palm, animal fats and used cooking oil. Most biodiesel is sold as a blend of these components as each one has strengths and weaknesses. Currently standard petrol can contain up to 5% ethanol (E5) and diesel can contain up to 7%
biodiesel (B7). The initial problem with blending biodiesel was waxing and resultant filter blocking, due to it having poorer low t e m p e r a t u r e properties than mineral diesel. It was noted that a B5 (5% biodiesel) could be blended that was fully specification compliant in the laboratory but after a few days in the field it started to wax. Waxing was avoided by restricting the levels of certain feedstocks. Then came microbiological contamination that also resulted in filter blocking. The microbiological activity generally resulted in two main forms of contamination: in the short term live bacteria growing on filters or longer term - biofilm. Biofilm is a hard, gritty deposit, a polysaccharide in structure.
Legislative & Regulatory Influences. What do they mean? Legislation There are two main drivers behind the changes in fuel specifications that are currently taking place within the industry. The RTFO (Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation) is a legal requirement established under the EU Bio-Fuels Directive and placed upon all UK refiners and importers of road fuels to ensure that a specified percentage of all such fuels are made up of a renewable component. The EU Directive, 2009/30/EC effective from 1st January 2011, stipulates that all gas oil for non road mobile machinery (NRMM) will be required to contain no more than 10 parts per million of sulphur. This will bring it into line with the current specification for ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel). NRMM usage will encompass Agricultural Machinery, Portable/Mobile Generators, Construction Equipment and Inland Waterway Vessels.
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Regulatory There are other regulatory influences affecting the biofuels market such as EN 14214, the European (EU) standard for biodiesel containing in excess of 5% bio. Up to 5% bio (and shortly up to 7%) is covered by the existing BS EN590 standard. Most major engine and vehicle manufacturers endorse the use of bio-diesel in excess of 5%, all the way up to pure 100%, but most also provide caveats on the type/source of the bio feedstock. Bio-diesel will require a more frequent and higher standard of maintenance than standard diesel. Microbial growth and water may exacerbate localised corrosion. It may also result in the blocking of dispenser filters and fuel lines.
Biofuels Issues and Effects What are biofuels The term biofuel refers to ethanol for use in petrol and FAME (biodiesel) for diesel. In principle, biofuels are a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fuels. In recent years, the term "biofuel" has come to mean ethanol and diesel, made from globally-sourced crops including corn, sugarcane and rapeseed. Production of ethanol doubled globally between 2000 and 2005, with biodiesel output quadrupling. Bio-ethanol, an alcohol, is usually mixed with petrol, while biodiesel is either used on its own or in a mixture. Ethanol for fuel is made through fermentation, the same process which produces it in wine and beer. Biodiesel is made through a variety of chemical processes. Implications of using biofuels Microbial growth and water may exacerbate localised corrosion of tanks and fittings which will not be noticeable without thorough checks. It may also result in the
blocking of dispenser filters and fuel lines causing severe disruption to fuel supply and operations. Contamination Microbial contamination or infection will occur when in contact with water or even when moist air is drawn through into a system, be it through download or dispensing, water leaking into any element of a fuel system or transfer from piping or from fuel delivery. A biomass can be formed which accumulates at a fuel-water interface, on tank surfaces, filters, or any place within a system where micro droplets of water exist. Bacterial contamination is not a new phenomenon, the problem has been known since the early days of fuel production. What has changed is the fuel chemistry of today’s products and additives which have made them more susceptible to microbial attack. Entrained Water Fuels, such as diesels, normally shed water and do not form a fuelwater emulsion. With newer formulated fuels and especially with bio-diesels, they show a tendency to both hold and absorb considerable quantities of water, forming emulsions. Thus reducing the effectiveness of fuel-water separators and allowing microbial activity within the body of the fuel which rapidly clogs fuel filters. Ethanol becoming suspended in water makes spills very difficult to contain or remediate. Oil/water separators are unable to function correctly. Free Water or Free Phase Water Water sitting on the bottom of a storage system can enter a tank in many ways:• Tank Leak • Loose Fittings • Condensation • Moist air displacement through the vent • And others
Water has three adverse effects in fuel systems. It does not burn in the engine, can potentially freeze at low temperatures and it provides an environment in which microorganisms can grow. As a consequence, if the fuel water interface reaches the fuel draw level, water will be dispensed into vehicles. Water promotes microorganic growth, the formation of emulsions, rust and corrosion. Maintaining low fill volumes will increase the percentage of free water and bring about the problems mentioned above. Corrosion Corrosion is an electrochemical reaction caused by a flow of electrons from one metal to another and for corrosion to occur, the reaction needs an electrolytic environment which can be ethanol, FAME (biodiesel) and/or water. All metalwork within the fuel system can become susceptible to corrosion. Microbial corrosion occurs as a result of micro-organism activity and commonly damages tanks, fuel lines and filters. Biofilm Biofilm grows on tank bottoms and walls and eventually breaks off blocking filters. The key method of avoiding both live bacterial growth and biofilm is to remove water from tanks and the supply chain. Micro-organism contamination Bacteria, Moulds, Yeasts, Fungi and Algae can all have a significant effect on the quality of fuel. Deterioration of components also occurs due to the micro-organisms feeding on rubber seals, tank linings, hoses and coatings with obvious consequences to fuel supply. Biocide Biocide is a poisonous substance designed to kill living organisms and get rid of microbial contamination. Using an incorrect biocide, or wrong dosage can leave you with the same problem you started with or even worse, exacerbate the condition.
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35
PRESS RELEASES
In reality, refining and storage limitations will mean that the majority of gas oil supplies are likely to contain up to 7% bio-diesel from the 1st of January 2011.
Particulates Common particulates are rust, dirt and sludge. Additionally in diesel fuels, and especially in the biodiesels, solid particulate debris due to oxidation, polymerization and dead micro-organisms are now also common. The consequences are clogged filters, which are also caused by thermally unstable fuel degradation, and as very small particulates are not trapped by filters they may cause wear or damage to the dispensing system.
PRESS RELEASES
Environmental Concerns Spills of ethanol blends may result in more persistent plumes in groundwater. There are certain properties of properties of ethanol blends that make other petroleum constituents more soluble in groundwater, and deplete groundwater of oxygen and other nutrients. Studies suggested that ethanol blends can cause the toxic compounds of petrol to travel up to 2.5 times farther than in absence of ethanol. This could have severe ramifications for those involved in a spill.
The Solution - Best Practice for Biofuels Tank Storage and Distribution
system integrity test, dewater/desludge or a complete fuel polish. Fuel Polishing & Tank Cleaning Solutions Whenever a change is to be made, say from traditional fuel to E5 petrol/ethanol or diesel to biodiesel, always check your tank and overall system for leaks. The system should be clean and dry before a new fuel is delivered.
Fuel Samples before and After Polishing
Summary Recommendations
On site Demonstration of Fuel Polishing
Fuel Maintenance Regular sampling and testing of fuel should be undertaken to ascertain water content, microbial growth, discolouration or the presence of sediment. Subject to the results the solutions are – a full
• Take regular samples, a minimum of every 6 months • Remove water & contaminants regularly • Build a regular monitoring programme into site operations For
36
information
please
contact Alan Scrafton, Group Sales and Marketing Manager, Adler and Allan on 020 8555 7111.
Regular maintenance will keep your fuel in good, operational condition. To prevent the build up of microbial growth and the discolouration and degradation of bio-diesel, a preventative maintenance programme should be implemented. A checklist of measures will help. Some of the items to be covered are covered below. Storage Tank Housekeeping Dispenser filters and cut-off systems should be checked regularly to ensure that dispenser filters remain clean enough to retain line pressure and cut-off function. Where there is sufficient degradation of the filter it should be changed immediately. If microbial contamination is suspected, we can assist by treating and polishing fuel.
more
A+A Mobile Fuel Polishing Machine
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Interview with John Dallimore John Dallimore & Partners By Brian Baker John Dallimore is a well known Electrical Consultant who has made a large contribution to the downstream industry and has given his considerable expertise in the international guidance document known as “The Blue Book”. Amongst his busy schedule I was able to set aside some time to talk about his career and outlook on the petrol filling station market John; Nice to get together with you, and I must ask, have you always been an electrical consultant or was it something you came into by accident?
ARTICLES
I started my career with London Electricity Board, as a student apprentice; they sent me to university whilst paying me a salary! I then joined BAA, where I was working on the terminals being prepared for the forthcoming Jumbo Jet (the 747); at this time I was responsible for overseeing the work of consultants employed by BAA and I suppose it was logical for my next move to be into consultancy. I joined Jack Lewin in 1973 to run the Electrical Department of his Mechanical and Electrical Consultancy. John; How long have you been in the downstream industry or for that matter when did you first work on a petrol filling station? That is easy to answer! Two days before joining Jack Lewin he ‘phoned me to tell me to bring an overnight bag on my first day as we were going to Preston to investigate a problem with the pump system at a Mobil filling station. At the time Jack was acting as consultant to Mobil and work for Esso and Gulf followed soon after. When I left Jack in 1978, it was agreed that I would continue with the consultancy work for the oil companies and I have worked in the field continuously since then. Can you remember what that first was? As I mentioned before, my first visit to a filling station was to investigate a
40
problem with the pump system. I remember that it was a Gilbarco system but I do not remember the specific type. We established that the problem was due to a faulty batch of Triac modules, which are used as switches in the pump system. How were you taught the vast knowledge you have on electrical systems? After a good grounding at university, the rest of my knowledge has come from experience, supplemented by a number of short courses and seminars and a great deal of reading. Now let us tidy something up that many in the Industry have conflicting views on – the Electrical Certificate – The document is several pages long with just one page designed to achieve acceptance for Petroleum Licensing purposes. Which is the legal document and why is such certification necessary? I appreciate that there has been some controversy regarding the certificates and indeed, we took the opportunity of the first revision to the Blue Book to revise the certificates to make it clear (we hoped!), what was required for Periodic Inspection and Testing purposes and what was required purely for Licensing. The Periodic Certificate is intended to show compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations (which are law in that they were made under the Health and Safety at Work Act) and cover considerably more aspects of the installation than those we believe are directly relevant to Licensing. Both certificates could be considered legal documents in that it would be an offence under the Electricity at Work Regulations to knowingly falsify information on a signed Certificate. I know that in my many years as a Petroleum Inspector, we have experienced difficulties in the differences between what electrical contractors accept or reject on the Certificate. Surely they are all trained to the same standard?
