E.V.BEEBY
J. BENNETT
G.BERESFORD
J. BIRKS P. H. CARTWRIGHT D. HALL S. W. D. HARRIS G.H.HARVEY
W. HETHERINGTON
Chairman: J. W. HEWISON Senior Petroleum Officer HAvANT & WATERLOO U.D.C. TOWN HALL Havant 6311
Vice-Chairman: J. BEER
Immediate Past Chairman: RP. HOLDAWAY
Council:
Rugby RD.C. 2071 Morley B. 5541 Hastings 4182 Chesterfield B. 2825 Hartlepool C.B. 0429 2474
Newcastle-under-Lyme 0872 60161 Gloucester RD.C. 26223 Dudley C.B. 55433 Witney U.D.C. 3241
Hon. Secretary: J. W. FRID
Officers:
B. HODGSON K. C. HUGHES T. KERR K. MacLEOD H. R MELLOR C.R PESKETT R E. J. RODEN J. SHORT
Wigton RD.C. 2133/5 Stafford B. 3507
Glanford Brigg RD.C. Brigg 2441/5 Dumbarton 2351 Blackpool C.B. 23848 Godalming B. 6191/4 Birmingham City 021 2353089 Paisley 041 889 5400
Hon. Treasurer: C.T.PEACOCK
Subscription: £1.50 per annum
On another page we print a prepared statement from 'a highly 'authoritive source, part 'of which sums up the views 'of most Petroleum Inspe·ctors when they consider 1st April, 1974. Because it is so apposite we print the following extract 'as our talk'ing point.
"We are most anxious that a situation should not be allowed to develop in which its efficient discharge (Petroleum Consolidation Act 1928) is in any way impeded by local disputes over ·allocation of these duties within county councils. We recognise that ·the existing spread of expertise may vary from area to area and that there is no common formula which it would be right to apply throughout the country
We hope that, in making their dispositions, the new authorities will, in the interests of efficiency, have regard to all the 'expertise on which they can draw, 'and consider how that experNse can be best deployed".
C'Onisbr'Ough V.D.C. Yorks. S. Officer
P. Hale, Esq., 1 Jaggards Road, Coggleshall, Colchester, Essex.
Associates
A. P. Allen, Esq., Weights and Measures Department, M. A. Barnes, Esq., B. Cliff'Ord, Esq., Chief Inspector, Trading Standards Department, . D. E. Combes, Esq.,
Chief Inspect'Or 'Of Weights and Measures, .
F. J. Evans, Esq., Weights and Measures Department,
N. S. F'OX, Esq., A. J. Gigg, Esq., S. R. Hargreaves, Esq., Trading :Standards Department, T. McCull'OCh, Esq., W. R. Newt'On, Esq., . N'Ottingham C'Ounty Council , S. E. WaIler, Esq.,
It is with regret that we announce the death of A. De Caux, Esq., Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Southport.
G. Havercroft, Esq., Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Kingst'On-upon·Hull.
H. Johnson, O.B.E., Esq., Chief Fire Officer, Teesside.
Mr. J'Ohnson has been closely associated with the Association f'Or many years and has been Chairman of the Northern Branch since its inception
We wish these gentlemen a long an dhappy retirement.
D. J. Bruce, Esq., has been appointed Chief Fire Officer Teesside '
J. ClIfton, Esq., Engineer and Surveyor, Bingham RD.C. has been appointed Engineer and Surveyor, West Bridgford V.D.C.
Storage and Handling of Petroleum L'iquids: Prac'tice and Law Second Edition by J . R Hughes, Esq., B.Sc., F.Inst.Pet. Published by Charles Griffin and Company. Price £5.60.
A girl attendant at a petrol station put three gallons of ?etrol into the engine of a rear-engined van, instead of mto the petrol tank. The engine burst into flames as soon as the ignition was switched on. The Manager sa'id the driver himself ?ad removed the oil filler cap on the engine, watched the girl put the petrol in, and then said "I've a funny feeling you've put it in the wrong hole".
A man rushed 'Out of his house in a hurry and backed his car down the drive. When he tried to brake at the ?ottom his shoe lace, which he had'nt tied, was trapped m the door and wouldn't allow him to transfer his foot far enough across to reach the brake.
at the University of Lancaster, 20th to 23rd August, 1973.
This course will be organised by the Northern Branches of the Association and is intended for the newcomer to the 'Petroleum Acts and for those 'in need of refreshers.
All requests for provisional reservations to: H. R MElLLOR,
A detailed syllabus is not yet available. Estimated fee £25 inclusive.
!n the event of the Course becoming over-subscribed, priority wiII be given to those Officers whose Local Authorities are members 'Of the Association.
In reply to a question raised at the recent Association Conference at Hastings, regarding administration of petroleum regulations by upper tier authorities in 1974, the following statement was made by G. J. Jeacocke, Esq., M.Sc., 'Ph.D., 'F.R.I.C., Home Office .
As you 'know, local authority responsibilities under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 are at present exercised by the county borough, borough and district councils Under _ the Local Government Ad 1972, however, the Government has allocated their enforcement to the new county councils. The philosophy underlying this change of practice is that the primary purpose of these controls 'is to protect the public against the potential risk of fire and explosion arising from the keeping or conveyance of substantIalquantities of dangerous substances, and it is at the top tier level -that an appropriate liaison can best be achieved with tile fire serv'ice, whose expertise is highly relevant to the problems of fire and explosions involved.
'it is, of course, for the new county councils to decide hoW this function is to be discharged within areas and ,we fully accept that this is a matter entirely their discretion At the same time, however, we are concerned to see the :unctlOn should be discharged as fficiently as pOSSIble, WIth the best use being made of all e available expertIse.
Tha't expertise has been variously in different as A number of the eXIstmg enforcement authorities are der the 1928 Act have already employed the fire service carry out t bis function. But many other authorities have hitherto made use of other branches of the local authority ' ce e g weights and measures officers. Thus in some servI , .' ' areas , not only has a Ilfiot mCO?SIdberablhe body of expertise d loped outside the re servIce ut t e /fire service itself eve I' d tt is still comparatIve d y Ihn ma ers arIs1ng out f the day to day a mmIstratI?n 0 :t e Act. In recognition Of "h's situation, the Central FIre BrIgade Advisory Council o ' 1 ., . vidiog for approprIate trammg courses to be arranged Fire Service Technical College, Moreton-in-Marsh. It will, however, be some. time before such ses make a substantIal 'Impact, and m the meantime it co ur ld clearly be imprudent to discard the valuable expert wo u 'd th fi . which exists OutSI e e re servIce. To do so would seem inconsistent with current thinking within local a so rnment not to confine functions rigidly to individual goveches of the service operating exclusively in selfbran b t 'ned compartments ' ut to create a corporate atmoscon al by blending the relevant skills available in different phere departments . the light of our general responsii>'ility for the a dmin-
In of <the Act, we are most anxious that a situation istrat:n t be allowed to develop in which its efficient disshoul in any way impeded by local disputes over the 1S of these duties witbin county councils. We that the existing spread of expertise may vary recog n to area and t hat there is no common formula 'be right to apply invariably throughout the whlc Against t he gene ral background therefo re of t he expressed lin t he fi rst pa ragr aph, we hope that , in mten IOn
making their dispositions, the new authorities will , in the interests of. efficiency, have regard to all the expertise on which they can draw, and consider how that expertise can best be developed.
Many members will doubtless ha v e met with problems when giving advice regarding the storage of relativel y small quantities of petroleum mixtures The circumstances which I have in mind are ,those which occur more and more frequently at retail premises such as departmental stores , shops, hardware stores, etc., where the sales of 'adhesives, solvents, rubber solutions, etc are of such volume that the keeping of t hese items in the traditional 'bin' becomes drn-practicable In fact, with the variet y of sizes and types of produ c ts , t he very keeping of ,these mixtures in m e tal bins can in 'itself present a hazard , whe n staff are frequently required to 'sort over' .the sto c k -in order to find any particula r lit em f-o r a customer. Coupled with t his problem ,is another w hich is a const'ant heada che to the p e troleum office r. W h at qua ntity should he allow the shopkeepe r Ito keep o n or near -his counters for da y t o day sales 'and display ? Obviously dummy conrta'ine r scan
be part of the answer, but what -if the range of licensable products is large? In the absence of a suitable alternative to the 'bin' I, .and I suspect many otQer petroleum officers, have turned a partially blind eye to the crux of the problem and have endeavoured to keep such storage within the shop to a minimum. Recently however, in collaboration with a Cambridge light engineering company, I have constructed a light metal display fixture incorporating a 'retaining well which may be one answer to this dilema. The cabinet is constructed of 20 gauge mild steel plate. The well formed at the base has a capacIty of just over 50 gallons, ,lnd the shelving over !this is of metal open mesh. The door, which is easily removable in order ,to display the cabinet's contents can be locked during the ,time when ,the shop is closed to the serving of customers. The dimensions of the cabinet are: height 65 inches, width 24 inches, depth 24 inches. The well formed by the base is 38 inches deep. Any member wishing to obtain further detaHs can do so from me, or or direct from Messrs. D. Mackay, Brit,tania Works, S5'East Road, Cambridge.
J. W. FRID, Hon. Secretary.On Saturday afternoon, 4th November, 1972 an unusual incident occurred within this Authority's area involving the loss. of 500 .of acetone on to the highway.
Briefly, a waste disposal contractor was taking a'load .of acetone contaminated with' diesel through the district for djsposal in Ipswich. The tanker, which was a new one, had a sight glass made not from, the usual glass, but from polypropylene The j;lcetone dissolved this material and spilled .on to the highway.
The driver who had .be.en properly briefed, parked the tanker on the edge of one' .of our villages, and contacted the Fire Brigade,. who· hosed the road clear and flushed the material into a J:'oadside ditch.
The question of the construction of these tankers has been taken up by the· waste disposal contractor with the manufacturers, and it is unlikely that this type of incident will re-occur, at least so far as this firm is concerned.·A report has been sent to the Petroleum Inspector for Ipswich which is where the tanker is normally garaged. '
Chief Public Health Inspector, B. W. HUTCHINGS, Depwade R.D.C.
By D. R. Sanders, Esq., C.E ng., M.I.C.E., F.lnst.Pet. Engineering Manager, VIP Petroleum Ltd.
Dispensing systems installed on petrol service stations will generally fall 'into one of three categories.
1. Submerged pumps in underground tanks feeding single .grade or 'blending dispensers.
2, Above ground pumps remote from the forecourt feeding single grade or blending dispensers.
3. Above ground pumps, coupled With meters, remote from the forecourt feeding single grade or blending dispensers.
In cases 1 and 2 the meters would be located in the body of the dispenser or in a separate cabinet adjacent thereto.
All three categories have been recently or are being currently installed in the U.K. and it is worth considering the differences that are applicable compared with a conventional pipework installation where the pump is part of the dispenser.
The first station to use 'submerged pumps in the underground storage tanks was located in Gloucester. The pumps are manufactured by Tokheim and are the only units at present approved by BASEEFA for use in hazardous areas. The 'integral electric motor is a ! H.P. single phase, 240 volt and has a thermal overload built into the stator windings.
Coupled to the motor and pumping unit and fitted to the t.ank an air separator manifold, siphoning connectIOn, discharge manifold, back pressure and relief valves .
manifold is connected to the pump sectIOn .by an 18 length of piping, this outer pipe being 4" 'in diameter and screwed into a boss fitted to the tank manlid. . .
A tank which is filled direct would need two manlids, one to take the pump and the other to the combined dip and fill pipe, and the vent hne.· Where off-set filling is used, one manlid only is required as ,there 'is sufficient room on the manlid to accommodate a 4" off-set fill 'boss 2" b ' a vent oss and a contents gauge connection. Should however, a separate screwed and lockable dip pipe be required with a tank fitted with off-set fills and contents gauges the pump. should be mounted on a separate manlid.
As in the conventional suction pipework system the lowest part of the submerged pump, which contains the 'impellors should be at least li" above the bottom level of the internal fill pipe to maintain an adequate liquid seal.
The current BASEEFA approved submerged pump has a capacity: to pump up to 50 gallons per
minute but ,this will be influenced by the length and diameter of the delivery lines. The following table shows actual pressures and flowrates which were achieved If' diameter lines and tankssi l:'ua ted ' 40 feet 'from the nearest dispenser A delivery line length of up to 100 feet would only Illa.rginallyaffect the .flow rate .
No. of Nozzles
Delivery Pressure Flowrate through Open Automatics safety nozzle
any dispenser requires moving during normal station operation After testing, it is considered adequate to surround the lines with 3" of fine aggregate · 1:2:4 concrete which should then be protected against damage by vehicles passing over, by suitable reinforcement. The If' delivery line is connected to the base of each dispenser via a safety shear valve. The normal flexible connector between suction lines and pedestal pump cannot be used in this case and is replaced by the shear valve which cuts off the flow should a dispenser be accidentally knocked over.
Irrespective of the number of dispensers it is not recommen.ded to use pipe sizes less than 11" diameter ID order to keep the velocity of flow to an acceptable level. The maximum pressure generated in the Hne with all dispenser nozzles closed is less than 30 lbs. per sq in. and as such medium gauge 'blue banded' seamless galvanised pipe is quite adequate, being sU'itable for working pressures up to 100 p s.L The lines should be laid underground and a fall back to the tank, as in suction pipework, is .unnecessary The following diagram shoWS a typical arrangement for four blending dispensers.
• LoW Tank
I Blender
Blender Pump I f' Lin e Vent I I
High Tank
. . .
The ,pipework should be screw'Jomted m the usual y and tested to I! times working pressure under surveillance of the licensing authority , 50 p.s,L is regarded as bei?g a satisfactory test pressure , It is desirable to mstall screw down gate valves in each branch Hne feeding the dispenser in case
A leak detector valve should be installed in each artery line connected to the submerged pump. This valve must be fitted at the beginning of the deHvery line where it joins into the pump manifold. The installation at Gloucester has Emco Wheaton A-0540 valves ,fitted and t hese can be adjjusted to detect the smallest leak It should be set to operate at just below the minimum working pressure of between 6 and 7 Ibs. per sq. in A settin g of 5 Ibs per sq in is recommended.
Under normal working conditions th e minimum working pressure will keep this valve permanently open With system leaka ge less than th e valve setting, flow through the n ee dle valve 'Will build up down stream pressure and the valve will open but there will be ·a measurable time lapse before it does. This time ,lapse will be readily a pparent a't the dispenser nozzle. The smaller the leak, the shorter the time Th e larger the leak, the longer the time.
With system le akage more 1han the valve setting, the flow through the needle valve will never be sufficient to build up down stream pr essure, and the valve will not open. This is pos'itive indication that pipework le a'kag e is excessive.
On new installat ions, when the pump is first turned on, considerable product must pass t h rough the leak detector valve to fill the i'ines, To speed up the fii\'ing, the valve can be opened manually b y
a hold-open device. This device must be removed after the line is pressurised so that the valve can function correctly.
At the top of the valve is a tapped boss which is connected by a t" diameter pipe to the tank manlid. This prevents spillage of product in the event of the valve diaphram rupturing.
Alternatively a pressure switch coupled to the discharge line could be used to detect leakage by responding to drop in pressure below a predetermined level. This switch would be coupled in series with the submerged pump contactor. A suitable flameproof or intrinsically safe switch would be needed and possibly its location would best be in the manhole contain'ing the pump.
ly sealed to prevent the passage of any petroleum ' vapdur along ,the cable duct into the control switchgear area. '
, .' '. ' , ,
There are two types of above ground ' pumping units for use on petrol fiUing ., stations: those where the pump, motor and 'separator are in a cabinet , along with the meter, and those where the meter is completely separate from the pumping unit.
' In both cases the pump is connected to a suction line :from the tank and the location of the pumping cabinet is governed only by licensing requirements and pump suction Nft. '
Problems could arise if the pressure switches were located in the sales shop as the feed pipe to the switch would need to be run from the underground delivery pipework and create a severe fire risk if the feed line broke within the building.
The electric wiring is far simpler on submerged pump installations compared with a conventional forecourt pump installation. The junction box for the single phase motor is situated on the pump manifold above the tank man lid. This is a flameproof box, the sUf}ply cable being standard MJ .C.v. ca!ble located within a duct and connected to the control panel in t he building. If the dispensers are internally illuminated separate cables will, of c ourse, be run from the double pole switches on the control panel.
An important point on the electrical installat'ion is that the 'Open end of the ducts must be adequate
As in submerged pump installations a leak. detector valye should be installed in the deliye'ry line to the pump, unless the delivery : line is downstream of the meter. The type of p'ipework installed will depend on tiJe location of the meter. If the meter is \ocated within the petrol dispenser conventional 'blue banded' screw joint pipe is quite acceptable for tile ' 'delivery line between pump and dispenser. ' Separate 'Hnes must be laid from the remote pumpingunitsto each, dispenser; single lines fot single ' grade di'spensers and ' twin lines for blending dispeHsers. When however the meters are remote froJ;l1 the "(usually' accommodated with the pumping unit) ' a leak detector valve 'is not necessary. 'Spec'ia'r attention must paid also to , ensure no are and the delivery 'line must be a continuou's smooth bore pipe with welded joints as required. Any 'irregularity in the flow due to screw joints in the p'ipework for example could <:reate turbulence and ; with the line pressurised, generate a build up of gas in the system. This in turn could create uneven flow at the nozzle and inaccurate measure downstream of the meter. This ptoblem might be 'overcome 'by installing a secondary air separator at the dispenser, but the practice is not recommended.
It is for this reason that the location of the meter in the actual dispenser has many advantages, for among other things it acts as an effective damper at the end of the delivery pipework and enables calibration to be eas'ily reconciled with thecomput· uterised customer display in the same area.