If only! Unfortunately, training is not entirely uniform and can vary between identical courses given by different lecturers; where one lecturer may give more or less emphasis to an issue than that given by another lecturer in the same establishment. There is then the issue of the level of understanding that a particular electrician has of a given subject. End-of-course exams cannot cover every single aspect of a course and it is perfectly possible for an electrician to complete a course and misunderstand a fundamental issue he has been taught. This often only comes to light when he is working with his peers or when one of his Test Certificates is audited. Sadly, many Certificates are not properly audited before they are issued to a Client and the result if often confusion. Can you explain what level of training an electrician should have to undertake work in a hazardous area of a petrol station? This question should state ‘undertake work in a hazardous area or on any part of the electrical installation directly affecting the hazardous area installation’. It is most important for anyone working in a filling station to appreciate that parts of the installation in the non-hazardous area may affect the safety of the hazardous area installation. For example, working on the main switchgear or earthing systems or even carrying out earth fault loop impedance tests. Obviously, every electrician should complete all of the general electrical courses, including those on the Wiring Regulations and have completed a suitable period of on-the-job training. Anyone undertaking inspection and testing should also have completed an Inspection and Testing Training Course. Hazardous area work in filling stations is very different and electricians carrying out this work should also complete one or both of the CompEx courses designed for filling stations. Two modules have been designed specifically for electricians working at
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Would you expect electricians who work in the shops to have the same knowledge? Ideally yes, but one has to be realistic and accept that this may not happen. What is important is that the electrician has been trained to work on filling stations or is working under supervision. I mentioned before the potential risks if a loop impedance test is carried out where part of the electrical installation is in a hazardous area – since an electrician would normally carry out such a test on completion of an addition or modification to an installation, it is clearly important that the person has been properly trained. Another relatively unusual element of filling station installations is cascaded RCD protection, where the upstream RCD is set to a longer time delay and lower current sensitivity than the downstream devices. This is one of the most common problems I find when additions have been made to filling station installation by electricians not familiar with working with cascaded RCDs. What for you has been the most difficult project to work on in the case of a petrol filling station? This is the only question, I cannot properly answer! Without doubt, it must be one of the motorway service areas but generally, the difficulties have not been electrical but more concerned with pumping, pipelines and tanks. One project that does come to mind is the M40 Services at Oxford. This site had submersible pumps of a type we had not previously used and an extremely sensitive leak detection system. In addition the tanks were far deeper than at any other site with which I had been involved. Commissioning was a nightmare! I have heard that if you have different
electrical systems in close proximity you can create an earth leak. Is that right? No, this is a misunderstanding of the problem, which may exist at many filling stations. I think the issue you are referring to is where there are two installations with different earthing systems in close proximity. At a filling station this most commonly occurs where the site is fed from a PME system and has its own TT earthing system; it may also occur where cathodic protection is installed or where separate earthing to prevent the build up of a static charge in tanks, pipelines and fittings. The issue is that ‘earth’ may not be at the same potential on the adjacent systems, resulting in a potential shock risk to someone simultaneously touching earthed metalwork of both systems. Where a hazardous area is present, the risk is that if a metallic object bridges the two earthing systems a spark will be created if the systems are at a different potential. It is extremely important for designers and installing electricians are aware of this problem; unfortunately, many are not and I have seen many instances where separately earthed metalwork is only a few centimetres apart and no warning notices are fitted. What would you expect a petroleum inspector to have knowledge on electrical installations on a forecourt? It is only reasonable to expect the Inspector to have a basic knowledge, with perhaps, a check list of the many points to look out for. Attendance at one of the APEA Electrical Courses should be compulsory! We could tailor the courses to be specific to Inspectors if they booked in sufficient numbers.
been working on the board when there was a loud bang; when she rushed to see what had happened she found the electrician on the floor half way across the room. Ten minutes later she heard another loud bang and rushed out to find exactly the same scene! Apparently this electrician found it difficult to learn by experience! Have you travelled out of the country to provide consultancy? If so, where was the most interesting? Yes but apart from Ireland and Sweden, none of the work was related to the petroleum industry. I spent a considerable amount of time in Nigeria, visiting for two or three weeks four times a year over a period of five years or so. Nigeria was certainly an ‘interesting’ place to work! Recently, I have been involved in valuing the loss resulting from a fire in the largest commercial building in Romania. This has proved to be extremely interesting as we discovered that the materials actually used in construction were not those for which Approval Certificates were issued. John, I am sure you relax sometimes, what interests do you have and do in your free time? Skiing, mainly off-piste and ski touring in the winter and sailing in the summer. I have a half share in a racing yacht, in which we do both inshore and cross channel races and I also team race for my Club in the UK, Europe and the USA. I am also a keen rugby fan and a member of Harlequins.
I suppose over a lifetimes experience there has been the odd or amusing aspect of the job. Have you had such an experience?
Last question, if you could change anything in this industry, what would it be?
There must be many but none immediately come to mind. Something that was not funny, except in the telling, was told to me by an attendant at a filling station where I was carrying out a general inspection for a client. I opened the front of a main switchboard and could immediately see signs of serious arcing in two places – it was clear that either a fault had occurred or someone had created the arc whilst working on the board whilst it was live. I asked the attendant if there had been any faults and showed her the arcing, she explained that an electrician had
The most difficult question last! I suppose my answer must stem from the fact that I am highly sceptical of self regulation. Experience tells me that if someone does not have to do something, they avoid doing it. This shows in the attitude to electrical testing and certification at filling stations and indeed elsewhere. Unfortunately regulation costs money and in these times of economy less regulation must become the norm and when it comes to safety related issues, I regret it and would like to change it.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
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ARTICLES
filling stations; 7 covering installation work and 8 covering Inspection and Testing. There is a further important requirement for electricians working in hazardous areas; they must have previous experience of this type of work. This experience can only be gained by working under the supervision of someone already experienced in filling station works. Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations states that no person shall carry out any work where knowledge or experience is necessary to prevent danger or injury unless that person posses such knowledge or experience or is suitably supervised.
APEA Live 2010 is almost here; have you booked your place yet? There’s not long now until the APEA’s showpiece event kicks off in Coventry! As the excitement builds amongst the membership, make sure you don’t miss out on this incredible industry occasion and book your place today!
Key details: When and where: Event:
Date: Venue: All info:
APEA Live 2010 (annual conference, exhibition and awards dinner) Thursday 14 October Jaguar Exhibition Hall, The Ricoh Arena, Coventry www.apea.org.uk (includes all online booking details!)
ARTICLES
Complete Event Programme (includes timings for all conference, exhibition and awards content)
10:00
10:30
10:40
11:00
Exhibition opens Conference registration opens
Conference opens with APEA Chairman’s opening address Gareth Bourhill, APEA Chairman Conference session 1: Containment systems in very high risk areas Jamie Thompson, Chairman of APEA Technical Committee Conference session 2: Unmanned petrol stations Ray Blake (Head of Petroleum – PAPS) and Brian Humm (Head of Petroleum – Enforcement), London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
11:20
Conference refreshment break
11:40
Conference session 3: Vapour recovery efficiency standard Stefan Kunter, MD of ELAFLEX HIBY Tanktechnik GmbH & Co.
12:00
12:20
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Conference session 4: Managing the Risk – for Regulators, Contractors & Forecourt Operators Malcolm Railson, MD, Urgent Technology Conference closes
12:30
Lunch & Exhibition
13:15
APEA AGM
14:00
Training and demonstration workshops open Workshop session 1: Polyethelene pipework, onsite fabrication and testing demonstration
14:30
Workshop session 2: Vapour recovery stage II testing demonstration
15:00
Workshop session 3: Automatic temperature compensation at the dispenser
15:30
Workshop session 4: Real time wetstock monitoring explained
16:00
Training and demonstration workshops close
16:30
Exhibition closes
19:00
Pre-Awards dinner drinks reception
20:00
Awards Dinner opens
01:00
Awards Dinner closes – carriages
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Conference to cover key industry issues; book your delegate places today! Conference sponsored by PetroTechnik Gemini The conference element of APEA Live 2010 will feature top industry experts speaking on relevant issues that affect your business. We are delighted to announce further details on each if the four informative sessions that will follow APEA Chairman Gareth Bourhill’s opening address… The opening session will see Jamie Thompson, Chairman of APEA Technical Committee, provide a talk entitled ‘Containment systems in very high risk areas’. Jamie will be questioning the EA policy on storage systems in high risk areas and putting alternative views on managing the numerous risks associated with such storage. The session will cover both underground and above ground tanks and pipework systems. Jamie has over 40 years experience in this field as a regulator, he is also convenor of the CEN tank and equipment committees. The second session, ‘Unmanned petrol stations’, will be delivered by Ray Blake and Brian Humm, both from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. Ray (Head of Petroleum – PAPS) and Brian (Head of Petroleum – Enforcement) will focus on the safety of petrol dispensing by the public at filling stations, as well as control measures for all modes of operation. Brian Humm
Ray Blake
To complete the conference line-up, Urgent Technology’s Managing Director Malcolm Railson, will show delegates the company’s powerful eMaintenance solution used globally by BP. eMaintenance is a fully automated real time system, accessible by web, automated phone, text/mobile and fax. The system manages, monitors and reports on all maintenance activity, enforces contractor compliance, safety training and provides a detailed audit trail. Real time viewing of all On Site contractors via online maps allows spontaneous safety audits. Reporting functions include: Safety compliance, contractor performance and asset reliability against contracted targets.
New for 2010 — training and demonstration workshops: Brand new for 2010, a series of training and demonstration workshops will follow the conference, during the afternoon. Conference delegates have the opportunity to book onto one, two or all of the bite-sized 30 minute workshops taking place, which will centre on: • • • •
Polyethelene pipework, onsite fabrication and testing demonstration Vapour recovery stage II testing demonstration Automatic temperature compensation at the dispenser Real time wetstock monitoring explained
In 2010, APEA are providing members with the opportunity to customise their visit to the daytime elements for this event (namely the exhibition, conference and training / demonstration workshops), in order to ensure they gain what they need from the day. APEA have also decided that their members should receive preferential reduced delegate rates. Therefore the daytime delegate rates / packages are listed below (all prices are subject to VAT).
Conference delegate places are selling out fast, so, if you haven’t already, make sure you visit www.apea.org.uk to book online today!
Ticket Type
Price (all excluding VAT)
Exhibition attendance only (excludes lunch/refreshments)
Free-of-charge
Conference attendance (includes lunch/refreshments)
£25 (members) £45 (non-members)
Training and demonstration workshops
£10 per session (members) £20 per session (non-members)
VIP all-inclusive attendance – includes attendance to conference, all 4 workshop sessions, and lunch/refreshments
£45 (members) £85 (non-members)
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
43
ARTICLES
Next up, Stefan Kunter, Managing Director of ELAFLEX HIBY Tanktechnik GmbH & Co, will speak on the ‘Vapour recovery efficiency standard’. Stefan will provide an overview of the new EU Directive 2009/126/EC and the work of the European Committee for Standardization CEN, regarding Stage II Vapour Recovery.