A Report on an invention in Carmarthenshire. approved as modification to a Wayne Flowmeter by the Department of Trade and Industry and now being commercially produced in Carmarthenshire by W. R. NEWTON. M.I.W.M.:A.• of the Carmarthenshire County Department.
Type: Wayne Blender Pre-payment Self-Service Flowmeter. Notice No. 1475.
During the summer of 1971. Mr. D. G. L. Jones. proprietor of Cambrian Auto Services Filling Station. Whitland. Carmarthenshire (a petrol site beside the busy AAO holiday road). decided to devise a means of audibly ,instructing customers on the correct and efficient usage of his Wayne Blender Note Accepting Petrol Pump in order to avoid frustration by customers and resulting damage and vandalism to the pump.
In addition. a gipsy caravan site near the garage contains a large proportion of illiterate people who regularly used the pump at night.
Mr. Jones' initial was simple single loop tape recorded message glvlOg at a constant speed and volume to the prospective customer from microphones situated within the pump 'after hours' globe and the 'note acceptor houslOg; the system being initiated by a car passing over the bell hose causing an air impulse to actuate a pressure SWitch on the tape recorder within the main garage building.
An immediate increase in sales takings was effected of nearly 300% but the system had several major drawbacks:
(i) A slow customer was unable to keep up with the instructions being given;
(ii) The noise from the instructions caused a public nuisance to local residents;
The system, actuated, played until it finished. Hence persons lOadvertently stepping on the hose or driving in and out of the garage actuated the system unnecessarily for a total running period of 3! minutes.
D ring November, Mr. Jones decided to concentrate u 'emoving the major defects of his simple system and on r 11. devJsed the fo owlOg:
(i) The ,initial actuation of the forecourt bell hose caused the first part only of the tape to be played. instructing the customer to press :a on the pump for the remainder of the taped lOstructJons. If, within a certain fme this button was not pushed. a time delay switch I e'd the tape to rewind for .the next person. caus ' , h I ·nitial instructions .given by the tape were at a (ii) T e loW level for night use, but actuation of the petrol verY On/Off lever caused the volume to increase to PumP ··th· th bat pump nOIse; SWI c 109' e pump OFF again corn d the volume to revert to ,its original low level. caUse
At the instant of switching the pump ON, the (d le within the not acceptor housing is energised mad wired to a small relay in the volume circuit of an tlSpe recorder switching the pump OFF causes the a
a current drop and a solenoid switches the loud speakers to ·the low speakers ·again).
However, although the above alleviated considerably the public nuisance value from 'volume' and 'time of playing aspects' the main difficulty of liaison between customer action and taped instructions remained (i.e. the tape 'running away' from the customer. Mr. Jones considers his sales figures at this stage showed an increase 'of 450% and virtually eliminated damage to pump installation and need to call on pump maintenance engineers.
Mr. Jones approached the Carmarthenshire County Department in November, 1971 with a request to examme his system in order that Department of Trade and Industry approval be given to the system.
th Department
A detailed report was duly sent to e th describing the ,improved system but stating ,that I·· ·th instructIOns improvements on 'customer actIOn 1a1son WI were contemplated. The Department's reply stated: " I·t ·would not obJ·ect in principle, provided thatfthe . . . be ore authorised instructions were displayed. However,. t authol'ising the modification, an examiner would mspec an ,instrument fitted with the audible instruction ment I shall delay authorisation until after the lOspection of a further modified instrument".
A similar enquiry had also been made to the Department at this time concerning the ,installation of a near copy of the simple single loop system in a Breconshire This system was later removed as a result of reSIdents complaints about the noise; the same problem as experienced by Mr. Jones with his early model.
During late November, 1971, Mr. Jones contacted Mr. R. A. Br.ice of Carmarthen, an electronics engineer, with the following problems:
(i) How to obtain liaison between customers physical actions and verbal taped instructions.
(ii) Method of controlling volume of instructions to allevIate public nuisance during night operation.
(iii) Ability of system to 'cater for unexpected eventualities, i.e. lack of acceptance of pound note. loss of note in accepting mechanism, difficulties experienced in de}.ivery of petrol to car tank, risk of fire, pump failure during delivery, electricity supply failure.
Consequently, Mr. Brice designed an electrical system using an eight track stereo casette tape and fitting in an 8" cubed box to be housed in the note 'acceptor casing.
The operation of this system is as before, by means of a rubber bell hose across the forecourt of the garage being connected to a pressure switch inside the main garage building. Normal operation by a car passing over this hose causes instructions to be g·iven to the customer, directing him to 'a press button on the side of the flowmeter 'after hours sales' globe. Operation of this sets up a call circuit within the main circuit mechanism and further instructions are relayed. 'In the event of the bell hose becoming stuck (as in normal service stations where the bell constantly rings), the operation of 'the manual press button will initiate the whole '·instructions' tape recording.
The volume of the sound emitted from the three loudspeakers (two situated in the head of the flowmeter and the third in the note acceptor housing) is controlled by a microphone situated on the wall of the garage building which receives ambient sounds from the adjoining road and buildings. The volume emitted from the loudspeakers being directly governed by .the volume received through the ambient microphone for the same duration of time as the higher ambient sounds are produced, i.e. exhaust noise of passing vehicles, etc. In the event of trouble due to microphone failure an electrical system is incorporated in .the loudspeakers wiring circuit whereby the volume of the instructions is always decreased ·ra·ther .than increased, thus alleviating possible public nuisances of high volume from the loudspeakers.
The controlling signals, of which there are ,three, are all directly produced from the note acceptor wiring and not from connections within the flowmeter as before.
1. The first connection is made by a pound note being accepted (at this stage the orange light will be illuminated showing acceptance).
2. The petrol pump motor being turned on (power being energised within the note acceptor unit).
3. The petrol pump being turned off (the relay within ,the note acceptor being actuated).
All the above are physical connections within the note acceptor.
A push button on the side of the flowmeter globe. The voltage used in this circuit is sufficiently low to cause no fire hazard due to sparking in the event of a short circuit. This wiring is directly connected to the note acceptor under the garage forecourt by a small duct.
N.B.-The Local Authority Fire Prevention Officer recommends:
(i) The wiring inside the flowmeter housing should be in M.I.M.S. protective covering, to .the push button on either side of the lighting globe.
(ii)
The duct between pump housing and note acceptor cabinet be sealed to prevent vapour fumes leaking from pump to note acceptor housing.
These being the bell hose across the forecourt and the ambient microphone situated on the wall of ·the garage building or similar positioning.
In the event of another vehicle arriving, and hence automatically operating the bell hose whilst the first vehicle is in the process of obtaining petrol the arrival of the second car ·is automatically noted on the electrical system. As soon as the first customer has completed his delivery the instruction tapes will not switch off but proceed to re-issue the instructions without the need for fUl'ther operation of .the bell hose. An identical action is of course caused by the first customer inadvertently stepping on the bell hose whilst servIng himself. In such a case, where no second vehicle Is on the forecourt a further system 'is incorporated into the tape control mechanism, whereby, after the first verbal instruction is given from the loudspeakers, ·if no physical action follows its playing within one minute, tha Instruction tape is switched off. This also covers the possibility of a customer, after ardving, decidIng to drive on because he is too unsure or nervous to serve himself with petrol.
In the event of an experienced customer walking directly from his car to the note acceptor and back to the pump followed by his operation of the pump, all within a short space of time, the electrical system is desIgned to jump certain e,:,planatory on the tape and proceed dIrectly to the final InstructIons on the tape. It will be seen, therefore, that all pump switching operations overrun note acceptor instructions with respect to the tape mechanism. All sections of the tape will cancel themselves after a pre-determined time limit with the exception of the instructions on the petrol pump actuation and deHvery techniques. Hence once a pound note has been accepted until the delivery of the petrol is completed, the instructions will continue to be repeated.
The ma·in instruction tape is divided into eight indiv.idual tracks. Each track being to a certain extent dependent on other tracks, i.e. sequences of physical operation by inexperienced/experienced customers. The total running time, if every track were to be played, would be five minutes, with a re-wind time of only seven seconds.
This track is started by the bell hose operation on the pressure switch. The introduction is played twice and comprises a welcome to the petrol sta'tion and explains that it is a self-service site. In addition a fire warning is given. Operating instructions are next relayed to the customer, telling him to press a button situated on the globe of the petrol pump. At this stage the tape will two courses; (a) If the switch lever on the petrol pump 1S left ·in the ON position Track Two will be played. (b) If switch lever is left in the OFF position Track Three will be played.
Track Two holds the instructions for turning the pump to the OFF position where .it has been left on the ON position by a previous customer these -instructions being repeated twice. The latter part of Track One is then played instructing the customer to press the button on the globe of the flowmeter.
This track contains instructions on how to locate the note acceptor and offer a pound note. Again two sequences are possible; (a) If a pound note is accepted Track Five wHl . automatically be played. (b) If the pound note is not accepted Track Four will be played.
This gives instructions on (a) How to place a fresh pound note into the note acceptor or (b) In 'the event of the first pound note being accepted, but the machine failing to show acceptance, instructions are given on procedure for reela,iming lost money. If the fresh pound note is accepted Track Five will be played. Where ·the pound note has been lost the tape cancels ready for the next customer: If fresh note IS not accepted at all, cancellation of all Tracks occurs.
This a. fire wa.rning and petrol pump setting and grade selectlOn mstructlOns.
Petrol pump instructions for delivery of petrol into car and agam No Smoking' reminders. This track is repeated indefinitely until petrol is obtaIned by customer (N.B. 'Sale' definition of), .
This contains failure to deliver petrol to car and method .of rechfy-mg, ?e. tWisted hose and excessive speed of dehvery. InstrUctions on location of fi t' d t I h . re ex mg- uishers an e ep one m event of fire, are· also given This track is always played and is never
Tbi's contains sto.wage 'instructions of h d . f th ose an nozzle and boW to obtalD a . ur er pound Worth of. t I if k Eight is always played and pe ro required. Trac IS never by-passed.
During late May, 1972 and following a f th rt on this new system, a visit er detalled rep 0 of the Standards Weight was received from an Officer tment of Trade and I and Measures Division of the pepal' n us try h Officer made a thorough inspection of th T e t' f . e system and -red a crosS sec Ion 0 members of the publl'c . h obse.. USlJlg t e system. ep ort dated May, 1972 was as fOllows. His r . "I'be SecretarY of 'State hereby 8uthol'lises as minor modof a certified pattern within the meaning of of the and Measures Act, 1963, t5 differing in the following particulars:' ,. mstrumen
(1) (2)
Modified as described in W.M.225 and having a devdce with pre-recorded verbal operating ·instructions, in which case a red push 'button switch having the legend 'Press for Instructions' Is fitted on the translucent casing and loudspeakers mounted inside the casing and adjacent to the note acceptor cabinet.
An eight track tape recorder is fitted ·inside the note acceptor cabinet and signals to operate recorder are obtained from existing circuits within the cabinet, from a pressure switch actuated by a mass passing over a pressure hose laid across the approaches to the measuring instrument and from the red press button switch on the instrument cas·ing.
Each track of the tape recorder contains a complete instruction with relevant safety warnings and is synchronised to the operational state of the ·instrument.
Except for track two which may be played twIce and track six which is repeated ,indefinitely until the next operational sequence has been performed all tapes played once only during anyone complete operation and failure to carry out the next operational as instructed, within a reasonable time will result 'ID the opening of the tape recorder circuit.
Similarly because of the ·time ratings built. into tape recording mechanism, a customer experIenced 'I.n this type of installation may, by the speed of his operation, by-pass all tracks except one, seven and eight.
Modified as in (1) but without the hOS;, in which case track one on a tape recorder IS omitted.
Mr. Jones took out provisional patents in respeclt. Oft' thnse 'th't app lca 10 audible .instructions device, together WI' IS. to other forms of self-service equipment (launderettes'bcarr . . A t 1971 and Novem e , sales, vending machmes) 'ID ugus, f the 1971. These ,include use in different instructions given in which case a language se ec Ion rh/German·.tapes would be provided, e,g. IS. Dover, Folkavailable for petrol pumps Sited at garages 10 stone, Ramsgate, etc.
. this system by Considerable interest has ID od that installmajor petroleum concerns and 1t IS understo d .·tes during ations are planned for certain company SI the near future on an initial trial period baSIS.
Af' f marketing in that
Enqumes from an agent 10 rICa?r h ve also beeu: country with five or six languages .avaIlable now received; ,indeed, the 'ID c?rma stem attached boasts the first Welsh/Enghsh mstructIOn sy try· . the coun . to a pre-payment self-service flowmeter <1D
Started Local Government Service in DarJington Weights and Measures office in 1938 as an assistant and Petroleum Officer
Served for five years during the War in Royal Navy, seeing service in Middle and Far East.
Joined Havant and Waterloo Urban District Council in 1958 as Petroleum Officer.
Has been a member of the Executive Council since 1966. Chairman of the Institute of Shops Acts Administration in 1972.
I would like to start by thanking most sincerely the membership for their confidence in electing me as Chairman of the Association for the ensuing year, a year which promises in all probability to be the most crucial in its history.
I know that we are all well aware that due to the re-organisation of Local Government the future of the Association, formed and shaped so pains-takingly over the past few years by a small number of dedicated qlep, is in some doubt.
Having been a member of the Executive Council for the past seven years, it has been my privilege to work with others to further the aims of the Association and harmoniously blend the various disciplines of which it is composed into an effective and cohesive unit which is respected at aUlevels.
It is my earnest desire, and I pledge my full support, that the Association will be able to retain its identity, preferably in its present form as a live and viable body capable of rendering advice and assistance to those who will be charged with the duty of administering the Act after re-organisation.
The year ahead will not be an easy one but I hope that common sense and good will prevails on all sides and that a satisfactory solution will be found t o all the problems facing us .
I know that the main strength of the Associati on lies in the Branches and .it will be my desire to visit them all during my year of office so that I can meet as many of the members as possible, and remembering that the main object of the Association is the dissemination of information I hope to join in the discussions .
J. W. Hewison, Esq.
Report of a
held at Carden Street, Worcester on Thursday, 7th Decernber, 1972
The following members attended: Mr. R. P. Holdaway (Chairman), Messrs. J. Beer, J. Birks, P. H. Cartwright, J. W. Frid, G. H. Harvey, W. Hetherington, K. C. Hughes, H. R. Mellor, C. T. Peacock, R. E. J. Roden, J. Short.
Apologies were received from Messrs. E. V. Beeby, C. R. Peskett, S. W. D. Harris, J. Hewison, K. MacLeod, B. W. C. Thacker.
The minutes of the previous meeting (circulated) with one amendment were accepted by the meeting.
There were no matters arising.
The Honorary Treasurer reported that the current account was £443.17 in debt but that the deposit account was £707 in credit. The position was largely due to the increase in travelling expenses and to the Special General Meeting. A complete picture would not be available until the accounts for the year were completed. A task which, at the Chair· man's request, he would finish as early in 1973 as practicable.
It was agreed that this would be considered at a Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting early in February, 1973.
The Honorary Secretary reported the following correspondence. As instructed by the Council the Honorary Secretary had written to the Home Office on the subject of G.R:P. tanks with the request that some guidance be given by them as to the desirability of the experimental installation of such tanks at sites other than the G.L.C's London experiment. The Honorary Secretary reported that the Home Office reply to this indicated general favour of the extension of such experiments to other places in the U.K.
Secondly the Honorary Secretary reported on correspondnce which he had received from the Publicity Officer, stings, with reference to the 1973 Annual Conference ad it was agreed that this would be discussed when the ra'ised the matter later in the meeting.
The Honorary Secretary further reported the receipt of I tter from a Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures :0 ean area not presently administering petroleum legislation the request for membership of the AssoCiation. Mr. D.
Hall, Chairman of the Constitution and Rules Committee indicated that this question had been discussed in his Committee and had been reported upon 'by him.
The Honorary Secretary reported that there were no applications for membership to present at this meeting, but that there were a number in course of finalisation. Secondly he asked permission of the meeting to report on the Assoc· iation's second Advanced Seminar at York University undeI Education and Publication. This was agreed.
In the absence of the Honorary Editor, the Honorary Secretary read from a letter which he had received from him and which contained the following items: (1) The cost of brochures, should they 'be required from the Association's printers for the Annual Conference would be £25 for the first 100 and £5 for the next 100 decreasing thereafter. (2) The Association's printers could undertake 'binding' of the Bulletin, details to be publ'ished in the next issue of the Bulletin. (3) The Honorary Editor requested that Branch Secretaries supply him with a copy of the minutes of their branch meetings promptly.
The Chairman of the Association gave the following report of the arrangements which had been made for holding the 1973 Annual Conference at Hastings.
1. Conference Dates
The Conference will be two full days, Wednesday and Thursday, 4th and 5th April, 1973.
2. Conference Liaison Officer
Mr. G. Beresford, our at Hastings, has kindly agreed to act as Conference Liaison Officer.
3. Conference Sessions and A.a.M. (Wednesday and Thursday)
Venue: Session Starts: Coffee Break:
Finish: Re-start: Tea Break:
Finish:
Lower Hall, White Rock Pavilion
10.00 a.m. 11.00 a.m. 12.30 p.m. 2.30 p.m. 4.00 p.m. 5.30 p.m.
First session to be opened by the Mayor.
One of the sessions it is proposed to fill by (a) possible conducted tour to places of interest in Hastings (walk), or (b) coach tour of surrounding places of interest, or (c) possibly both.
One speaker has ·akeady been approached and agreed to give a paper Mr. J. E. Bolton, Clerk of Barrow-onSoar R.D.C., who will talk on local government reorganisation.
Two other speakers to be arranged.
Wednesday, 4th April, 8.00 p.m. to 11.45 p.m.
Venue: Falaise Hall
Welcome: By Mayor and Mayoress from stage
Dress: Dark Lounge Suit
Entertainment: Cabaret and Band-Dancing if required
Bar Extension: To be applied for by Hastings Corporation
Mr. Beresford is making enquiries from hotels regarding special conference prices covering the period Tuesday evening until Friday morning.