Spectacular awards ceremony to reward industry excellence; not to be missed! APEA Live will culminate with the association’s glittering annual awards ceremony and dinner. The evening will commence with the pre-awards dinner drinks reception, to be sponsored by Eurotank. Awards attendees will then move into the ceremony and dinner area, where they will ‘wine and dine’ the night away with fabulous entertainment sponsored by PetroTechnik, a delicious three-course meal and of course, the awards themselves.
As was the case last year, 6 awards will make up the ceremony, which will continue to recognise and reward those organisations and individuals who demonstrate excellence in their areas of expertise. Those awards are: The APEA Innovation Award sponsored by Brulines Fuel Solutions For the innovation that will have the most significant impact on our industry sector.
ARTICLES
The APEA Small Enterprise Award sponsored by APEA Acknowledges the contributions made by sole traders and businesses with less than 10 employees within the petroleum retailing sector, who are often without the resources and infrastructure of the larger organisations.
The APEA Health and Safety Award sponsored by Coteba Ltd Presented to the organisation with the best managed health and safety or environmental programme or system.
The APEA Personal Contribution to the Industry Award sponsored by Elaflex Presented to the individual who has shown the greatest dedication and drive to improve standards, engineering practices or operational procedures.
The APEA Quality Award sponsored by Scheidt & Bachmann For excellence in the development and management of quality improvement initiatives or systems.
The APEA Environment Award Recognises that minimising the impact on the environment is a key contributor consideration in the way work is carried out, to minimise any impact on petrol forecourts.
This is a ‘must attend’ event for anyone in the industry, and APEA members are snapping up tickets at a rapid rate! Make sure you are there for the night of the year; visit www.apea.org.uk to book online now! Individual awards dinner ticket - £99.50 Table ticket (seats 10) - £950.0 Table ticket (seats 12) - £1100.00
Make an award nomination! You can enter your business or nominate someone for a prestigious APEA award! All you have to do is visit www.apea.org.uk, where you will find all the information you need to make your nomination! 44
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Biggest and best APEA exhibition to deliver stunning networking opportunities! The exhibition at APEA Live 2010 will be the largest yet, with a 25% increase in stand numbers compared with last year. The show floor will be packed with the industry’s top brands, offering the latest products and services on the market. Furthermore, exhibition attendance will be FREE OF CHARGE this year, ensuring a busy, buzzing event. Make sure you don’t miss out on this unique opportunity; register now at www.apea.org.uk! Have you booked your stand yet? If you are not exhibiting, you are missing a priceless sales and marketing opportunity to prominent industry decision-makers. Stand sales are proving very popular, so to avoid any disappointment you should book your stand today. To book your stand now, contact David Lonergan: +44 (0)1442 289928 / Davidl@f2fevents.co.uk. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for cost effective and extensive marketing/selling to lucrative budget holders. David looks forward to hearing from you, and ensuring you maximise your involvement with this fabulous event.
ABFAD Ltd APEA Avanti Environmental Ltd Car Wash UK Ltd CFG Nationwide Site Services Ltd D Berry and Co Dresser Wayne E&S Environmental Services/Adler & Allan Elaflex Energy Level Systems Eurotank Environmental Fairbanks Environmental Ltd Gilbarco Veeder-Root Hytek GB Ltd King Tanktechnic Ltd L.I.S (North Western) Ltd
ARTICLES
Exhibiting companies already confirmed (at the time of going to press): LCM Environmental Ledbury Welding Ltd OAMPS Petrocom PetroTechnik Purfleet Forecourt Services Ltd Repair Protection & Maintenance Ltd Risbridger Ltd Scheidt & Bachmann Suresite Ltd Tanknology UK Ltd Terence Barker The Premier Group Tokheim UK Ltd Torex
APEA Live 2010 – more information! Head to www.apea.org.uk, then hit the APEA Live 2010 link on the homepage. All the information you need, regarding any element of this amazing day (conference, exhibition, AGM, awards dinner) is right there! For countless reasons, make sure you’re at The Ricoh Arena on 14 October, as APEA delivers its greatest event to date!
Book online at www.apea.org.uk
APEA 2010 Live Ricoh Arena 14th October 2010
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
45
Help for Heroes - Chosen Charity for APEA 2010 Awards Dinner 14th October
When we began, we wanted to
was
not seek to criticise or be political,
ensure that we would be as efficient
founded by Bryn and Emma Parry
we simply want to help and to do so
as possible so our policy is money in
after a profoundly moving visit to
by asking everyone to do their bit to
and money out. We are not trying to
Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of
raise money. Once that money is
build large reserves, we want your
2007. Bryn and Emma met some
raised, we go to the experts in the
money to be used and quickly. We
extraordinarily brave young people
Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air
have either spent or allocated £50m
who had been badly wounded and
Force for guidance as to how best
to date on facilities and services. We
they just wanted to do something to
to spend it. It is our intention to
can spend all we get, so don't stop!
help.
spend all we raise on the practical,
Help
for
Heroes
(H4H)
direct support of those wounded in the service of our
country
since 9/11. We
give
capped grants to
ARTICLES H4H Bike Ride 2009 – Champs d’Elysee, Paris
The charity was launched in October 2007 and, with the backing and support of celebrities, including Jeremy and Francie Clarkson, the Royal
Family,
the
media
those
We set up H4H Trading to sell products and the profits from these sales mean that we can cover all of our operating costs and donate the extra to the charity, so rest assured, currently if you give us £10, £10.10 will go to the cause…. and that is better than any other charity we know of.
charities
and
groups
best
We are working hard to raise more
able to provide
money and we are passionate
the facilities and
about what we are doing. It is
services
we
needed, it is appreciated and we
want our men
are making a real difference to the
and women to
lives of some extraordinary young
have.
We do
men and women. Please join us in
not
deliver
helping our Heroes.
individual benevolence, as that is
For more information please visit our
the work of existing Service Charities
website www.helpforheroes.org.uk
which we work very closely with.
or ring 01980 846459.
and
countless ordinary decent people, it has raised over £1m a month since then. Help for Heroes is strictly nonpolitical. We have no affiliation with any political party and we do not endorse the use of our name for the promotion of any political viewpoint. The money that we raise at Help for Heroes is used to support wounded Servicemen and women of every colour and creed and we strongly oppose any individual or political party who believes otherwise, and those who seek to use the charity’s name for their own political gain. The message is simple: H4H does 46
Bryn and Emma Parry, Co-Founders of Help for Heroes
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM AND EXPLOSIVES ADMINISTRATION
Company Number: 2261660
ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS
For the year ended 31 December 2009
I N D E X (page 1) Page No: 1
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE COMPANY
2
ABBREVIATED BALANCE SHEET
3/4
NOTES TO THE ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM AND EXPLOSIVES ADMINISTRATION UNDER SECTION 247B OF THE COMPANIES ACT 1985
ARTICLES
We have examined the abbreviated accounts set out on pages 2 to 4, together with the financial statements of The Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration for the year ended 31 December 2009 prepared under section 396 of the Companies Act 2006. This report is made solely to the company, in accordance with section 449 of the Companies Act 2006. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company those matters we are required to state to it in a special auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTORS AND THE AUDITOR TThe directors are responsible for preparing the abbreviated accounts in accordance with section 444 of the Companies Act 2006. It is our responsibility to form an independent opinion as to whether the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts to the Registrar of Companies and whether the abbreviated accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with the regulations made under that section and to report our opinion to you. We conducted our work in accordance with Bulletin 2008/4 issued by the Auditing Practices Board. In accordance with that Bulletin we have carried out the procedures we consider necessary to confirm, by reference to the financial statements, that the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts and that the abbreviated accounts to be delivered are properly prepared. OPINION In our opinion the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts prepared in accordance with section 444(3) of the Companies Act 2006, and the abbreviated accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with that provision. John Card (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Ensors Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor 48
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
2 March 2010 Cardinal House 46 St Nicholas Street Ipswich IP1 1TT
ABBREVIATED BALANCE SHEET (page 2)
As at 31 December 2009 Note
2009 £
2008 £
2
1,680
2,147
74,084 256,321
50,295 285,242
330,405
335,537
CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year
105,972
113,112
NET CURRENT ASSETS
224,433
222,425
NET ASSETS
226,113
224,572
8,840
8,840
Profit and loss account
217,273
215,732
MEMBERS’ FUNDS
226,113
224,572
FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets
CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Cash at bank and in hand
Capital reserve
These abbreviated accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small company regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Approved by the board on 29 January 2010 and signed on its behalf:
M J Silmon Director
The notes on pages 3 and 4 form part of these financial statements. APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
49
ARTICLES
CAPITAL AND RESERVES
NOTES TO THE ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS (page 3) For the year ended 31 December 2009 1.
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
a)
Basis of Accounting The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Small Entities (effective April 2008).
b)
Tangible Fixed Assets Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off the cost of each asset over its estimated useful life: Computer and Office Equipment Fixtures and Fittings Chairman’s Jewel
– 33 1/3% on cost – 25% Reducing Balance – 10% Reducing Balance
c)
Foreign Currencies Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the rate ruling at the date of the transaction. All differences are taken to the profit and loss account.
d)
Financial Instruments Financial instruments are classified and accounted for, according to the substance of the contractual arrangement, as either financial assets, financial liabilities or equity instruments. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
ARTICLES
NOTES TO THE ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS (page 4) For the year ended 31 December 2009 2.
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Computer & Office Equip £
Cost At 1 January 2009 Additions
3.
Fixtures & Fittings £
Chairmans’ Jewel £
Total £
5,568 -
5,679 -
1,346 -
12,593 -
At 31 December 2009
5,568
5,679
1,346
12,593
Depreciation At 1 January 2009 Charge for the year
5,419 149
4,892 197
135 121
10,446 467
At 31 December 2009
5,568
5,089
256
10,913
Net Book Value At 31 December 2009
-
590
1,090
1,680
At 31 December 2008
149
787
1,211
2,147
COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE The company is limited by guarantee. In the event of the company being wound up, each member has undertaken to contribute such amount as may be required, but not exceeding £1, to the assets of the company.