Your Committee hopes that this Conference receives a good attendance and it is suggested that in addition to the official invitation addressed to each Clerk to the Council, a similar invitation be despatched in the January Bulletin for the benefit of members. A note has been made in the October issue of the Bulletin regarding the Conference, the intention being to enable members to make the necessary arrangements regarding cost in their estimates.
After some discussion the Council unanimously accepted this report. It was proposed by K. Hughes, seconded by D. Hall that a delegates .fee of £5 be charged to local authorities sending a representative. This was agreed.
It was further proposed by J. Frid, seconded by J. Birks that a conference brochure be printed and supplied to members wishing to attend. This was agreed.
The Honorary Secretary reported that he had obtained the services as Speakers for the Conference of (1) J. E. Bolton, Clerk of the Barrow-on-Soar Rural District Council and member of the Bains Committee, (2) Dr. G. J. Jeacocke, Home Office, (3) Dr. G. H. Beeby, member of the Robens Committee.
Full details would be given to members via the Clerks of all member authorities and the Bulletin when arrangements had been finalised.
The Council required the recommendations of the Committee on the following matters:
1. The granting of Associateship Membership to Officers likely to be engaged in petroleum administration after Local Government Re-organisation, and
2. co-opting (a) Home Office representative and (b) Institute of Petroleum representative, to the Council of the Association.
The Committee's recommendations are as follows:
1. It is considered desirable that such officers should be offered every facility, but it is certain that constitutionally the right of membership is and must be decided by present and not future activity. Basically we are discussing Fire and Weights and Measures officers, and it is
agreed that Fire officers already qualify for ordinary or associate membership depending on their present activities. Weights and Measures inspectors who are not part of a petroleum department can be associate members only if their present activities fall within the requirement:
'any person being concerned with the safe handling, storage or distribution of substances .... '
The Committee is of the opinion that when, in his professional capacity, an inspector tests petroleum measuring instruments, since he is bound also to test limiting devices, anti-overfill devices, etc., and that in ensuring the accuracy of the pump so that undetected overmeasure does not, of 'itself, cause overfill and therefore possible spillage, his activities can be held to fall within the requirements of the present constitution, in particular the safe HANDLING AND DISTRIBUTION, ETC. and that the Committee therefore recommends that (a) Fire and Weights and Measures officers qualify for associate membership of the Association and (b) Application from other officers should be sympathetically, having regard to their present activities and the interpretation of membership rights.
2. The of the Council is laid down quite clearly 10 8(a), so that without constitutional amendment neither the Home Office nor the I.P. representative may be a member of the Council. Nor does the Council have any power to co-opt members to itself.
• Any Committee of the Council may, however, co-opt such persons' to its Committee, and your sees the of such co-opting when particular Committee feels its activities will be by so doing, and recommends therefore that Commlttees should be encouraged to use the powers delegated to them whenever it is felt such use is i the interests of the Association. n
This r.eport was given jointly by the Chairman of the RC· and .the Honorary Secretary, r.. rl. e ouncl were mformed that th d dva d . h· h h e secon a nce sem-mar w IC was eld at York U' ·t· S t b h DlverSI y ID ep em er ad been successfully concluded and the Council were to the statement of account which had been preVIOusly Circulated. It was proposed by D Hall seconded by R. E. J. Roden that the accounts be and the organisers of the seminar be congratulated for their work. This was carried.
Mr. MelIor informed members that it was proposed to hold a course for petroleum officers at Lancaster University be .ca117d the Northern School in 1973. After some diSCUSSion was proposed by Mr. R. E. J. Roden, seconded by Mr. J. Blrks that this school be given similar financial support to previous Branch schools. This was agreed.
In the absence of Mr. C. Peskett, Chairman of this CoIJUllittee, Mr. R. E. J. Roden reported that an approach had been made by the Institute of Petroleum with the object of a co-operative review of the Association's Codes of Practice. It was agreed in principle by the Council to look
at the possibility of such a revision and authority was given to the tripartite committee members to pursue this object.
A copy of the minutes of the last meeting of the tripartite committee had been previously circulated to the Council. These were accepted by Council.
It was proposed by the Chairman, Mr. R. P. Holdaway,
seconded by Mr. D. Hall that the next meeting of the Council be arranged to coincide with the Annual Conference at Hastings. This was agreed.
It was further agreed that a meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee should be held early in February.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 4-45 p.m.
A meeting of the Branch was held in the Council Chamber, Chesterton Rural District Council Office, Cambridge, on Wednesday, 25th October, 1972.
The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Branch who welcomed Mr. R. P. Holdaway, Chairman of the Association, on behalf of the Branch and also the 31 members present together with 2 guests.
Apologies for absence were received from 5 members.
The minutes of the previous meeting held at Mildenhall on 12th April, 1972, having been previously circulated, were approved and signed as a correct record.
The subject of tanker parking was raised and Mr. Runnacles of Felixstowe informed members that a special tanker and general high security park was being constructed in his area. There was some discussion on this and Mr. Runnacles undertook to keep members informed via the Honorary Secretary as to the progress being made.
The Chairman, Mr. C. W. Parcell, spoke briefly on the problems which were arising in relation to local government re-organisation and then introduced Mr. R. P. HoldWay who spoke at some length on the Association's a, It. . roach to loca governmen re-orgaDlsatIon and the steps aP:' ch the Association were taking in order to assist in the w I mplishment of this major re-allocation of local authoracco. . functions. He mformed members that at the SpeCial ral Meeting of the Association which had been held ene tly at Barrow-upon-Soar the Association had approved recenron which would ensure the ability of the Association a mo Itl'nue after local government re-organisation. He went to con h . on to explain to members t e measures whIch would be k to obtain this end and assured members present that would be kept informed through 'The Bulletin' of the Association's progress.
There followed a period of discussion and Mr. Holda,way answered a number of questions which were raised.
Mr. Frid, Honorary Secretary-Treasurer, reported that since the last meeting he had received a number of enquiries from members, some of which had 'been answered, others had been referred to the Association's Reference and Legal Committee. He asked if members having such enquiries or queries would inform him if they had any faults to find with this system or if on any occasion they failed to get a reply to their questions.
He went on to tell members that the finances of the Branch remained stable and that he felt that the financial position of the Branch was quite satisfactory.
Mr. Frid, as the Branch Representative, informed members that he had attended all of ,the meetings of the Council and its Committees held since the last Branch meeting and he told the meeting that the Association's Advanced Seminar held at York University had again been successful. Further at a meeting of the Council's Reference and 'Legal Committee a final draft of a guide to emergency procedures was approved and Mr. Frid informed members that these would be circulated to them shortly. There was some discussion following this report and the question was raised concerning membership of the Association after re-organisation by officers who, although not primarily responsible for petroleum administration, would nevertheless have considerable interests in the subject. It was thought by 'the officers of the Association present that such officers would be welcomed as associate members of the Association. This report was accepted by the meeting.
The meeting then adjourned for lunch and upon its reassembly at 2.30 p.m. a most interesting talk on an inspection form used by inspectors in Newcastle-under-Lyme was given by Mr. Denis Hall, Chairman of the Association'S Constitution and Rules Committee and Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
There followed a good discussion on the subject of inspection generally and Mr. Hall answered a number of questions which were raised. One question concerning the treatment given to disused petrol tanker vehicles was to be referred to the Association's Reference and Legal Committee.
At the conclusion a vote of thanks to Mr. Holdaway and Mr. Hall was carried and the meeting's appreciation was shown in the usual way. At the same time the thanks of the Branch were given to the Chesterton Rural District Council for its kindness in supplying the excellent facilities for the meeting.
Under this item the Honorary Secretary drew members' attention to the arrangements which were being made to hold the Association's Annual Conference at Hastings on 4th ,and 5th April, 1973. Three papers would be given and that during this period the Annual General Meeting of the Association would be held. It is hoped that as many delegates as possible will attend accompanied by their ladies in order, among other things, to enjoy social arrangements which are being completed.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 4.30 p.m.
A meeting of the Branch was held at the Fire Services Training College, Moreton-in-the Marsh, Gloucestershire, on Tuesday, 17th October, 1972.
The meeting was welcomed by Mr. George Taylor, Deputy Commandant of the College, who said that as far as he knew this was the first Petroleum Association meeting to be held at Moreton-in-the-Marsh, and expressed the opinion that this was an excellent idea and one that should be fostered in the future. Mr. Taylor went on to say that during the day it was hoped that the members would be able to see some aspects of the work of the College with regard to petroleum matters. The courses run by the College were designed to show junior officers how best to use equipment at their disposal and to deal with situations that they are unlikely to meet in their normal run of duties.
At this stage Mr. Taylor retired.
Present
38 members and visitors.
ApolOgies for Absence
10 apologies were received from members and guests.
Mr. T. Burn, Chairman, welcomed the visitors on behalf of the Branch, particularly those members from the South Wales and Wessex Branch.