50
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Fuel Tank Cleaning Machine & Temporary Vent Innovation By E & S Environmental Services E&S Environmental Services are a thriving family company well-known for forging close working partnerships with clients and competence in problem solving in an ever-changing industry. We understand the business imperatives driving petrol retailing and the safe operation of road tanker vehicles, and work to ensure commitments are honoured and promises kept,
the leading edge of technical innovation, and forearmed of impending changes in legislation. But the most significant development from E&S recently has been Nobby Clarke’s invention of the Mobile Tank Cleaning Machine with Temporary Vent. This innovative piece of equipment, now in it’s 7th design iteration to successfully deal with water content in fuel, has
helped most of the leading oil companies and major petrol forecourt retailers to continue trading as normal despite the issue of microbial contamination of storage tanks due to the recent introduction of bio-fuels. The Mobile Tank Cleaning machine (MTC) was first introduced for fuel storage tanks with problems of microbial contamination. It’s been a huge success over the last 12 months on projects awarded to E&S from Shell, BP, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Malthurst for the removal of water from fuel in preparation for E5. E&S are now part of the Adler and Allan Group who provide a diverse range of professional oil and environmental services to British industry. E&S and Adler and Allan share the same philosophy that business growth and success is based on building trust, delivering service excellence and providing innovative solutions to current issues.
The Problem Identified
ARTICLES
Microbial contamination of petroleum fuels is a growing and commercially sensitive problem faced by retailers and distribution companies. The constant need to clean clogged filters, pumps, purge fuel lines and de-contaminate tank bottoms is operationally disruptive and financially draining. Bio-fuels, being a mixture or blend are far more susceptible to degradation than fossil fuels. They are sensitive to the effects of water, dirt, rust and are far more susceptible to microbial contributing to the efficient operation of clients’ assets. Customers are served by highly trained and experienced technicians working with initiative and enterprise. In addition, the company has three external Technical Advisors available for those one off situations requiring their specific input. They cover ‘fuel chemistry and microbial contamination’, ‘leak detection and loss control’ and ‘road tanker inspection and testing’. All three are leading experts in their fields with high personal reputations and customer acceptability. Their access to research institutions and regulatory bodies ensure E&S are at 52
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Unseen Harmful Effects If sites are using incompatible materials, bio-fuels can and will cause leaks. Additional to an environmental incident and hazard, it can also result in a fire or explosion, as well as general safety and environmental hazards. Microbial contamination will seriously effect the quality of the fuel dispensed to a customer or result in total loss of product in a tank. Microorganisms will consume rubber gaskets, O-rings, hoses or tank linings and coatings for their mineral contents. Microbes will influence the onset of corrosion and tank and pipeline damage.
The Problem Solved The Mobile Tank Cleaning Machine and Temporary Vent is a fuel filtration unit which has proven to remove the problem of microbial contamination from hundreds of storage tanks. In addition it has a unique and safe venting system to prevent dangerous build-up of fuel vapour.
What the MTC unit does: The contaminated fuel is sucked up from the bottom of the tank by means of an intrinsically safe air pump. The fluid is then processed through a coarse filter as well as a magnetic filter. The water is then spun from the fuel before finally going through a set of fine filters with the last filter
grade set at 3 microns. The polished fuel is then returned back to the original tank. To ensure the tanks are water free the MTC machine is used to remove all water before the delivery of the new E5 fuel.
Market Impact and reaction The ability to maintain fuel in pristine condition is paramount to ASDA, Esso, Sainsbury’s, Shell, and many others. They rely on E&S’s regular fuel maintenance programme to ensure water, microbe and sludge free product is dispensed to motorists at all times. This year we will operate the MTC on around 500 sites for Shell, 200 for BP, 100 for Malthurst, 250 for Sainsbury’s all in preparation for E5 distribution. Shell put 150 sites on separation and had a 100% success rate where previous systems could not remove all of the water. Only recently E&S worked with an oil company with water ingress to a large tank with fuel worth tens of thousands of pounds. The new MTC unit was able to return the e n t i r e product stock intact. Shell UK are currently introducing E5 into their network of company owned sites a n d decided to employ the ES process, based on the best means to clean their tanks, both from a technical and health & safety perspective. The MTC system re-conditions the stored fuel at the same time, saving on its removal and replacement with fresh product. The use of a mobile, safe and reliable cleaning
unit on site is operationally convenient and eliminates the need for degassing, fuel removal and conventional ‘man entry’ tank cleaning.
The motorist – your customer! If problems occur with motorists, there is potential for financial compensation to be paid out, the loss of customer confidence in your products and unwelcome media attention.
Preventing a Major Hazard Temporary Vent If the vapour system leaks there is also an increased hazard of explosion. E&S fitted a temporary vent which allows any pressure in the tank to vent at a high level eliminating any pressure risks when entering the tank via the tee on the off set fill line.
What Makes the System Unique Now in its 7th design stage, the MTC approach eliminates the need to uplift the fuel and manually clean the tank. The fuel is processed on site with minimum disruption to the petrol station. The stage 2 vapour recovery does however create an over pressure in the tank and before opening the tank E&S fitted a temporary vent which allows any pressure in the tank to vent at a high level eliminating any pressure risks when entering the tank via the tee on the off set fill line. The MTC also cleans the tank by removing rust particles and sludge as ethanol has the same properties as a solvent it can have the effect of loosening any organic residue, dirt
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
53
ARTICLES
contamination. Water can affect bio-fuels in tank storage where leaching of alcohols from the fuel blend by the water and where water is allowed to assist the growth of micro-organisms causing microbial infection.
or scale from the tank wall which could increase the risk of filter blockages . A preventative tank cleaning process would eliminate this from becoming a hazard.
What can be done to ensure continuous improvement? 1. 2. 3. 4.
Good housekeeping Fuel polishing & tank cleaning Fuel Treatments/Additives Fuel Management Programme
improvement for our customer base. This is underpinned by formal customer questionnaires covering our communications, accessibility, responsiveness, adherence to H&S issues, technical competence, ability to meet deadlines and other criteria. These help to track our key performance indicators, with improvements implemented based on such feedback.
Contribution to increasing industry knowledge
ARTICLES
The best solution to this problem is prevention, and that is where a good Fuel Management Programme comes in. The combination of having a unique tank testing system, a custom built MTC unit and specially designed equipment to test road tanker vehicles through MassTech® diagnostics along with our ‘customer first - can do’ attitude, ensures customer satisfaction. Recognising these elements and then pulling them together as a combination of services shows a commitment to continuous
40 delegates representing most of the countries leading oil companies and hypermarket brands, plus pump manufacturers, bio-fuel blenders, wet stock management companies, industry associations and others attended the recent E&S seminar on the issue of microbial growth in fuel and how best to resolve the problem. Nobby Clarke of E&S designed and led the build for all stages of the Mobile Tank Cleaning machine with temporary vent. Each design iteration has shown improvements to deal with new issues due to new
products and a desire to constantly achieve a 100% success rate for customers. Ray Reed and Shaun Evans of E&S have contributed to the constant development of the machine using first hand use to make recommendations to improve results. Delivering excellence in customer service is a team effort. All E&S personnel are involved, from back office administrators to front line technicians and managers, with company values and performance levels set by directors. E&S Contact Andrew Clarke E&S Environmental Services Ltd Unit 10 Viscount Court Ind Est Brize Norton Oxon OX18 3QQ Tel: 01993 852419 Fax: 01993 852152 Email: Andrew@eandspumps.co.uk Web: www.eandsgroup.co.uk
The Case for Forecourt Competency By Jamie Cliffe, SMTS Ltd I’ve seen forecourt safety improve
and legislation was much more lax.
significantly over the years with the
The filling station I was running back
Majors, but with increasing numbers
then was an extremely busy one,
of general retailers taking over the
pumping nearly a tanker load a day,
running of sites, are we in danger of
had two car washes and three jet
letting standards slip?
washes.
In the 80s, as a young site manager of a petrol station, I found myself in a highly hazardous situation without the knowledge or training to enable
Poor
forecourt
design
meant that it was a bit of a “racetrack” and every time you set foot on the forecourt you took your
Jamie Cliffe
was impressive back then. The site wasn’t shut down, just a few cones scattered about to stop cars falling down the holes that were being dug
life in your hands. The site was being
everywhere. Within an hour, things
redeveloped, the shop extended,
had started to go wrong as they’d
new pumps put in and a new pad
fractured a suction line resulting in
laid down. The only information that I
petrol spilling everywhere whilst
my pursuance of a career in health
had been given by my company
people were obliviously walking
and safety and my fervent belief in
was that the contractors were due
across the forecourt and cars were
the need for competency across the
to turn-up on Monday morning and
still being filled at the pumps.
board.
begin work. They duly arrived with a
However, specialists were called in,
In the late eighties, nobody was as
JCB and a couple of dumpers, and
the mess cleaned up and the work
safety conscious as they are now
they even had a site office - which
continued.
me to handle it properly. The outcome of this incident could have been
catastrophic;
although
it
wasn’t, it has been a driving force in
54
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
ARTICLES
Two days later the contractors began excavating for the foundations for the new shop. I got a call in my separate office from the cashier who simply said “I think you need to see this!” The contractors, having discovered some old buried tanks, had taken it upon themselves to whip some chains round them and suck them out of the ground. You can imagine my disbelief to see a 50+ year old damaged and derelict tank looking like a shipwreck that had “run aground” in the middle of a live and very active forecourt. Worse still, the tank had split and black fuel residue was now spreading across the forecourt, between cars. The contractors just looked on with pride, like they had just shot a prize buffalo! Of course, we now all realise what a highly dangerous and volatile situation that was. The risk of explosion from flammable vapours and the environmental risk of contamination are well understood today but at the time of this incident this practice and blasé attitude was undoubtedly common-place. Looking back on it now, the really frightening thing was that even then the site was still open! People were still filling-up their cars. There were even contractors smoking, and the station was adjacent to a hotel and a school, with children walking across the forecourt. It is perfectly feasible to think that at least fifty people could easily have been killed but, like in many cases in our industry, we got away with it. In real terms, the contractors weren’t to blame. They weren’t specialists and had no knowledge of forecourts. In some ways, they were an impressive team but were completely out of their depth in this arena. I’d had no training in how to deal with this kind of situation either, but I used my common sense and called the company’s Area Manager and the Petroleum Officer. The PO turned-up immediately and put me under caution for having committed a criminal offence by failing to notifying him of works taking place
56
and instructed that the site was closed immediately. My Area Manager, on the other hand, told me that if I shut the site I would be instantly sacked. Choosing to close the site was the correct action which was duly recognised by the PO who let me off with a caution. Still to this day, I would say that 90% of all site operators are blissfully unaware that the ultimate responsibility for safety on a live site lies with them and not directly with the contractor. But it was a big wake-up call for me and I shall never forget the experience. I tell this story not only as a cautionary tale but because I fear that there is a grave danger that, despite today’s health and safety focus and legislation, a culture and environment is developing whereby this kind of situation could so easily happen again. There are many factors to be considered when trying to eliminate such occurrences and, in my opinion, a fundamental issue is competency. If contractors, oil companies and national and local retailers all ensure that their personnel all had the right skills for the particular job they were employed to do, this situation would never have arisen. Yet we are all aware that even in the last 12 months there have been a number of incidents on our forecourts that have been proven to be the result of “incompetent” people working on our sites. Some of these have been near fatalities. There are many issues of competency to analyse and address across our whole sector which we hope to do in the coming issues of this magazine; but for now, let’s look at one of the biggest activities that creates risk on our forecourts and that is the work of construction and maintenance contractors. It was in the mid-nineties that there was a realisation amongst downstream petroleum retailers that rigorous health and safety control processes needed to be put in place for contractors. The UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA)
addressed the problems by working with the Safety Passport Association (SPA) to produce a sector specific “Petrol Retail Passport” for high-risk contractors. The majority of safetyconscious oil companies then embraced this scheme as a minimum requirement for anyone working on a petrol station and thus an industry standard was established. So, what is this scheme and why is it so effective? The beauty of it is that it is designed by the industry for the industry. The two days of safety training includes one day solely devoted to forecourt safety, covering everything from working at height, protecting customers, safety around petrol, tanks, deliveries, digging holes and fracturing lines, together with environmental issues. This sector-specific approach has revolutionised forecourt safety. Everyone who completes this dedicated safety course comes away from the course looking at petrol filling stations with a completely fresh perspective. This shouldn’t be confused with other schemes out there like the CSCS, which are geared towards a general construction environment rather than the petrol retail sector. There’s nothing wrong with generic H&S card schemes in their own ‘generic’ environments; in most circumstances they could arguably be described as being fit for purpose, but to accept them in our industry is like inviting a bull into a china shop; it’s not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ something will get broken. The level of safety knowledge required to attain some cards/certificates falls way short of that required in our industry; and there is no substitute for a full day of intensive forecourt-related training with an industry-experienced tutor guiding the delegates through everything, culminating in an exam, which is what we have with the SPA Passport. I’ll happily lay my cards on the table. I am a training provider, so of course I’m going to say this, aren’t I? But the proof is in the performance,
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Management
Regulations,
2007)
safety
standards
are
often
and the Management of Health and
compromised. But the bottom line is
Safety at Work Regulations, 1999, it is
that the scenario I described at the
a legal requirement to ensure a
beginning of this piece could easily
suitably competent workforce to carry out the task in its particular environment. For example, securing a bolt into a wall is simple enough but
it
is
very
different
when
happen again if we do not maintain the standards that we have strived to achieve over the last 20 years. From a client’s perspective, there is
completed in a pub compared to a
another
power station, however, the trouble
insistence of a Safety Passport
is that this is ‘open to interpretation’.
scheme for all contractors. If, under
Generic schemes, such as CSCS, are
CDM, the client has a Duty of Care
consistently shown to be flawed
to ensure that the workforce is
when something goes wrong and
competent, insisting on a standard
the Petroleum Officer is called in to
foundation competency will go a
investigate; by which stage it is surely
long way to being able to discharge
is too late.
that Duty. However, as a bonus from
I have been in this industry for many years and I am proud of it, we have some of the most experienced specialist contractors who are a match for the best in any industry sector, however, nowadays as these
benefit
to
universal
an employer’s perspective, if it is known that a person is properly trained but chooses not to work safely it becomes an issue of their attitude and behaviour rather than
stores are either mainly retailing
competency. If someone has taken
outlets solely or major retail outlets
a course and passed an exam
with petrol tagged onto them, the
demonstrating that they understand
majority of contract work is not done
that they should not be carrying out
by specialists at all, but by general
hot works next to a live pump, and
companies brought in from the
then chooses to do so, then it shows
retailers bank of general contractors.
contributory negligence and gives
As we all know, there is little profit in
the management an easier and
fuel sales and over the years the sites have become a less attractive operating proposition for the major oil companies - this has resulted in more and more independent retailer operated sites as well as large retail
cleaner
route
to
chastise
that
person. If they can genuinely say, “I didn’t
know
that
was
wrong
because I was never told”, then the ability to exclude them from site is
chains taking a much greater share
compromised. If everyone working
of the market. I am not convinced
on site is trained to the same level it
that we are always seeing the same
is easier for all management to
level of sector health and safety
address issues of people putting
knowledge from all of these new
others
organisations; particularly, when it
colleagues will not tolerate sloppy
comes to the specialist areas of the
behaviour, the industry starts to
forecourt and I believe that we are
become
seeing the knock-on effect with the
foundation for a health and safety
supply chain. Naturally, and quite rightly, the retailers have made the redevelopment
of
forecourts
a
competitive tendering process, and are likely to get a cheaper quote
at
risk.
self
Because
policing
good
–
the
culture is set. This is a complex issue and we need to look at other areas such as risk assessments and what they really
certificated
mean, but competency is key and if
contractors who are used to building
the industry doesn’t embrace the
superstores. If the driver for the
need for it then we’re back to where
procurement process is financial, as
I was twenty years ago - an explosive
in times of economic downturn, then
situation.
from
non-UKPIA
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
57
ARTICLES
and the evidence to support this argument is accumulating far more rapidly than we should all feel comfortable with. Martin Rackley, Health and Safety Manager for the BP Global Alliance (a partnership between Bovis Lend Lease and BP for building and maintaining the retail filling station network for BP) was so convinced of the benefits of SPA Safety Passport course that he made it company policy that nobody would work for BP unless they had this passport. He explains why: ‘Initially, we ran a Global Alliance Safety Passport but we became aware of the SPA around 1997 and shortly afterwards insisted that it was held by all principal and high-risk contractors, which included anyone working on shop or canopy roofs, with fuel tanks or in confined spaces. Within a few months we recognised the immense value and worth of the scheme so it was made a requirement for all contractors, irrespective of risk. BP has put a significant number of its own store managers and service station managers through the passport training as well, and has nominated Safety Champions to accompany contractors in order to gain a better understanding. There is absolutely no doubt that it works. Results were instant - better compliance, better understanding of necessary paper work and controls and a vast improvement in safety standards. Since the passport was introduced the number and type of accident on site has gone down year-on-year and the amount of reported near misses has increased. I would like to see more oil companies follow this lead and make the training standard.’ However, there is evidence that the reverse is happening, and the contractors engaged to work on forecourts are not always competent to work in this hazardous environment. Understanding the environment is a major part of ensuring competency. Indeed, under CDM (Construction Design and
3rd Annual Oil Distribution and Retail Conference, Beijing, China
so they always have transport!
By Gareth Bourhill, APEA Chairman
be achieved if you have goals to
Again seeing the Olympic “Birds Nest” stadium brought home the design and construction capabilities and the drive to succeed of the Chinese Authorities and what can succeed. I was glad to get a good sleep
“space” really is. I was glad
and
that
the conference. So to day 1 of the conference
me
which brought an 08.00 start with an
t h r o u g h
initial meeting for the conference
immigration
speakers and VIP’s. After that it was
etc just simply
into the first session of presentations,
for finding my
the first by Wang Xiaochuan, Deputy
way
Director,
about. journey
Department
of
Commercial Services Administration -
Peoples Republic of China. The presentations
flew out of Glasgow via
and
speakers were topical
Dubai to Beijing in the
and
ARTICLES
Peoples Republic of China
interesting
although I had to
to represent the APEA at and
the
somebody to
I
On the 25th May 2010 I
Distribution
hotel,
district which was also the venue for
The
Annual
the
had
take
3rd
at
arranged meet me and
the
rest
Intercontinental in the financial
Oil
listen to a translation
Retail
of the speeches via headphones.
Conference.
I
did
wonder at times if the
The APEA were also an official endorser of this
interpretation
event and I had been
did get a grasp of
invited in my capacity as
some of the more
Chairman to contribute
technical points and
and take part in one of the
words being said by
round table discussions on
the presenter; I think
“convenient,
that some of the more
safe
environmentally
and
friendly
service stations; more of this later.
into the financial district of Beijing
This was my first time visiting China
was approximately one hour in a
so the two eight hour flights just to
car but really would have been a
get there were, as with any long
lot less if it were not for the traffic
haul flight, “bearable”; but as we
congestion. A point to remember
descended into Beijing airport I was
here; Beijing, with a population of
able to see the Great Wall of China
14 million and number of cars to
stretching out far into the mountains
suit, operates traffic restrictions
surrounding Beijing. The airport in
each work day with 20% of cars
Beijing is a design wonder of modern
prohibited from use in the city.
construction, built for the recent
Each
Olympic games the building has the
indicated and if one of them
largest, I believe, “open” space and
matches the last digit in your
if you add all five terminals at
registration plate then your car
Heathrow together plus another 17%
can’t be used that day! The result
day
two
digits
are
this will give you an idea how big this is people buy more than one car 58 APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
really
and
has been endorsed and installed by
China is now just
many of the Chinese operators after
starting to look at
exceeding the required technical
operating the 1st
guidelines laid down by the Chinese
stage of non fuel
authorities. Qui Lihong, KPS General
operated
sales,
primarily
car wash, valet and
car
service/spares i n c l u d i n g lubricants
and
oils. At technical words were overlooked which
gave
an
interpretation.
After
interesting each
presentation, opportunities were given to allow the delegates to ask questions
of
the
interval
each and
during lunch there was a small exhibition area set up and it was interesting to see a few global manufacturers who are well known to us in the UK.