The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Wolverhampton Fire Brigade Headquarters on 21st March, 1972, having been previously circulated, were approved and signed as a correct record.
Mr. Holdaway, Chairman of the Association, presented a verbal report on the above meeting, which had been held the previous week. The meeting had been addressed by Mr. Boulton, Clerk to Barrow-on-Soar RD.C., and a member of the Baines Committee. From what Mr. Boulton had said, petroleum legislation would be administered by the neW top tier authorities as from 1st April, 1974 and at its present constitution ,the Association would not be a viable proposition with only some 50-60 members. It was envisaged that the annual subscription for the new County council authorities would be in the region of £50 per annum and petroleum legislation would be administered by their Weights and Measures Department or the Fire Brigade. A letter would be sent to the Clerks to the County Councils in due course, inviting membership of the new Association.
At the conclusion of the business meeting Mr. Dexter, Senior Lecturer at the College, outlined, with the aid of extensive printed notes, two of the training courses held by the College with regard to petroleum legislation.
After lunch members were given practical demonstrations by students on the techniques involved to combat various fires concerning both L:P.G. and petroleum spirit. These demonstrations proved to be most interesting.
Before the meeting broke up, a vote of thanks was proposed by Mr. D. Hall, Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Newcastle-under-Lyme, to Mr. Dexter and the College Commandant for the excellent facilities placed at the disposal of the Branch. The vote of thanks was carried unanimously.
A meeting of the Branch was held at the Fire Station, Darlington, on Wednesday, 17th January, 1973.
The meeting was opened by W. R. Golding, Esq., Q.F.S.M., Chief Fire Officer, County Borough of Darlington, who in welcoming members, said that the Branch was the first assembly of any kind to hold a meeting at the new Fire Station which would not be officially opened until the following day. Mr. Golding invited members to view the new building.
Mr. H. Johnson, Branch Chairman, thanked Mr. Golding and on behalf of members expressed good wishes for the future of the Darlington Fire Service in its new surroundings.
Mr. R. P. Holdaway, Chairman of the ASSOCiation, 20 members and 1 visitor.
There were no apologies for absence.
The minutes of the meeting held at the Civic Centre, sunderland, on Wednesday, 13th September, 1972, having previously been circulated, were approved.
The Branch Secretary referred to Increased Safety lighting units and reminded members that the afternoon session would be devoted to a lecture upon this topic by Mr. J. C. Samson of Gilbarco Limited. Those local authorities in whose areas units of this type had been installed have taken steps since the last meeting to enforce the requirements of their respective Codes of Conditions and insisted upon the removal or disconnection of these units.
The Branch Representative reported upon his attendance at Meetings of Council and made reference to a number of matters which appeared to be of interest to Branch members. One such matter related to road tankers and this led to comment from Mr. B. W. C. Thacker (Teesside C.B.) concerning a notified leakage of acetone from a road tanker. Upon e:camination .of the vehicle it was found that incorporated m the carrymg tank was a sight tube made of plastic and had been by the acetone. Further enquiries had disclosed that thiS was the first occasion on which the vehicle had been used for conveying acetone and the carrier had overlooked the effect of this substance on plastic materials. Mr. Thacker stressed the dangers inherent in using multi-purpose tankers without a stringent system of control being enforced by the operator.
Mr. CharIton (Tynemouth C.B.) queried the attitude of members to circumstances where underground tanks installed 'in mass concrete have been temporarily immun-ised by filling with water by the occupier (not the licensee) of the premises under a local Act which requires an occupier 'to take all steps as may be reasonable to prevent danger' and there is a probability of re-development of the site at some future unspecified date. His Council's Building Inspector had indicated that in the event of any re-development requiring the installation of structural support members, disused tanks would have to be removed.
The questions put to the meeting included:
(a) Whether it would be 'reasonable' to require the occupier to exhume the tanks forthwith without regard to future undisclosed plans for the site;
(b) If (a) was not considered 'reasonable', for what period of time should temporary immunisation be allowed to continue, and
(c) Whether safety or planning considerations should take precedence -in such circumstances.
Mr. Whi,te (Newcastle & Gateshead) said that his Authority would accept sand filling as an expedient in this kind of situation and this would facilitate the removal of tanks at a later date if required. Mr. Ansbro (Darling ton C.B.) indicated that he had had experience of exhuming a tank encased in concrete but that he would not recommend this as a 'general practice. In the particular instance, however, the operation had proceeded smoothly and, after the tank had been purged with nitrogen and sealed, the concrete surround was progressively removed and the tank lifted. No damage was sustained by the tank which was later repainted and installed at a new site. Mr. Thacker (Teesside) suggested that temporary immunisation must be subject to
close control if it was to extend over a prolonged period. The use of Section 73 of the Public Health Act 1961 in preference to the local Act was considered but it was agreed that the tanks must be derelict and the licence in respect of the premises must have expired before its provisions could be invoked. It was clear from the opinions expressed by members that many had faced similar situations in the past and the general feeling of the meeting, as expressed by Mr. R. P. Holdaway (Association Chairman), was that public safety was the principal consideration in this kind of situation and should take precedence over planning considerations.
Mr. Johnson (Branch Chairman) invited Mr. Holdaway to discuss the implications of Local Government Reorganisation. Mr. Holdaway said that he had visited as many Branches as possible in recent months and had frequently spoke upon this subject. He said that 1974 would be the crucial year for l'icensing authorities as in that year the new County Councils would become responsible for the administration of petroleum legislation. These Councils would have only limited knowledge of the extent of the work involved and the Association would, therefore, have an important part to play during this period of change. Mr. Holdaway indicated that there was little possibility of Central Government issuing any direcNves concerning responsibility for administration at officer level but that this would be left to the discretion of individual Councils. He stressed the importance of retaining in membership of the Association in 1974 all Local Authority members. Finally, Mr. Holdaway commented upon the progress made by the Association during its comparatively short life and said it is now a well established fact that the Association is consulted by Government Departments and other national bodies in matters of mutual interest and concern. In closing this item on the Agenda, Mr. Johnson remarked that it was essential for members to retain the contacts made within the Association and that whatever the effects of might be for individual members, there would be need for a continuance of the cooperation between individual Authorities which has always been a feature of this Association. He expressed the hope that .the friendliness which abounds between members would continue to the benefit of the new Authorities.
It was agreed that arrangements be left to members of the Branch Executive Committee.
Mr. Thacker (Teesside C.B.) informed members concerning an incident where a series of explosions had occurred in the town's sewers. Resultant enquiries had traced the source back to premises where, despite previous assurances to the contrary by the occupier, Hexane and Toluene were found being kept in considerable quantities. A successful prosecution followed ..
Mr. Lewis (Tees & Hartlepool Port Authority) requested information upon sampling procedures and said that certain substances which he had sampled were not compatible with metal and required the use of glass containers. A number of opinions were voiced upon this subject. These included
.
suggestions upon methods of sealing glass bottles, problen;s of transporting samples and ways of establishing the cham of evidence between sampling officer and analyst.
Mr. Thacker (Teesside C.B.) referred to procedures for dealing with tankers involved in road accidents at the invitation of the Chairman Mr. J. L. Hard (I.C.I. Bllhngham) outlined his Company's requirements in respect of the marking of tankers to indicate the nature of the being transported and spoke upon the emergency servICes operated by I.C.I. to deal with incidents. Mr. Johnson (Chairman) said that the number of incidents reported was negligible in relation to the normal movement in and about Teesside of some 1,200 to 1,500 tanker loads daily. He felt, hawever that there were many serious problems remaining to be in connection with the conveyance of highly dangerous substances, particularly where life was at risk because of contamination caused by ·spillage.
The meeting adjourned for lunch at about 12.30 p.m.
Immediately after lunch, members were conducted around the Brigade's new headquarters building and then reassembled to hear a lecture upon the subject of electrical equipment for use in petrol pumps given by J. C. Samson, Esq., Projects Engineer, Gilbarco Limited.
Illustrating his lecture with slides, Mr. Samson dealt with new standards of electrical equipment which have recently been, and are currently in process of being, approved by BASEEFA and explained the principles upon which 'Increased Safety' lighting units for petrol pumps are based. Mr. Samson then outlined the role of BASEEFA in connection with the certification of new designs of equipment for use in flammable atmospheres and went on to discuss new developments in filling station layout and design.
At the conclusion of his lecture Mr. Samson answered questions put to him by members.
Messrs. Charlton (Tynemouth C.B.) and Bell (Sunderland C.-B.) proposed the vote of thanks to Mr. Samson and Darlington County Borough respectively. Both were received with acclamation.
Mr. Thacker (Teesside C.B.) informed members that Mr. Johnson (Chairman) was attending his last meeting of the Branch. He said that Mr. Johnson had played a leading part in connection with the formation in 1965 of the Northern Branch the Tees-side Branch) and since then had occupied the office of Chairman with dignity and enthusiasm. Mr. Thacker thanked Mr. Johnson for his active interest in the affairs of the Branch and expressed the hope that he would enjoy 'a long and happy retirement. The appreciation was warmly received.
In reply, Mr. Johnson thanked members for the support which he had always found forthcoming and expressed his best wishes for the future of the Association and ,the Northern Branch.
The Chairman declared ,the meeting closed at approximately 3.45 p.m.
A meeting of the Branch was held at West Riding County Council Fire Service Headquarters, Birkenshaw, on 17th January, 1973.
In the Chair, Mr. T. Hendry (Vice-Chairman), 23 members and 5 visitors.
Apologies for absence were received from the Chairman of the ASSOciation, the Branch Chairman and 8 members.
Mr. ·Hendry extended a warm welcome on behalf of the Branch to the visitors.
The minutes of the Branch meeting held at MeItham Hall, MeItham, on 13th September, 1972 had been circulated and were taken as read. It was moved and seconded that the minutes be signed as a true record.
Mr. C. Peacock told the meeting that he had obtained further information regarding the Johns Pressure Meter. This information confirmed that the meter was used to pressure test underground storage tanks with petroleum spirit in the tanks, to a pressure of 5 Ibs. per square inch. Mr. Peacock said he had technical details of the apparatus but would require more time and facilities than were available to explain them to the meeting.
The Branch Secretary reported that at the Seminar at York University in September, 1972 Dr. Jeacocke of the Home Office had been asked about this apparatus and although he was not familiar with the equipment said he did not favour pressurising tanks containing ;pirit. He felt that the hazards involved if a tank ruptured outweighed any other advantages which may be gained.
The Branch Secretary reported the resignation from the Branch and the Association of Mr. L. Kearns, and also the retirement of Mr. G. Havercroft, the Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures of the City and County of Kingston upon Hull.
The following motion was proposed by Mr. J. Bennett and seconded by Mr. P. Skelton:
'The Local Government Act, 1972 designates County Councils and Metropolitan Counties as the Petroleum Authorities for the purposes of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, this may result in April, 1974 in officers not at the present time engaged on Petroleum Act Administration being actively engaged on these duties, and that in the interests of the future administration of petroleum legislation, an invitation be extended to those officers within the Branch area to attend future Branch meetings whenever it was felt that the subject matter would be of benefit to them'.
A lively discussion on the motion took place, and the feeling of the meeting was that the proposed structures of the County Councils and the Metropolitan Counties was such that the Petroleum Acts would almost inevitably be administered' by one of two disciplines, to wit., the Fire Service or the Consumer, Protection Service. The majority view was that the nature of the work called for close cooperation between all services and any lack of co-operation could be detrimental.
The motion was carried unanimously. It was further agreed that the Branch Secretary should inform the Local Branches of the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Institute of Trading Standards Administration of, the resolution and ask for their co-operation.
The Secretary-reported that the next meeting would be the Annual General Meeting of the Branch and that an invitation had been received to hold the meeting in Scarborough in the Spring. The Secretary further reported that attendance records for the meetings held in Scarborough were disappointingly low, and asked members for their views and comments.
The feeling of the meeting was that the travelling involved in attending Scarborough was a significant factor in lowering attendances, and a more encouraging result was · achieved· by holding the Annual' General Meeting in the West Riding area. It was finally agreed that the Annual General. Meeting should be. held in the West Riding area, ; and -that the date, place and. subject matter be left to the Chairman, Secretary and Mr. M. Wallace to arrange.
The Secretary drew members' attention to the Annual Conference of the Association to be held at Hastings on 4th and 5th April, 1973 and expressed the hope that as many · members as possible would attend. M.r. Frid told members ·that he had been fortunate in obtaining the services ofa number of people to give papers who were eminent in their own particular sphere of activity.
Mr. G. Garratt raised the question of metric quantities of petroleum mixture, where litre quantities had superseded 1 pint quantities, thus invalidating the exemption in Section 1 of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, even where the aggregate amount checked did not exceed 3 gallons. Mr. Frid agreed to take this matter up at national level and advise the Branch Secretary of the outcome.
A general discussion took place on the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles, etc.) Regulations, 1929, following a query from Mr. G. Garratt on the definttion of 'a public footpath' as referred to in the 'Regulations. The comments of members indicated that where the lines became 'blurred' between keeping under the regulations and keeping under the Act, the general policy was to issue licenses.
The subject for discussion was 'Unattended Self-service Filling Stations'.
Mr. Alan Evans who is attached to the B.P. Division of Shell-Mex B.P. Ltd. outlined the history of unattended selfservice. from its introduction in 1965 to the ;present day. Mr. Evans gave some of the reasons for the introduction
of this type of service, the main ones being on economic grounds and increased service to the motorist.
Mr. Evans' instanced the various alternatives which were available for operating equipment of this nature, to wit, coin operated, note acceptors, token operated and key operated. For a number of reasons the £1 note acceptor had finally been selected as the most suitable. The introduction of the higher value of the 50p coin, however, had resulted jn units being designed which would combine note and coin !lcceptors.
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·Mr. Evans stressed the importance of customer education to the new systems when they are initially introduced into an:,area. He Jelt this was. vitally important, and told us his Company went to great lengths to. ensure potentIal customers were familiar with the correct procedures.
Mr. Evans pointed out that although through an unattended unit had increased steadIly. this type of equipment was installed, and was to rise, the conventionally attended unit still showed hIgher sales.
Mr. Wicks in his talk, as one would expect from an engineer, concentrating on the technical development of. the self-service equipment, told members that the van.ous pieces of equipment had been subjected to many modIfications in order to produce a unit which satisfied the. safety requirements which appertained to the dlspensmg of petrol, and which would work efficiently.
Mr. Wicks explained various problems which faced designers in satisfying these requirements. He felt, hoWever, that the present air-purged type of unit, with a number of'fail-safe' devices, together with the latest type of pound note validating system, produced equipment which was remarkably safe and also efficient.
A lively discussion followed, and Mr. Evans and Mr. Wicks demonstrated their ability to answer members questions as ably as they had talked on their respective subjects. Mr. Wicks had referred to the problem of variations in pound notes Ilnd in answer to Mr. Hendry he said that there were, in fact, fifteen types of pound notes, variations being in size, position of details on the notes, etc.
Mr. Frid queried the field testing of the air-purged note acceptors for the purpose of the annual Electrical Certificate. Mr. Wicks agreed that this would present problems. The air-purged units were not approved by B.A.S.E.E.F.A. but independent tests had confirmed that the units were in accordance with their specification and, in fact, did all that was claimed of them.
Mr. Evans said his Company had no -record of accidents or incidents, on unattended sites. Some validaters had been damaged, but not necessarily by vandals. The damage could have been caused by irate customers on earlier models when it was possible for the note to be accepted but for the pump not to be energised and subsequently the customer not get his petrol.
In ··answer to a question .from Mr. Garratt, Mr. Evans agreed that it was not possible to control the type of container used by a motorist ,who had run out of petrol, otherwise than by warning notices. Mr. Bennett said he detected from Mr. Evans' 'remark a changing of emphasis in the location of unattended sites from rural to urban
areas, and asked whether this was so. Mr. Evans pointed out that his Company were developing in both areas, and instanced south-west England, a predominantly rural area, which had a relatively high number of unattended sites.
Mr. Clifford asked how a note-validator would react a very dirty bank note. He was told that the new grid system now used would have little difficulty in correctly validating such a note.
Mr. Frid said there was a need for the car manufacturers to liaise ,with the oil companies to standardise the position and type of petrol fill pipe on motor vehicles to eliminate the risk attached to bad nozzle location and filling.
The meeting was dosed with a sincere vote of thanks to Mr. Evans and Mr. Wicks.
A Special 'General Meeting of the Branch was held at The Gu'ildhall, Nottingham, on Monday, 12th ,February, 1973.
The Chairman of the Association, Mr. R. P. Holdaway, the Chairman of the Branch, Mr. M. T. Lucas, 52 members and 14 visitors.
12 Apologies were received.
This Special General Meeting was called in order to discuss Emergency Procedures for incidents involving petroleum sp'irit with representatives of the Police, Fire Brigade and Oil Companies, viz. Mr. R. S. Pierce, Chief Inspector of the Nottinghamshire Combined Constabulary, Mr. R. E. Cowling, Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Nottingham City Fire Brigade and Mr. G. Gillies, Marketing Manager of the Esso Petroleum Company lJimited.
In opening the meeting the Chairman of the Branch, Mr. M. T. ,Lucas, said that the invited speakers would first of all explain their own particular roles when dealing with incidents involving petroleum spirit on the public highway, after which a discussion would follow, the purpose of which was to discuss what role a petroleum offi'cer should take at such incidents. He emphasised the importance of the discussion by reminding members that on any day and at any hour they could suddenly 'become involved.
In presenting the role of the police at such incidents Mr. R. S. Pierce said that it was difficult to speak in definite terms on the line of action the police took since each incident was different and had to be dealt with by the use of a good deal of common sense. He said that the police accepted that the main task of dealing with, and removing any danger, belonged to the 'Fire Brigade and that the police merely used their initiative to prevent 'other things' happening at the scene of the incident. The petroleum companies he said, had their own plan of emergency procedures and co-operated in an efficient and helpful manner. Mr. /pierce concluded by saying that when the Fire Brigade had cleared all traces of petrol from the highway that was the end of the matter as far as the police were concerned.
Mr. Cowling began by conveying to members the seriousness of road tanker spillages by relating actual incidents, one of which caused a basement explosion killing nine people. He said that all officers and men of the Fire Brigade had definite instructions to follow in an emergency. Although the police were always telephoned immediately, he said that they were usually already at the scene of the incident when the Fire Brigade arrived. He praised the initiative and effective action of the police and said that, if for example, the Fire Brigade required 600 tons of sand or emergency equipment they would get it somehow. Mr. Cowling said that their first task was to stop petroleum spirit entering into any drains or selWers and to improvise dams where necessary. Where petroleum spirit had entered drains or sewers, then he said other authorities who might be concerned would be notified, i.e. 'Sewage Department, River Board, Electricity and Gas Boards, G./P.O. Telephones, Street Lighting Department, etc. He said that a layer of foam was spread over the petroleum spirit to arrest the spread of dangerous vapour and with the co-operation of the police all surrounding ignition sources were dealt with such as domestic fires, central heating" people smoking and even VHF radio. Where there was a need to remove petroleum spirit .from a leaking road tanker the services of Esso Petroleum Company Limited were called upon who had special equipment for this operation.
Finally Mr. GilHes told members of the role adopted by his company. He said that the prime responsibility of his company was to make sure that emergencies did not occur. Accordingly it was paramount to have road tankers of safe construction and operated by good, drivers who were welltrained in emergency procedures. He said that all management personnel were issued with a book of instructions on emergency procedures and a list of appropriate authorities, including the Petroleum Authority, who should be notified in an emergency. Mr. Gillies said that a supervisor who could give any useful technical information was sent to the scene of the incident equipped with an explosimeter if required. He said that an empty road tanker was automatically sent from the depot to up-lift any petroleum spirit load if necessary, along with a special 'clean-up' kit. He concluded by saying that although 'it was the responsibility of the River Authority to de'al with any petroleum spirit on the surface of the water areas, his company could assist with the use of their special SLURP equipment which had proved to be highly successful for this kind of hazard.
The opening stages of the discussion which followed revealed that there were two schools of thought as to whether or not petroleum spirit should be washed into drains and sewers. Although members were aware that it is strictly illegal to allow petroleum spirit to enter into any drains or sewers some members thought that the resultant potential dangers were less likely to cause serious personal injury than allowing petroleum spirit to remain at street level, where it could ignite or find its way into nearby buildings and basements, where highly dangerous explosive conditions could develop. Mr. J. A. Norris, Chesterfield, quoting from a Tunbridge Wells Report on Emergency Procedures made in 1962, told the meeting that in an ,American survey it was shown that 30 out of 35 authorities chose to flush petroleum spirit into drains and sewers.
As regards the role of a petroleum officer at incidents involving petroleum spirit, the general impression from members was that it was normally right for a petroleum officer to be there in order to use his expertise and to carry out explosimeter tests where necessary or if requested to do so. Mr. Pierce and Mr. Cowling both agreed that it' was foolish to ignore the petroleum officer for they both welcomed and sought his advice.
The Chairman thought that the petroleum officer should be there in any case in order to examine the construction of the road tanker, since all road tankers did not necessarily comply with the Regulations. Mr. R. P. Holdaway, Chairman of the Association, -in supporting the general view of members, said that a road tanker spillage in the High street was not really the concern of a petroleum officer like an underground tank was on licensed premises, and he could only be present at the incident mainly to give moral advice.
At the end of the general discussion the Chairman suggested that the role of a petroleum officer might be still further helped if a mock exercise was carried out on an overturned road tanker. The action taken by the Police and Fire Brigade in dealing with such an incident was explained to members. Mr. Cowling said that he would always insist on a petroleum officer being present at a major incident or at any incident where petroleum spirit had entered drains or sewers.
Mr. C. W. Howkins, Grantham, did not like petroleum officers being 'invited' to an incident and said that they should be expected to be there giving advice where necessary. The Chairman said that a petroleum officer should be there by virtue of certain legal duties and Mr. R. E. Clarke, Leicester City Fire Brigade, thought that ,it was the duty of a petroleum officer to go to the scene of the incident. Mr. J. Bantoft, Derby, referred to the usefulness of Slix and other special equipment like SLURP in dealing with petroleum spirit. He wondered whether local authorities would, for instance, carry the cost of providing Slix if the Oil Companies did not do so. Mr. J. L. Packard, Lincoln, said that a local authority would be only too pleased to carry
such cost as his authority readily agreed after a major incident. Mr. Pierce said that the police were usually successful in receiving incurred costs from the insurance companies.
The Chairman finally referred members to his next mock exercise regarding leakages from underground petroleum spirit tanks. He outlined the usual procedures of a petroleum officer in such cases, viz., testing for petroleufIl spirit vapour in neighbouring houses and cellars, etc. with an explosimeter, followed by tank testing and the general inspection of the petrol installation. Mr. Clarke wondered how many petroleum officers liaised with the Police and Fire Brigade on such occasions. Mr. R. P. Holdaway, Chairman of the Association, reminded members that the circu.lar issued by the Association on Emergency Procedures was tilted towards leaking underground petroleum spirit tanks and not towards overturned road tankers. He jnformed members that the circular on Emergency Procedures had been prepared because of certain irregularities in the procedures adopted by petroleum officers when involving petroleum spirit occurred at petrol which incidents were without doubt the responSIbIlity of petroleum officers. He praised the co-operation of the Esso Petroleum Company Limited and other Oil Companies who had given tremendous help, free of charge, to petroleum officers who had to deal with such incidents.
At the end of the discussion, Mr. Pierce said that the police were becoming more and more concerned about 'other dangerous substances' carried along the other than petroleum spirit. Mr. A. D. Riggs" Huntmg Industrial Plastics Limited said that a Government Committee was preparing a classified list of 'dangerous substances' acceptable to the Common Market member countries.
A vote of thanks was given by Mr. R. D. I. Charlesworth, Grimsby, to all three speakers for conveying such useful information to members regarding the roles played by the Police, Fire Brigade and Oil Companies, when dealing with incidents involving petroleum spirit.
Tea was then taken.
Whilst delivering petroleum spirit to a filling station on Saturday, 4th N'cvember, 1972 ·the tanker driver connected the delivery hose .to the wrong tank and commenced to deliver 1,000 gallons of petroleum into a. tank which was capable of taking only 500 gallons. A spillage of approximately 20 gallons occurred from the tank retail delivery pUinp at the se:!l end at the base of the revolving delivery arm filling -the pump casing and spilling on to the garage before the driver noticed and shut down the delivery.
The manager of the ins-tallation called the Fire Brigade which dealt with the spillage, and on 10th January, 1973 he was fined at the WaUasey Magistrates Court under Section 16 of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulation 1957 for:-
(a) Not taking reasonable steps to ascertain that the connecting hose was properly and securely connected -to the filling point of the tank to be filled. Fined £10.
(b) During the time of delivery into the storage tank he did not keep a constant watch thereon. Fined £10.
At the Hearing fhe manager pleaded 'Not Guilty' and the defence attempted to prove that the overflow had not occurred from the tank but from the delivery pump to which the prosecution submitted that petroleum entering any pipe from the overfilling of a tank could only be described as an overflow from the tank, The defence also tried to prove ,that the manager did keep a constant watch during delivery, without success; he had previously indicated to a Fire Officer that he was not near the tanks when the delivery pipe from the road tanker was connected.
The 'Magistrates, in their summing up, took into account ,the manager's prompt action in calling -the Fire Brigade to deal with the situation.
On 13th December, 1972 a call of fire was received to Kirbys Lt., 63/67 Kensington, Liverpool 7. On arrival of the appliance it was found that a motor cycle and petrol pump were well alight and that the motor cyclist and the f{)recourt attendant had both received burns to their hands and faces.
On investigation it was found that the fuel tank had been overfilled and had overflowed onto the hot engine, which had been left running. with subsequent ignition of the petroleum spirit vapours.
Kirbys Ltd. were successfully prosecuted and fined £50 on 21st February, 1973 .for an offence against Section 28 of their Petroleum Spirit Licence which states that 'During the filling of the fuel tank of a vehicle, the engine of the vehicle shall not be run until the said tank has been securely closed, and, unless otherwise specially provided for elsewhere in this licence, a competent person employed by the licensee shall be in charge and every precaution shall be taken to prevent the overflow of petroleum'.
At Morley Magistrates' Court on 9th January, 1973 Gilbert Lynes & Sons (Motor Factors) Ltd. of 31/35 High Street, Morley, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of keeping a number of petroleum mixtures, to wit, Berger Viton paint, Berger Formula 4 Bare Metal Stopper, Holts Touch-in Car Enamel, without a licence authorising the keeping thereof. A fine of £10 was imposed.
The defendants told the Court that they had now discontinued the keeping of these products.