Manager of KPS in China, gave me an
the
Censtar, a Chinese company, had on display its dispenser, vapour recovery and contents measuring systems that are available for use in China and other countries in the world
and
again
it
was
very
interesting to see how closely they resemble some of the equipment we
would
see
on
our
own
forecourts. There were numerous other
of
at
have to offer.
own conference. focus
look
conductive pipework systems they
presenter similar to our The
informative
companies
displaying
the
products
ARTICLES
presentations was on
and, interestingly, an
the existing operation
organisation promoting
and infrastructure of the
regulation publications
approximately 100,000
and for want of not
filling
across
causing offence I did
China and the current
not ask if they had a
trend of moves from
copy of the “Blue Book”
diesel to petrol cars
for sale!
stations
During lunch on the
which is the opposite trend of what we are
first
seeing in Europe. It was
approached
day,
interesting to hear that
good
I
was by
number
a of
delegates wanting to
the use of Ethanol and Bio-fuels is still at the research stage
KPS Petrol Pipe Systems had a well
know more about the APEA and
in China and use as a fuel on the
organised stand promoting their
what we do so I was able to give
forecourts are still a long way off.
world leading products, in particular
people this information and hand
Current stations are all attendant
their conductive pipework, which
out membership forms and details of
60
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
in
and
Co Ltd, was chairing this table
projects worked on
general
discussion. Wang was very interested
and people we all
in how the sites in the UK operate
knew.
and
The worrying thing
It was of real use and interest to
our
on this table discussion as China is
Technical Mr
increasing its filling station resource
Thompson!
and at the same time increasing
At the end of the
and changing the services and how
first
day
delighted
to
see
the
APEA
represented, so to Ron Koch, Vice President of ZCL Composites based
was
they operate. Thoughts are moving
to
be
away from a traditional simple
invited out to dinner
attendant
with Ron Barry, their
activity to sites with a convenience
operated
re-fueling
Chinese business representatives, and their wives who had joined them
on
the
business trip. One
thing
I
in Alberta Canada, and Barry Bone
would say was
of Petrolink Pty Ltd in Penrith New
the
South Wales in Australia, we had
Chinese
great discussions about the industry
I
authentic meal
we went out for
ARTICLES
were in attendance and they were
and
those others participating with me
delighted
was I met some APEA members who
systems
many people knew
Jamie
something I think was appreciated,
safety
for me was how
Chairman,
our website. More importantly and
the
equipment we take for granted.
is far removed from what I’m used to at my local
Chinese
restaurant in Glasgow. Lets just say
operation which will, I think, give lots
there are things on the menu in
of business opportunities for those
Beijing that the RSPCA would be
involved
interested in back home!
particularly those involved in the
Day two of the conference and I was asked to give a presentation on
in
that
market
and
design of sites and those that sell valet and shop equipment.
the technology of the sites in the UK.
During breaks and lunch I again
This was a short presentation along
got the opportunity to hand out
similar themes by others on the
business cards and promote what
table. This was an interesting format of discussion as there were about twelve people directly involved in the discussion activities, but what happens is the general conference delegates then place seats around the outside of where we were sitting on the table and listen in, taking notes and asking questions so it was at
times
rather
benefits of membership so I hope that my trip will result in a few more members and as I set out to do when taking over as Chairman, my aim was to promote what we do on a global platform and I think opportunities like this visit to Beijing plays a part in this. With an evening flight back home
with
on the 2nd day I did not get to
everybody being so close and no
explore in any great detail this
room to escape the questions. Mr
fantastic city and the history that
Wang Changjaing Director of the
can be seen around the Forbidden
Petrol
City area etc., so perhaps I will get
Station
intense
we do as an Association and the
Management
Department of the Petro China Sales
to go back one day.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
61
Nine Months with Total Vapour Solutions T V S Part 1 By Rodney Carter Petroman Environmental Serivces Ltd
metres in overall length and are removable for inspection, being fitted through the 100 mm plug on the T piece fitted to the tank lid. The softfill MUST be fitted when the vacuum generator is used.
The principles of the Petroman Vapour Management system have been well documented in the past. Although it is very difficult to offer a direct comparison between two sites, due to all of the varying parameters, over the past nine months independent data has provided sufficient results to offer some interesting information. First let’s, reacquaint you with the basic principles of the system, • To reduce the effect of petrol vapour being drawn from the tanks during deliveries to the site when off-loading diesel.
ARTICLES
• Calm the petroleum products during delivery, when off-loading, thus reducing the vapour generation. • Converting petrol vapour, retained within the system, into liquid.
The system is made up of a number of components the first being the Vapour Management Control Panel (VMC). This includes the pressure control valves and the low level pressure vacuum valves The Vapour Management Panel becomes part of the sites stage 1b system. The pressure control valves manage the vapour by directing it across the tank farm. The release pressure is 32 mbar and this is governed by the capacity of the petroleum storage tanks and the 62
distance from the stage 1B manifold. With sufficient capacity it is possible to have no vapour returning to the tanker. The main purpose is to promote high levels of vapour condensation to return vapour to liquid form hence reducing losses to the site. The low level pressure vacuum valves were introduced to assist maintenance and being more compatible to the overall operation of the system than with other manufactured PV valves. There is also a redesigned sealing arrangement, which uses its own carriage to support the modified sealing ring. The securing plug has an entry plug to enable a lifting rod to lift the valve, so that any excess pressure may be released into the vent pipe system. Another component of the system is the Softfill beam and the accumulus vacuum generator. The softfill is used to calm the product on its entry into the storage tank. The latest models have internal hinges, a higher flow capacity, and a continuous PTFE strip along the base. It also has the capacity to distribute the delivery in either direction, along the floor of the storage tank, reducing turbulence and excessive movement of the product hence reducing vapour creation. The beam being fitted at the end of the fill pipe may vary in length according to the size and requirement of the storage tank, in general, they are from 2 metres to 6
The vacuum generator is fitted into the delivery tube, above or below the overfill device. It is activated by the weight of the fuel passing through a floating venturi system. This causes a valve to open generating the vacuum and allowing vapour to be drawn from the space above the product level (ullage) into the flow of the incoming petrol. The vapour is then permeated with the product on the floor of the tank via the softfill beam.
Vacuum Generator
With the introduction of bio fuels extensive changes have had to be made to prevent corrosion within the Accumulus system: • all aluminium parts now being hard anodised • the pressure vacuum valves have been modified to take the new designed seals • new seal materials specifically
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
designed for Bio and ethanol fuels • the softfill beam has also been redesigned to give greater flow rate and fitted internal hinges, giving improved strength and smoother profiles within. • the softfill also has turbulence inducers to promote currents preventing biological growth in static areas on the tank floor. The processor (Vaporsaver) was introduced as part of the system; this being manufactured by OPW and marketed as Vaporsaver throughout the world. This product has been available for some years but was used within a different environment. By introducing the Vaporsaver to the Accumulus system, the full potential of this product has been identified. Placed alongside the Petroman
ARTICLES
system this has exceeded all expectations and this complete system has become known as the TVS system, Total Vapour Solution. Vaporsaver uses m e m b r a n e technology with a compressor and vacuum pump, both driven by a single electric motor. The operation is controlled by a number of pressure control switches, whilst the quality of air exhausted to atmosphere is being continually monitored by a hydrocarbon sensor unit and, in the event of a failure, an audible alarm on the main control panel will sound within the store. Fitting the TVS system is mainly beneficial to sites fitted with stage 2, which is the method of collecting displaced vapour from the vehicle tank. This in effect is an indirect delivery which, with the TVS, we are able to calculate as part of the wet stock reconciliation report. The servicing and
Ask the Experts Q. As an Inspector I am expected to operate under a certain code of conduct that I have heard is called the Regulator’s Compliance Code. What exactly is it? The Regulator’s Compliance Code replaced the Enforcement Concordat on 6 April 2008. This new document was sponsored by the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) which is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS); BIS leads the regulatory reform agenda across government. It is part of the desire of the government – in both the previous and current administrations – to reduce the burden on businesses and to reduce regulation. The provisions of the Code must be taken into account by all Regulators, not just those enforcing 64
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA). While all Regulatory Authorities must take into account the Code’s provisions, it does not put the duty to comply on the individual enforcement officer. Every Authority must have systems in place which support the requirements of the Code and to which the individual officer should adhere. This is one of the reasons for every Authority to have robust enforcement policies and procedures in place for their officers to use and which guide their enforcement activity. As Regulators we are required to ensure that regulation and its enforcement is proportionate and flexible enough to allow or even encourage economic progress. A number of case studies can be found on the Health and Safety
maintenance are very easily carried out with only the V belts needing tension checking and the pressures checked every two years, whilst the A c c u m u l u s system need only be checked bi annually. The life of the membrane is 10000 hrs and is monitored via the e l e c t r o n i c controller unit fitted near the main electrical panel within the store. Over the past nine months we have been carrying out trials on two sites in the north of England. Site “A”, fitted with TVS (Total Vapour Solution) and site “B”, a standard site with stage 2. This trial has been monitored by Petroman and also independently by Fairbanks Environmental Ltd, who have been collating, as well as verifying, the wet stock information received from both sites. As we will have nearly one year’s verified data by the next issue, it was thought better to present this in that publication where more space can be given to the tables, graphs, and the in-depth detail.
Executive website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/betterbusin ess/index.htm) which support the economic case for good health and safety practice to be embedded in every company. There are also good arguments to support the contention that complying with Health and Safety legislation promotes business prosperity. The purpose of the Code is “to promote efficient and effective approaches to regulatory inspection and enforcement which improve regulatory outcomes without imposing unnecessary burdens on business, the Third Sector and other regulated entities.” In simple terms, Regulators are to try and ensure that businesses (including charities) are complaint with the legal requirements placed upon them without asking them to do more than is necessary e.g. only assessing the significant risks arising from any hazard, not every risk
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
• Proportionate to the severity of the breach • Consistent in approach • Accountable – by having an enforcement policy • Transparent – by making the policy available for public perusal • Targeted to the highest risks – by the use rating system such as that described in the PETEL circular When the Enforcement Concordat came into existence, businesses often claimed to have “signed up” to the document as a defence against proposed legal action, especially a prosecution. This was never intended to be the case, and the Regulator’s Compliance
Code continues this theme. The Code does not relieve employers and business operators of their responsibility to comply with their obligations under the law. Businesses cannot claim that appropriate and proportionate action is “interfering with their economic progress” if that action is to require that business to comply with a legal requirement e.g. by serving an Improvement Notice, nor by instituting a prosecution for breaching any legal provision. • The Code does NOT mean that a Company can never be prosecuted • The Code DOES mean that enforcement decisions have to be proportionate, transparent, consistent etc If you want to read the whole document, visit: http://bre.berr.gov.uk/regulation/refor m/enforcement_concordat/index.asp Kim Bennett Senior Environmental Health Officer Q. When inspecting vent stacks where Stage 1b Vapour Recovery is installed what needs to be checked? 1. Vent pipe condition: if the vent stack has suffered any damage it could lessen the integrity of the system and could be considered dangerous, if the vent has any form of leak then there is a direct path to the vapour space inside the underground storage tank. The vent stack should also be stable and well supported 2. Electrical Equipment: check that no unprotected electrical equipment has been installed within the hazardous area around the vent stack, although the hazardous area decreases slightly when stage 1b is fitted it is still applicable. 3. Vent Numbering: all vents should be numbered as to which storage tank they correspond to 4. Pressure/Vacuum Valve: a visual check of the PV valve needs to be
undertaken, this should also be followed up by a check on the paperwork held on site to affirm that maintenance has been carried out on the system 5. VR System labelling: correct labelling is required to the VR system as to the connection point for the vapour return and the fact that the system is manifolded together which is required to be displayed to warn maintenance personnel, the signs should read “Connect Vapour return line before off loading” “No more than 2 hoses, excluding diesel shall be discharged simultaneously” “Warning: This tank is manifolded. Isolate tank ventilating pipe before commencing any work” 6. Vapour return point locked: the VR Return point should be locked 7. Paperwork: In London my team carry out stage 1b inspections for some of the Boroughs, we have to check that the station has a permit issued and that all other paperwork is present, this includes, Vapour fault/incident log, staff training and delivery certificates. Once the inspection is complete then a letter detailing the irregularities, if any, needs to be sent to the site, if the vents are damaged as described in 1) above then immediate action is required. Brian Humm Deputy Head of Petroleum London Fire Brigade Q. I understand that there are various tank lining systems. Can you explain which ones there are and in your opinion, what is the best? There are various different types of tank linings available, using different types of materials to create either single or double skin protection. Single skin linings offer the lowest form of protection against product loss, double skin linings include an interstice, which is basically a gap/space that can be monitored.
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
65
ARTICLES
(although, exceptionally, DSEAR does require EVERY risk to be assessed). As Regulators we must adopt a positive and proactive approach, whilst helping and encouraging businesses to understand and meet the regulatory requirements easily; we must always respond proportionately to regulatory breaches. This means that we are not just enforcers; we are also advisors and supporters of business operators. We do not just walk in and say “this is wrong – fix it” and walk away, as was the case 35 years ago when I first started enforcing the HSWA. We must offer the business operator advice and offer assistance to help them to comply. The Approved Codes of Practice to the Regulations must form part of this advice, Enforcing Authorities must have effective policies in place to deal proportionately with criminal behaviour i.e. the failure to comply with statutory requirements. Failure to comply with Health and Safety legislation is a criminal offence and we must deal with such failures, as they have a damaging effect on legitimate businesses. This is because legitimate businesses incur loss, usually financial, by complying with the law and the non-compliant businesses do not. The policies that are put into place must show how the Regulatory Authority ensures that their enforcement activity is:
ARTICLES/BRANCHES
Interstices, or interstitial spaces, can be monitored hydrostatically, which means filled with a liquid or by pressure or vacuum. Pressure or vacuum systems should ideally include a ‘top up’ ability as there is the potential for long term degradation of the pressure or vacuum, via permeation. The key requirements of a high quality tank lining are: Long term compatibility of materials/resins with current and future fuel specifications. Ideally, linings should be proof against 100% ethanol as tank bottoms could contain very high levels of ethanol, not just 5%. Thickness/strength: in a double skin system, the outer layer should be as thick as the inner layer as ground water pressure can be very high in comparison to the internal pressure of the weight of the fuel Provability of interstitial monitoring: It is important for all parties concerned that there is confidence in the ability of the double skin monitoring system to monitor the entire interstice. Standards: There is an EN standard for Tank interstices, including tank linings, the standard is BS EN 13160-7:2003 Leak detection systems. There is a specific standard in North America for tank linings, which is: Double Containment Fibre Reinforced Plastic Linings for Flammable and Combustible Liquid
Storage Tanks, ULC/ORDC58.4-05. There have been numerous tank lining failures in the retail petroleum industry over the last ten years. It is important that the installer carries out rigorous testing and conforms to quality c o n t r o l standards during the i n s t a l l , otherwise it is not protected against future failures. All materials used in tank linings have the potential to be a hazard to health and be adversely effected by site specific conditions, like mixing ratios, ambient temperatures and installation processes. The best tank lining system will only be as good as the installation, ideally it should comply with the available relevant documented standards and both the safety and quality system used by the installer
North West
members and post holders were reelected and newcomers to the committee were invited. The line up for 2010 – 2011 looks like this.
The branch meeting and AGM were held on April 15th 2010 at Haydock Park Racecourse. It was decided for the first meeting of 2010 that the revision of the “Blue Book” would be used as the theme for the day. As the “Blue Book” is such a large topic we took the opportunity to vary the format of the day by extending the meeting to 3.00pm and the venue - Haydock Racecourse proved to be a very popular venue with over 40 attendees. A number of suppliers were offered the opportunity to display small exhibition banners in exchange for a small fee. This enabled everyone attending to enjoy the day free of charge. At the AGM existing committee 66
Jo Bradley Branch Chairman Bob Conlin Branch Secretary Jean Algie Branch Treasurer Election of committee members Louise Morgan Branch Representative Committee members: Geoff Oldham Jane Longley
should take into consideration all of the above and monitor frequently to ensure compliance. Therefore to recommend one out of context would not be appropriate. Edward Wheeler Managing Director Eurotank Environmental Ltd
Clive Drake John Crouchley Following the AGM – Gareth Bourhill (APEA Chairman) kicked off the morning session by detailing the process of the Blue Book Revision and how the process is lengthy and not without its own distinct challenges. The Blue Book is currently out for consultation and anybody with an express interest in a particular area should contact the APEA to find out how they can get involved. Louise Morgan (Petrocom) and Sean Cole (Brenttag) followed this with an outline of the issues surrounding the installation of above and below ground AdBlue facilities. One of the most significant issues for
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
BRANCHES
petrol retailers being the control of spillages and leaks as the product is miscible in water and will escape through traditional forecourt separators. Neil Simms (Petroleum Officer –LCC) followed this with some feedback from the Regulators regarding site inspections of unmanned petrol filling stations. Neil detailed how the exercises took place and what the regulators were looking for in relation to response times to incidents and how these incidents are handled. Some useful pointers for those interested in venturing into this small but expanding side of the market. This was followed by a buffet lunch and networking opportunities. The issue of above ground storage for petroleum spirit was again explored by Jo Bradley (Environment Agency) with a view to creating a talking point rather than prescribing above ground tanks as solutions. It is an interesting subject that will no doubt occur on more agendas across the country as old facilities are refurbished. Managing E5 was the closing hot topic of the day with Phillip Nathan (E and S), Ed Wheeler (Eurotank) and Bob Conlin (Fairbanks) contributing. This brought together the scientific explanation of ethanol blended fuels along with how to manage the effects of phase separation and the importance of monitoring water levels in tanks. An interesting and topical subject for all in attendance. Any ideas for future speakers or topics that members would like discussed at future events please contact Louise Morgan at louisemorgan@petrocom.co.uk. Louise Morgan Branch Representative
L to R: Keith Hodgson, Craig Brocklehurst, Michelle Brocklehurst, Lawrie Smail, Andy Kennedy, Ahmed Mulla, Mario Cieply
Geoff Oldham speaking
current Chairman, Gareth Bourhill, who unfortunately, could not attend due to work commitments. Keith chaired the AGM which started at 10.00 a.m., at which Committee members and Auditors were appointed; these are : Chairman Andy Kennedy Branch Secretary Michelle Brocklehurst Treasurer Keith Hodgson
Yorkshire & Humberside The re-launch meeting/AGM of the Yorkshire and Humberside branch took place on Thursday 29th April 2010 at The Works, Sowerby Bridge; Keith Hodgson welcomed all members and guests for their support in making this happen. Keith then introduced Geoff Oldham, the APEA National Honorary Secretary, to give an address which was prepared by the 68
Branch Rep Craig Brocklehurst Committee members Laurie Smailes Mario Cieply Ahmed Mulla The first presentation of the day was on unmanned operations by Geoff Oldham of Suresite; Geoff
advised that enforcers have the difficult position of allocating accountability in the event of an incident. Geoff then gave details of some case studies, including an incorrect fuel delivery, lessons learnt as a result, and subsequent countermeasures introduced. One of the major improvements to be implemented was the instigation of a near miss process. Geoff advised that tanker drivers can now have their employment terminated if found responsible for making incorrect/cross deliveries, which does not encourage honesty, and could result in incidents trying to be ‘covered up’. Geoff advised that unattended service stations were initially set up for isolated/remote areas, with the appropriate mandatory safeguards being put in place; unattended sites have more recently been introduced into busy/city areas to keep running costs down, whilst maintaining availability of fuel,
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
check for water content. Ed also advised that some jointing compounds are not suitable for use with ethanol blended petrol. Ed recommends annual sampling of tanks, to monitor water content in ethanol tanks. A brief Q&A session followed; most questions were asked during the presentation. Andy then concluded the speaker’s session by thanking Geoff and Ed in particular, together with all members for supporting this relaunch meeting, and asked if anyone had any suggestions on topics, speakers and venues for future meetings.
BRANCHES
especially at night. He also advised that PELG carried out a survey of unmanned sites two years ago; out of 100 sites tested, 60 sites failed for various reasons including length of response time for staff to attend site, shared emergency phone lines and insufficient knowledge of competent staff. Several questions followed, which led to a good discussion session on points raised. The second presentation was by Ed Wheeler of Eurotank Environmental on biofuels effect and management.
Edward Wheeler speaking
Ed advised that there is an increasing amount of issues with bugs in fuel, although they have always been present to some extent. Bugs need oxygen and water to live, and biofilm is present in the majority of tanks in varying degrees; most of the growth is present furthest away from the fill and suction pipework ends, due to the movement of fuel in these areas. It is advisable for all fuel retailers to have a strategy in place to deal with this. Winter waxing can also block filters in fuel pumps; Ed showed various photos of bugs and wax on components. Ed then showed a video on ethanol blended petrol, which showed that the fuel gauge water float recognised the initial water content of a tank, but not after it was agitated with an ethanol mix, or indeed when a further amount of water was added to the tank. Cameras or water detection paste should be used to double
A buffet lunch was then enjoyed by all, followed by a networking session. The newly formed Yorkshire & Humberside Branch is holding its second branch meeting at the national Coal Mining Museum Nr Wakefield on Wednesday 29th September. This promises to be a very interesting and informative meeting with guest speakers and an underground tour of the mine. Members and non members most welcome. Keith Hodgson Branch Rep
Southern The Southern branch Summer meeting was held at Brooklands Motor Museum on Tuesday 8th June 2010; the Chairman, Paul Reyner, welcomed all 28 members and guest speakers. Martin Window then clarified some issues raised at the Winter meeting, following the presentation
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
69
Site sensitivity and environmental risk Sam Carson, OHES Ltd. Electrical testing on remote sites Richard Curnow, RD & RE Curnow Electrical Ltd. Paul closed the meeting by thanking all the guest speakers for their time, and all members for supporting the meeting. Any suggestions for topics for future meetings to be advised to Sue Meadowcroft (sue@highcross.com) A superb buffet lunch was enjoyed by all, followed by a tour of the museum. The Autumn meeting date is set for Tuesday 9th November 2010 at the Compass Inn, Tomarton. Sue Meadow Croft Branch Secretary
Eastern
BRANCHES
The Events Committee met on July 1st at the offices of Hytek, to plan the events for the coming year. Our thanks go to them and Adrian for their hospitality. Attendees: Anton Martiniussen Adrian Holyholmes Jean Fincken Peter Roll Lee Markham Apologies Jamie Thompson John Boudry
by Brian Humm and Neil Roberts of the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority on enforcement procedures for disused tanks. Presentations were given on the following topics : Control of biofuel contamination issues Dr. Philip Nathan, E&S Group/Adler & Allan Ltd. 70
Branch meetings will take place on September 29th (Autumn meet), December 8th, (Early Christmas lunch) and May 2011 date tbc (Spring meet and AGM). Further details will be announced with notices to members in the usual way. We ask all EB members to pencil these in their diary and join us. As always we aim to provide quality speakers with interesting and relevant topics. We will be at Hintlesham Hall, Hanbury Manor and Duxford. We have moved the Spring meeting from March to May. This is more convenient as by popular demand we have been asked to go back to Duxford. Anton Martiniussen Branch Secretary
Ireland The Irish branch held it’s AGM on 20th May in Ashbourne Co. Meath. We had a very good turn out (approx 45). This year had a nominal charge of €10 to help defer some of the costs involved with running the event. Vice Chairman Kevin Wright welcomed everyone and outlined programme for the day’s proceedings and called on the Chairman, Tom Daily, to say a few words Tom Daly made a welcome address and reported on recent activity over the last year including Branch Officers participation in APEA 50TH Celebration Meeting. Tom also informed Members of some progress with the DSA Review as advised by the Dept of ENTEMP (Enterprise) contact in that meetings have been held with the Dept of ENV (Environment) and that Government Ministers have been briefed on the task in hand. He also highlighted the current review of the “Blue Book” and how we in the Irish Branch will hope to rely on this in the new Legislative Framework. He noted we have over 100 Members in the Irish Branch / that it was one of the fastest growing branches of the APEA / that it was held in high regard by the APEA Council. Kevin then called on Members to read through the various reports supplied, and in turn asked the Treasurer, Oliver Lupton, to go through the Accounts and the Branch Representative, Killian Tallon, to further explain our Link-In to the APEA Council. Kevin then conducted the Election of Officers / new Committee for the coming year. The incoming Committee for the year 2010/ 2011 was elected as follows Tom Daly Dublin Fire Brigade Chairman Kevin Wright Pumps & Fuel Vice Chairman Oliver Lupton Forecourt Bureau Treasurer
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
Mr Steve McGarry of the Health and Safety Authority then took some questions on the latest developments with the DSA Review – which confirmed that the matter was still being considered at Policy Level. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the speaker, it is greatly appreciated. In addition to the AGM there have been a number of APEA courses held in Ireland most of which were over subscribed. This clearly demonstrates that there is still a lot of interest and further development potential in Ireland.
Ronnie McArdle RMA Branch Secretary Killian Tallon Topaz Energy Branch Rep. Committee members: Clive Kyle Ballymena Council Lorraine Kelly Petrocourt Alan Pollock Maxol Oil Ltd
gave a talk on the issues that were involved in the recent build of an above ground station by Sainsburys, Jeff Simms from Sainsburys was also
Killian Tallon Branch Representative
Maureen Briggs Craigavon Council
there to chip in with pertinent facts.
The Midlands branch has had a very successful meeting in Ledbury as guests of Ledbury rugby club, our thanks go to Tom Hocking for making the venue available and making the necessary arrangements! There were over 40 people present, many from other branches.
Peter Heffernan PHA John O’Reilly Topaz Energy Deirdre Hazely Kildare Council Bernard Duffy Contractor
Our
third
presentation
was
provided by Tony Clarke, from Corinium
Paddy Ryan Retail Marketeer
Safety
Solutions
who
talked on the problems with RF radiation. Suffice it to say that it was an entertaining talk full of good
David Jackson Tokeim
sense but don’t stand in front of transmitters unless you want to be
Presentations followed by Mr. Geoff Lee from Cookson and Zin on “Tank Installation Testing and Commissioning”. This was followed by Mr. Bob Conlin on Current Best Practice in “Wetstock Control”. We then broke for lunch and allowed all attending to Munch / Mingle before a light early afternoon session by Mr. Joe Daly on Bringing Colours to Personality. This was followed by an afternoon session by Tom Daly on bringing Unattended Petrol Stations into the public domain. There was plenty of debate on this issue. Following on Mr. Colin Byrne of the Dept of Environment gave an overview of new Groundwater Regulations. To conclude the day’s deliberations,
slowly cooked! On behalf of the Midlands Branch We had three presentations on the day, all of which were very well received. The first of these was given by Kevin Powell from Ledbury Engineering and Welding. Kevin provided us with information on the history of the company and the products they make with special emphasis on above ground petrol storage options and their Supervault system for self contained storage and dispensing. He told us of their future plans which impressed all including their rivals who were in attendance! Our second presentation was from Brian Humm from London Fire. Brian
I would like to record our thanks to all of the speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules. We all left the
meeting
with
a
better
understanding of the topics they discussed. Rob Tunnicliff Branch Rep
Scotland Nothing to report
North East Nothing to report
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
71
BRANCHES
Midlands Michael O’Kane MOK+A
Branch Representative and Secretary Contact Details
North West
Sue Meadowcroft - Sec
Louise Morgan - Rep
1 Rock Cottage
Petrocom Ltd
South Cornelly
Wash Farm (Office)
Bridgend CF33 4RN
Rainford Road Bickerstaffe
Tel: 07795 841891 email: sue@high-cross.com
Eastern
Lancashire L39 0HG
Adrian Holyomes - Rep
Tel: +44 (0) 845 678 0790
HYTEK GB LTD
Fax: +44 (0) 845 678 7820
Ireland
Delta House
Mobile: +44 (0) 7789 744281
Killian Tallon - Rep
Green Street, Elsenham
email:
Topaz Energy Ltd
Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
louisemorgan@petrocom.co.uk
Topaz House Beech Hill, Clonskeagh
Tel: 01279 815600 email: adrian@hytekgb.com
Bob Conlin - Sec Fairbanks Environmental Ltd
Anton Martiniussen - Sec ELAFLEX Ltd Riverside House, Hoddesdon Herts EN11 0PA
The Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View
Dublin 4 Ireland Tel: + 353 1202 8705 email: killian.tallon@topazenergy.ie
Skelmersdale Lancs WN8 9TN
Ronnie McArdle - Sec
Tel: 01992 452 950
Tel: 01695 51775
McArdle Doyle Limited
Mob: 07831 595620
email: bobconlin@fairbanks.co.uk
Unit A8, Santry Business Park
email: elaflex@aol.com
Swords Road
BRANCHES
Scotland North East
Ian Hillier - Rep
Mike Silmon - Rep and Sec
North Ayrshire Council
W O Silmon Ltd
Bridgegate House
Industry Road, Heaton
Irvine KA12 8BD
Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE6 5XB Tel: 0191 224 0777 Fax: 0191 224 0707 email: associationtreasurer@apea.org.uk
Tel: 01294 324969
Santry Dublin 9 Ireland Tel: 00353 1 8423404 Fax: 00353 1 8423416
email: ihillier@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
email: mail@mcardle-doyle.ie
Paul Devine - Sec
Yorkshire & Humberside
South Lanarkshire Council
Craig Brocklehurst - Rep
Consumer and Trading Standards
Lbi Installatiosn Ltd
North Stand, Cadzow Avenue Hamilton ML3 0LU
The Former Post office Station Road
Midlands
Tel: 01698 476170
Rob Tunnicliff - Rep
Fax: 01698 476180
37 Victoria Park Road
Mobile: 07795 090903
Tunstall
email:
West Yorkshire HX6 3AA
Stoke on Trent ST6 6DX
paul.devine@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Tel: 07703336264
Peter Emery - Sec Anchor Safety 19 Adonis Close
Halifax
email: craig@lbiinstallations.com
Tel: 07815 069846 email: rob.tunnicliff@stoke.gov.uk
Sowerby Bridge
Southern Philip Monger - Rep
Michelle Brocklehurst - Sec
Petrol Retailers Association
LBI Installations Limited
Meadowside West EndSherbourne St John Basingstoke
The Former Post Office Station Road Sowerby Bridge
Tamworth
Hants RG24 9LE
Staffordshire B79 8TY
Tel: 01256 850164
Halifax HX6 3AA
Tel: 07972 599 765
Fax: 01256 851273
Tel: 01422 833122
email:peter_emery@btconnect.com
email: phil.monger@ukonline.co.uk
email: michelle@lbiinstallations.com
72
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
2010 Training Course Dates Petrol Filling Stations Construction, Safety and Environmental Protection 9/10 Nov
London
Petrol Filling Stations Risk Assessment, Audit and Inspection 15/16 Sep
Dublin
5/6 Oct
Derby
16/17 Nov
Glasgow
DSEAR 24 Sept
Derby
21 Sept
Luton
19 Nov
Bristol
26 Oct
Belfast
9 Dec
Luton
30 Nov
Sheffield
Petrol Filling Stations; Vapour Recovery Installations Wetstock Management
8 Nov
Luton
21 Sept
6 Dec
Manchester
Manchester
16 Sept
Luton
23 Sept
Manchester
Petrol Filling Stations – Enforcement Procedures An Awareness (One day) 6 hours Continued Professional Development
7 Oct
Glasgow
13 Sep
Birmingham
12 Oct
Cardiff
18 Oct
Cardiff
Explosives and Fireworks
Forecourt LPG Installations 2 Sept
Electrical Installations An Awareness
Milton Keynes
Courses will be designed around the new TCB Document, Guidance for Design, Construction, Modification,
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). 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 Humm, Training Chairman Mobile: 07818 097141
email: brian.humm@london-fire.gov.uk
APEA Training Team Jamie Thompson Independent Consultant
Gareth Bourhill
Kim Bennett
Principal Training Consultant -
Senior Environmental Health
Electrical Safety
Officer
Forth Valley College of Further and
Milton Keynes Council
Higher Education Bob Conlin Director, Fairbanks Environmental Brian Humm Deputy Head of Petroleum, LFEPA Brian Baker Fire Safety & Petroleum Officer Milton Keynes Council
Richard Wigfull Consulting Engineer J. Wigfull & Co Ltd
Joe Maerz Operational Manager Rural & Public Protection Team Essex Trading Standards
John Dallimore Consulting Engineer
Jean Fincken
John Dallimore & Partners
Petroleum Inspector, LFEPA
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
73
BRANCHES
Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations.
Photos from recent training courses
Delegates from the Construction, Safety and Environmental Protection course in Manchester
TRAINING Inspecting in Galway
Merseyside delegates attending four courses in April
Delegates from the Galway training courses in May
74
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk