The Bulletin – August 1976

L E T I

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

Registered Office 10, STATION ROAD WITTON BIRMINGHAM 6. Telephone: 021·328 0034

Works STATION DRIVE, THORNHILL ROAD, STREETLY, SUTTON COLDFIELD WEST MIDLANDS B74 3EN. ' Telephone: 021 3536288 (3 Lines)

Opinions expressed in this Journal are not necessarily the views AUGUST 1976 for Petroleum and Explosives Administration of the Association

Contents

TALKING

Published by the Association

Talking Point

The Future

Changes of great importance in Petroleum Legislation are rumoured for the future; changes that could effect not only the control of Petroleum storage but its very definition.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 6 HON. SECRETARY'S NOTES ............... 8 WHAT CAN WE GET? 10 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AT BIRMINGHAM .14 BRANCH REPORTS 18

Several flashpoints are apparently being considered, and even the question of whether or not Petroleum Spirit will in future be the subject of a licence is being debated.

This is not before time. The basis for our present legislation, the Consolidation Act, is almost fifty years old, and has been largely overtaken by modern technology.

One example of the inadequacy of our present control is the somewhat farcical situation whereby L.P.G. is not subject to licence merely because it is not possible to ascertain its f1ashpoint by means of an Abe1 apparatus.

Let us therefore hope that any proposed legislation currently being discussed will come into effect in the not too distant future, thus relieving the Petroleum Officer of his present burden of a law which is full of loopholes and ambiguity.

HON SECRETARY: J.W. FRID

HONORARY EDITOR: J.3. CREWE

Chairman's Address

Dear Members,

As you will know the Association has been passing through difficult times due to the re-organisation of Local Government, and the consequent changes of Authorities and staff responsible for Petroleum Act administration. I have always considered that one of the most important functions of the Association was the contact provided between Petroleum Officers of various Authorities at Branch Meetings, and also the Lectures usually provided at such Meetings. This contact is perhaps even more important at the present time with so many new people engaged on the work, with information to seek and new ideas to propose At the moment there exists the South East and Midland Branches with Eastern and Scottish Branches in the process of being reformed; all the other branches having closed on reorganisation. It is my hope that several new branches will soon he formed and become active since although "Branches" they must in fact be the "roots" and strength of the Association.

I am proud to have been elected as your Chairman and hope that this year the Association will gain in strength and usefulness.

Mr. H.T.E. Jackson is a Senior Petroleum Inspector with the G.L.C. Petroleum Branch of London Fire Brigade, having served with this Branch and its predecessor within the former L.C.C. for the past 25 years. He has been a member of the Association since its foundation, and was also a member of the Surrey and Sussex group prior to this. Mr. Jackson is a former Chairman of the South Eastern Branch, and has lectured at many of the courses arranged for the Association.

NEW FILM SHOWS HOW BRITAI N DEALS WITH

OIL POLLUTION

The Department of Industry has launched a new colour film show ing the work carried out by the Department's Warren Spring Laboratory, WSL, into the problems of oil pollution at sea and on beaches.

The 33 minute f ilm , "A Clean and Pleasant Land", aims to introduce local authorities and others to the problems and to the role of WSL in providing advice , training and h d d evelopment backing for both researc an h 1 and me c hani ca l methods of deallng c emlca

h -I ollution . Th e Laboratory acts as Wl t 01 P f Id d tor for related work in thlS le a co or lna carried out in other Government establishments, industry and Universitjes-

The film includes an example of the applications of the Laboratory's background work showing how the oil spillage in the English Channel in November 1975 involving a total of 2,000 tonnes was cleared. Due to the efforts of the prinCipal officer, Department of Trade, and of the local authority operating with chemical methods, the majority of this spilt oil was cleared at sea. Only 300 tonnes reached the Kentish beaches and this was cleared within five days using both mechanical and chemical methods.

Copies of the film, which was produced by the Central Office of Information on b e half of Warren Spring Laboratory can be hired or purchased from the Central Film Library, Government Buildings, Bromyard Avenue, Acton, London W3 7JB or from its associated Libra r ies in Sco tland and Wales_

CONTAINERS

A new foil packing material which prevents volatile fuels, chemical solvents and gases from exploding even in extreme heat, is now available for development trials ir. Britain.

Titled Explosafe, the material is an expanded aluminium alloy which is packed in rolls or layers into storage vessels and fuel tanks, dividing the capacity into a multitude of tiny cells, each so small that it cannot contain enough oxygen to support combustion. There are approximately 20,000 cells to the gallon of space.

Tests have shown that punctured and nearempty fuel tanks potentially one of the most hazardous of conditions can be safely gas-welded when protected with Explosafe. Incendiary bullets fired into tanks containing highly volatile liquids fail to produce explosions, as do fierce fires started beneath the tanks. Explosafe will continue to protect right up to its own melting point, which is 650 C (1200 F) and it does not deteriorate with age.

Apart from the cell structure created by layers of material, the continuous foil strands of Explosafe dissipate heat very rapidly, serving to reduce 'hot spot' temperatures to below flashpoin t. Indeed, any vapour tends to condense on to the strands.

A remarkable feature of Explosafe is that while it appears to fill completely the capacity of a container, it displaces only .5% of the volume. This is due to the unique structure of the material in that the very fine strands are set at an angle to the original plan of the sheet, so increasing the volume effectively protected.

yICAR._O_NLY 'HONES'I'_gJS'I'OMER

A Shrewsbury garage boss wants to say a big thank you to the honest vicar who saved him hundreds of pounds the night a petrol pump went beserk.

But up to 25 dishonest motorists, it is estimated, took many gallons of free petrol and said nothing.

Mr. John Martin, proprietor of the Copthorne Road Service Station, Shrewsbury, closed his garage and left the 24-hour automatic pump on for night time motorists.

But the pump went wrong and for 2i hours the pump was giving away up to three minutes worth of petrol for just rl.

Mr. Martin calculates that between 20 and 25 people must have taken advantage of the free petrol but only one phoned the police to report the fault and that was the vicar.

Not only that, but the vicar, who insisted on remaining anonymous, called Mr. Martin the next morning and offered to pay for the extra petrol he had inadvertently got himself.

"I really want to thank him. If he hadn't rung the police it would have cost me a couple of hundred pounds. No one else rang up at all," Mr. Martin said.

QUESTIONS ON DANGEROUS CARGOES

Lord Oram, a Government spokesman on trade, rejected in the Lords recently any suggestion that the Government was in any way complacent about the carriage of dangerous cargoes in territorial waters, including the question of the control of traffic throughout the Strait of Dover. In conjunction with the French, Britain did monitor traffic by radar and gave safety broadcasts, and there had been a considerable improvement over recent years.

He was replying to questions by Lord Kennet (Lab) who, in a reference to the Law of the Sea Conference asked why the Government was slip an opportunity h' h w lC may not recur for 20 years, to introduce regulations on innocent passage in territorial waters.

Lord Kennet had called for forecasts of the number of dangerous cargoes, radio active materials and liquefied, natural or petroleum which would pass through British waters ln the next 20 years. He asked if they were satisfied that no special policing, pilotage or other arrangements were necessary for these dangerous cargoes. Lord Oram said it was not possible to give a valid forecast although full account was being taken of the potential risks.

.RETIREMENT

Mr. John Beer recently retired from his post of Assistant County Trading Standards Officer for the County of Hereford and Worcester after 48 years Local Government service.

Prior to reorganisation nIl'. Beer had been Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures and Petroleum Officer to the City of Worcester for 37 years.

Mr. Beer will be remembered for his outstanding service to the Association and its predecessor. His Authority was an original member of the West Midland Group and he was Chairman of the Group in 1960-1961, remaining on the Council of the Association until reorganisation.

In addition to his activities on behalf. of this Association, Mr. Beer served on the Council of the Institute of Trading Standards Administration since 1961, becoming Chairman of this Institute in 1974.

Award

B.W.C. Thacker, Past President of the Association, has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal. We offer him our heartiest congratulations

Items for Publication

Contributions are invited from readers for publication in "The Bulletin", whether they be items for "Notes and News", "Legal Proceedings", or whole articles of general interest to members. All such contributions should be sent to the Hon. Editor.

TECHNICAL CORNER

Presented by PHOENIX

What's the Hold-up?

When the tail pipe of a tank wagon compartment is first connected to the filling pipe of an underground storage tank, there is a considerable amount of air trapped in the connecting hose as well as in the vehicle tail pipe and the tank filler pipe. Air interposed between liquid surfaces in this way tends to produce the classic condition known to all plumbers as "air lock".

The weight of air in the pipe is negligible and so the effective "head" of liquid to establish flow depends largely only on the depth of liquid in the carrying tank. -Not infrequently this is insufficient to overcome the head of liquid above the bottom of the fill pipe in the storage tank. In such cases, equilibrium is established and no flow takes place.

Before flow can start, additonal pressure is necessary. The simplest way of getting this is to replace the trapped air in the tank wagon tail pipe and hose by liquid, ihereby achieving a sufficiently greater head of liquid.

So far as a plumber is concerned, the classic case he encounters is of an air lock in a pipe connecting to a bathroom tap, fed from the water tank in the roof. To overc.ome the problem, he has available mains water US1·ng a hose he will connect the pressure. ' mains water tap in the kitchen to the affected bathroom tap and open them both. Th ater pressure will push water and en ma1ns w trapped air out of the pipe and up into the tank in the roof and, hey presto, the household system is working again!

The tank wagon driver has no such simple cure open to him, but with the ingenuity one has grown accustomed to expect, he has devised another remedy. He leaves the hose connection to the tank fill pipe loose, in theory only until sufficient air has escaped and been replaced by liquid to give the additional head he requires to establish flow. In practice, however, it not infrequently occurs that the signal for tightening the connection is the appearance of liquid running down the outside of the fill pipe.

There are tank and pump fitters who have been known to anticipate the tank wagon driver's need. They drill a onesixteenth inch hole in the wall of the fill pipe just below its point of penetration through the tank skin. Without anyone being the wiser, air can then be displaced without hindrance into the tank vapour space and never again will the words "air lock" pass a tank wagon driver's lips as he tightens his connections once and for all.

The question which petroleum officers must answer is whether they should object to the one-sixteenth inch hole in the wall of the fill pipe. It is apparent that this hole will connect the tank vapour space to atmosphere at low level, when the filling pipe cap is removed. It is unlikely that the one-sixteenth inch hole would prevent flame penetration to the tank vapour space under the right conditions. However, four 1/32 inch holes or, at most, sixteen 1/64 inch hOles would probably be satisfactory on all counts provided that the holes were not more than 23 inches from the fill pipe cap. This

would meet the case of most directly filled tanks but would still leave a problem when a tank is filled through an off-set filling pipe.

When off-sets are provided the only truly safe way of preventing air locks appears to be to fit the off-sets with vent pipes separate from but treated in the same way as the vent pipes of the storage tanks. It could well be argued that this will add unreasonably to the cost of installation. If this is so, the more fruitful approach might be to consider the provision of a suitable permanent device to remove air on tank wagon hose connections.

rlho's Spitting?

. When a tank wagon fills a storage tank 1t sometimes happens that people standing beneath the tank vent pipe are showered with small droplets of petrol. An event like this not only generates a heated response but frequently sparks off long discussion as to the cause. Ignoring the theories, two facts usually emerge, firstly, that the tank concerned has a long horizontal run of vent pipe and secondly that the spitting starts as the tank nears its full condition.

Before we attempt to theorize on our own account, we should carry out a simple experiment using water because it is safer. The first step is to fill a tube some 780 mm. long with mercury. A suitable bath is then half-filled with mercury and the mercury filled tube inverted in it so that the open end of the tube is submerged. As this is done mercury flows out of the tube until the height of the mercury column in the tube corresponds wi th barometric pressure. If barometric pressure is 760 mm Hg then the column of mercury in the tube extends 760 mm. above the level of mercury in the bath. In the tube over the mercury a vacuum is formed; this is often called the Torricellian vacuum.

If a small droplet of water is now introduced by means of a pipette into the bottom of the tube, the droplet will float to the top of the mercury column. Here it will disappear as it immediately "flashes off" to fill the Torricellian vacuum with water vapOur. The process can then be repeated finally the droplet of water does not d1sappear but forms a thin film of water on top of the mercury. The Torricellian vacuum has now become fully saturated with water vapour and water can no longer evaporate It '1W1 1 be noted that at this time the mercury column has been pushed down the tube.

(the temperature being 20 C.) so that the height of the column is only 742.5 mm. The difference between this figure and true atmospheric pressure, as noted known as the vapour pressure. traction shows that the vapour water at 20 C. is 17.5 mm.Hg.

above·, is Simple subpressure of

If atmospheric pressure falls below 760 mm. the size of the Torricellian vacuum expands and in consequence the space is no longer fully saturated with water vapour. The immediate effect is that the thin film of water left on top of the mercury column "flashes off". When atmospheric pressure rises the volume of the Torricellian vacuum is reduced and water is wrung out of it. This water condenses on top of the mercury column.

It is now possible to relate the experience gained from the experiment to the behaviour of petrol vapour in a tank. If the atmosphere in a tank is fully saturated with petrol vapour then any increase of pressure will canse some of the vapour to condense. Because petrol vapour is heavier than air and takes a long time to diffuse the usual condition inside a petrol tank is that fully saturated atmosphere exists only in a comparatively thin layer immediately above the liquid.

When a tank is filled, the atmosphere at the top of the tank is first displaced. Thus the fully saturated layer is pushed into the vent pipe only when the tank starts to become full. The additional pressure to which this layer is subjected in the vent pipe causes petrol to condense. The of petrol are entrained in the fast flow1ng vapour/air stream and are ejected finally from the open end of the vent.

The additional pressure in the vent pipe arises from resistance to the flow of turn 1S laden air through the pipe. Th1S 1n a function of the rate of flow and the physical characteristics of the pipe. The most important physical characteristics to be taken into consideration are the length and cross-sectional area of the pipe and. the number of restrictions, elboWS, etc., Wh1Ch Occur along its length.

Oil companies are not likely to be very happy about reducing rate of flow to prevent Th · being so the spitting from vent pipes. 1S alternative is to ensure that vent pipes are ·ble with the as short and straight as pOSSl largest convenient cross-sectional area.

The fact that change of pressure can cause condensation of petrol vapour in vent pipes does underline the need for making certain that all vent lines fall back to the storage tank and that all U-bends in vent runs are avoided.

Legal Proceedings

KENT

Conveyance by Road

At West MaIling Magistrates Court on the 5th November 1975, John Hudson & Co. Ltd., of 8 Maltravers Street, London, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to their tank wagon registration mark HMD 747N.

(a) Cap of filling opening not locked (Reg.12(2) 1957 Regs).

(b) Locking mechanism of cap of filling opening not maintained in good condition (Reg.ll 1957 Regs).

The driver, William Rasberry also pleaded guilty to one charge unner (a) above.

The Magistrates imposed fines of £20 and £50 respectively on the Company with £5 costs. The driver was fined £20 with £5 costs.

Unattended Tank Wagons

At Gravesend Magistrates Court on the 7th 1975, George Frank Smith, the driver of Conoco tank wagon registration mark JHV 312K, pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to attend constantly.

The charge related to the vehicle being left unattended on a main road whilst the driver was in a cafe some 160 feet distant. The officer ascertained that it was not possible to see the vehicle from the cafe.

The charge was found proved and a fine of £25 with £10 costs was imposed.

At the same Court on the 5th December 1975, Robin Clive Pankhurst the driver of Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd., tank wagon TAN 524M pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to attend constantly.

The offence occurred at the same time as the previous case and the driver was in the same cafe, his vehicle being some 90 feet distant. Again it was not possible to see the vehicle from the cafe.

The driver was found guilty and a fine of £30 with £10 costs was imposed.

Conveyance by Road

At Dartford Magistrates Court on the 7th January 1976, John Hudson & Co. Ltd., of 8 Maltravers Street, London, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to their tank wagon registration mark HMD 746N.

(a) No fire extinguisher (Regulation 6 1957 Regs.).

(b) Exposed electrical wiring (Regulation 11 and 1st SChedule 1957 Regs.).

The driver, Frederick Stacey, also pleaded guilty to one charge under (a) above.

The Magistrates imposed fines of £5.00 and £10.00 with £10.00 costs. The driver was fined £5.00.

Delivery

At Gravesend Magistrates Court on the 21st January 1976, a garage proprieter, Les1ie Norman Lyons of Halfway Filling Station, Gravesend Road, Higham, Kent, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Conveyance Regulations. The charges related to failure to complete two copies of the delivery certificate (Regulation 16(7» and failing to keep one copy for six months after delivery (Regulation 16(10».

The offences came to light following a complaint from a member of the public as to the quality of the 4-Star petrol sold from the station. A sample which was taken under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 was analysed and found to correspond to a 2-Star designation.

Lyons pleaded not guilty to a charge of applying a false trade description to the petrol. The Court accepted that a statutory defence had been made out and dismissed this Information. On the charges relating to the Conveyance Regulations, the Magistrates imposed a fine of £20.00 on each.

Explosives Improper Storage

On the 11th March at Deal Magistrates Court, Terence Raymond Franks pleaded guilty to two charges under the Expolsives Act 1875.

The charges related the failure to keep safety cartridges ina secured and closed receptacle so as to prevent access by unauthorised persons.

Fines of £20.00 on each charge were imposed by the Magistrates and costs of £15.00 were ordered to be paid.

The prosecution was taken following the insistance of the defendant that he was allowed to keep the cartridges on open shelves in his shop. Despite repeated attempts to persuade him to conform with the requirements he persistently refused. The two Informations were in respect of the same offence on two different dates.

Disused Petrol Tanks

The failure to comply with a statutory notice requiring the rendering safe of three derelict petrol tanks resulted in Mr. J. Tolley of 12/16 Fort Road, Margate, appearing before the Margate Magistrates Court on the 18th March 1976.

He pleaded not guilty but the case was found proved and he was fined the maximum of £5.00 and ordered to pay £10.00 costs. In addition, the Magistrates fixed a period of three months from the date of conviction for compliance with the notice.

The charge was laid under Section 290(6) of the Public Health Act 1936 after Mr. Tolley had failed to comply with a notice served under Section 73 of the Public Health Act 1961.

Conveyance Faulty Tank Wagon

Fines of £100.00 together with costs of £20.00 were imposed at Tonbridge Magistrates Court on the 25th March 1976, against C.R. Machin trading as C.R.M. Fuel Supplies of Loughton, Essex.

The defendant pleaded guilty to three charges concerning a tank wagon registration HLX 798K carrying petroleum spirit.

(a) "Petroleum Spirit Highly Inflammable" not displayed (Section 5 1928 Act).

(b) Flame symbol not displayed (Regulation 4 of 1971 Regulations).

(c) Failure to maintain in good condition (Regulation 11 of 1957 Regulations).

The third charge related to the fact that there was an opening into the No. 1 compartment which had not been fitted with a cap. It appears that the opening was provided to facilitate the fitting of a pressure and vacuum valve, addi tiona1 to that in the man1id if necessary. The openings in the other compartments had been properly blanked off.

A fine of £25.00 was imposed on each of the first two charges and a fine of £50.00 on the thi rd charge. In addi tion, costs of £20.00 were awarded.

Conveyance by Road

At Folkstone and Hythe Magistrates Court on the 9th October 1975, Jenkins Fuel Transport Ltd., of Canterbury Road West, Ramsgate, Kent pleaded guilty to four charges relating to the conveyance of petroleum spirit in a tank wagon registration mark 409 LOG.

(a) "Petroleum-Spirit Highly Inflammable" not displayed (Section 5 1928 Act).

(b) Did not have prescribed flame notice (Regulation 4. 1971 Regulations).

(c) Cap to filling opening not locked (Regulation 12(2) 1957 Regulations).

(d) Dipping pipe not securely closed (Regulation 14. 1957 Regulations).

Before the same Court at the same time, the driver, Dennis Victor Osmond, also pleaded guilty to the above charges.

The Magistrates imposed fines of £100, £100, £400 and £200 respectively on the Company with £25 costs. The driver was fined £10 on the first two charges and £100 on each of the others.

The Magistrates commented that they were very concerned about two summonses. In particular they felt that if the vehicle had overturned, the manholes may have opened because they were not locked and they appreciated the danger to the public.

Notices of appeal against sentence were lodged for both the driver and the Company.

The appeals were heard at Canterbury Crown Court on 26th April 1976, when the fine in respect of the last charge against the driver was reduced to £50. The company's appeal was dismissed and they were ordered to pay £50 costs.

The Judge said that this was a matter giving rise to great public concern at the present time and although at first sight the penalty might seem drastic, closer thought showed that the Justices were absolutely right to pass a deterent sentence.

Petrol in Polyethylene container

. trates Court

At Folkstone and Hythe Magl s . on the 16th October 1975, Dependable Dellvery Ltd., of Drake House Laira Bridge Road, Plymouth, were with the following ff ' mises at o ences ln respect of thelr pre Caesars Way, Folkstone Harbour.

( a) . t other than a Dispensing petrol ln 0 metal container (Condition of Licence

and Section 1(3) 1928 Act).

(b)

h 'se than Keeplng petrol ot erWl 1 t'on 2 metal container (Regu a 1 Regulations).

in a of 1929 not marked Highly 4 of 1929

(c) Keeping in a vessel "Petroleum Spirit Inflammable" (Regulation Regulations)

d ere fined £50, They pleaded guilty an wth £25 costs. £150 and £150 respectively wi d 'n the collection

The Company are engage 1 d of newly imported cars from the Harbour an were in the habi t of taking a quanti ty of petrol from their depot where they held a t 1 the Harbour to enab le the pe ro licence to

cars to be driven onto a transporter. They had been previously warned about the use of polyethylene containers for this purpose.

unattended Tank Wagon

At West MaIling Magistrates Court on 29th October 1975, Amoco (U.K.) Ltd., and their driver, Mr. C.W. Pearce, pleaded not guilty to charges under Regulation 7(1) of the Petroleum-Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations.

The charges related to a tank wagon which was left unattended on a main road, the driver being in a public house. The officer concerned gave evidence that the vehicle was some 85 yards from the public house and the vehicle was not visable from inside.

The Information was laid against the firm in addition to that against the driver in view of their apparent lack of specific instructions, although a copy of the Conveyance Regulations i957 was pinned to the notice board in their drivers' rest room.

Both defendants were found guilty and were each fined £50. Amoco (U.K.) Ltd., were ordered to pay £25 costs.

Keeping without notification

At Sheerness Magistrates Court on 29th October 1975, Blaw Knox Ltd., of River House, Shorts Way, Rochester, Kent pleaded guilty to failing to notify the local authority that petroleum spirit was being kept within a building at their premises at Blue Town, Sheerness. (Regulation 8(1) of 1929 Regulations) .

The Company was fined £100 on this offence with £20 costs and also £100 for each of two offences brought by the Factories Inspector. These were under Section 40 of the Factories Act 1961 and Regulation 5 of the Highly Flammable Liquids and Liquified Petroleum Gases Regulations 1972.

The circumstances arose out of a fire which occurred at the premises and was dealt with by the fire brigade.

Investigations showed that up to 10 gallons of petrol were stored at a time, being used for the purpose of testing road sweeping vehicles which are manufactured at the premises.

The use to which the petrol was put determined that the Information be laid under the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929 instead of Section 1 of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928.

SUFFOLK

On 24th June, 1976 at Bury St. Edmunds Magistrates Court, Ancliff (BLT) Ltd., of Moun ton Chambers, Cheps tow, pIe aded gui 1 ty to two charges of failing to display inflammable warning and product name signs.

The charges related to an incident on 8th March, 1976 in Bury St. Edmunds when one of the defendant Company's vehicles was found to be leaking whilst parked outside the drivers home. The vehicle was carrying Butyraldehyde.

The prosecution by Suffolk County Consumer Protection Department resulted in the Company being fined £50 on each charge wi th £20 costs.

Hon. Secretary's Notes

New Address

Would members please note that from 1st September 1976, the Hon. Secretary's address will be:

John Frid Esq. , Honorary Secretary, Assoc. for Petroleum and Explosives Administration, County Secretary's Department, Cambridgeshire County Council, Shire Hall, CAMBRIDGE. Telephone Cambridge (0223) 58811

Income Tax Relief on Association Subscriptions

With effect from the year commencing 6th April 1975 any member of the Association who is assessable to Income Tax under Schedule E in respect of the emoluments of an office or employment is entitled to a deduction from those emoluments of the whole of the annual subscription which is due and payable by him to the body in the Income Tax year, provided that:

a. the subscription is defrayed out of the emoluments of the office or employmen t, and

b. the activities of the Association so far as they are directed to qualifying objects are relevant to the office or employment; that is to say, the performance of the duties of the office or employment, or the exercise of the profession concerned, is directly affected by the pursuance of the qualifying objects.

Any member of the Association who is entitled to the relief should apply to his Tax Office as soon as possible giving details of his subscription and making a claim for the relief due to him.

REORGANISATION OF THE EXPLOSIVES INSPECTORATE

As part of the cOEtinuing process of the integration of certain constituent ates into the structure of the Health and Safety Executive it has been decided to reorganise the Explosives Inspectorate. This reorganisation will have the effect of separating policy functions from the general inspectorial function. The policy aspects will be dealt with by a secretariat branch within the Hazardous Substances Group known as HS Branch A under the control of Mr. E.G. Whitbread. The inspectorial tasks will be integrated within the structure of the Factory Inspectorate and will be headed by Mr. F.W. Ireland who becomes HM Chief Inspector of Explosives.

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BRANCH A

Mr. E.G. Whitbread at the head of this branch will be responsible for the development of policy on explosives, oxydising substances, the conveyance of dangerous substances by all modes of transport, the packaging and labelling of dangerous substances and the security of such substances. The liaison with appropriate government departments, industry," and any relevant international bodies concerning these subjects will be carried out in this branch.

HM EXPLOSIVES INSPECTORATE

Mr. F.W. Ireland's major responsibilities will be for the safety of workers in the explosives industry and of the public in relation to that industry throughout the UK; for the enforcement of legislation in this field; and for the provision of information and technical advice from the Inspectorate to the relevant policy branch. He will be responsible for the licensing of all commercial explosives factories, magazines and ANFO sites, for conducting appeals under the Explosives Act 1875, and for accident inquiries.

The Explosives Inspectorate will continue to be responsible for the approval of specific novel explosives and their packaging including the issue of Special Packing Authorities. They will also continue to approve the for compressed gas cylinders, including acetylene porous masses; the manufacturers of such cylinders and the inspecting authorities. They will approve facilities for the compression of acetylene to pressures in excess of 9 p.s.i.

They will also provide technical advice on oxydising or reactive substances and on the conveyance of dangerous goods.

Members may also find the following list of names and telephone numbers useful. They are listed under their particular responsibility within the Petroleum Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive.

WHAT CAN WE GET

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Esso Petroleum Company Limited. Drawings reproduced courtesy of John Plumb.

When petroleum engineers drill a well, they can usually rely on natural pressures to bring the first 10- 20 per cent. of the oil to the surface. After that they must resort to costly and complicated techniques of enhanced recovery in order to get more all t of that reservoir. As the value of crude oil and its cost to the community h as risen, so has the incentive to develop new methods. Which method is technically and economically appropriate in any particular case is a highly complex matter, as this art icl e shows

WHILE IT is in the ground, crude oil is held in rock as water is in a sponge. Gas is dissolved in the oil like carbon dioxide in soda water. There may be more gas above the oil in a 'cap' too, trapped by the same impermeable rock which prevents the oil from leaking away. There may also be a water layer underneath the oil. Thus trapped water or gas (or both) provide the natural pressure that keeps the wells flowing. But sooner or later this natural pressure must begin to drop as oil is withdrawn: the end of the stage of primary recovery is then in sight. At the beginning of the oil era this would have signalled abandonment when natural pressure failed, the reservoir would have been regarded as exhausted However, the desirability of developing new and better techniques to get more oil from existing fields was recognized early on. Basically these involve maintaining pressure by pumping more gas or water into the reservoir from the surface, so that the oil continues to be swept from the pores of the rock into the well. Water injection techniques are said to be over 100 years old, gas injection techniques date from the beginning of the century.

Water injection is by far the most widely-used of all oil recovery m ethods during 1973 nearly 30 per cent. of production in the U. S.A. resulted from water injection. There are many sound reasons for this: water is cheap and generally available; it spreads well through oil bearing formations ; it is efficient at driving out oil and little additional equipment is required at the well head

Top right : In pattern water flooding, injection wells are interspersed among the producing wells to allow water to be pumped in under high pressure from the surface. This water s weeps the oil from the pores in the rock, and maintains pressure in t he reservoir so that t he oil continues t o flo w

except some powerful pumps. In the U .S.A., these methods make possible recoveries of 30 per cent. to 50 per cent. of the oil originally in the rock,compared with the 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. producible through primary recovery alone.

Two principal methods ofsecondary recovery by water injection are in use. One, called pattern water-flooding, relies on injection wells interspersed with the producing wells. Water pumped into these wells sweeps oil towards the producing wells and maintains pressure so that when the oil reaches the wells it will flow to the surface.

The second method, flank water-flooding, injects supplemental water into an existing layer of water which underlies oil-producing rocks, thereby raising the water level and driving the oil in the rock upwards to the oil wells. In this approach, the water injection wells are spaced around the perimeter of the group of producing wells.

Wells for gas injection are usually drilled near the top of the structure since gas is lighter than oil and will naturally gravitate upward anyway. This process requires installation of compressors to inject gas under pressure The expanding envelope of gas then sweeps oil out of the pores of the rock into the production wells at lower levels. The gas is separated from the oil as it comes up to the surface and is used over and over again.

Secondary recovery techniques 'assist' nature, duplicating natural methods and materials, but there comes a point where no

Right : Some oil is too viscous to flow readily. One way of freeing it is by fire flooding, a technique in which air is inje cted into the rock formation through special we lls This injected air supports controlled underground combustion wh ich heats the oil making it thin enough to flow into the prodUCing we lls

WHAT? CAN WE GET •

amount of gas or water injection will maintain production \\·here the remaining oil is clinging tenaciously to the walls of the pores in the rock Engineering and chemical techniques, ho we\'er, have made possible ter tia ry recovery techniques in which man-made substances which reduce the clinging tendency of the oil, or even methcds which harness natural forces such as fire , drive out oi l which neither gas nor water could recover.

\Xl hat is needed therefore, when injection has ceased to be effective, is something that will clean the oil out of the rock pores in which it is held, something miscible that is, capable of forming a solution with the oil and the water or gas that pro\'ides the propulsive force. A slug of thi s clea ning fluid is injected into the well. This is followed by a large vo lume of something less va luable such as gas or water. The 'slug' mi xes with oil at its leading edge and with gas or wa ter at its trailing edge and acts rather like a detergent, scouring oil from the reservoir and forcing the mixture of oil and 'cleanser' to the reco\'e ry well. If gas drive is required, a miscible gas, such as LPG or carbon dioxide, is used If a \vater drive is to be employed, the 'slug' may consist of a detergent to free the oil. Sometimes a polymer is used in the inj ected water as a thickening agent to make sure th at the oil is more mobile than the disp lacing water.

These tenial y recovery techniques are effective but th ey arc extremely expensive. The man-made agents that wr in g the oil from the und erground structures are, with the excepti on of CO" expensive to produce, to transport, and to store. They requi re trained manpower and specialized techniques to inject them in to the reservoirs. And they require heavy capital investmen t in sepa ration and re-treatment plant for, once they ha ve done th eir work and brought the oil up, they are undesirable additi ves to the oi l and must be stripped out for reuse. The economic application of these expensive tertiary recovery techniques depends \'e ry much therefore on th e future price of oil. As oi l prices are, in turn , heavily influenced by rates of d iscovery, cost of developm ent, demand, and the ava ilability of alternati ve sources of ene rgy the economics of tertiary recovery are complex.

Other tertiary methods, which should be mentioned for their intrinsic interest rather than for the frequency of their use, are

stea m floodin g and fire floodin g. It i, obvious that if a naturally 'hea\"y' or thick oil is heated it will flow more read il y Thm , in areas where \\·ells are closely spaced, steam can be injected to first thin the oil and then sweep it up the production well The actual reservo ir oil can also be ignited, provided that enough air can be pumped down to feed the fire, and this action can also thin the oil an d drive it towards the production well. A process called 'wet combustion' in vo h'es water injection along with the air, but agam, wells must be close together or the fire \\·ill go out before its effect begins to tell.

Secondary and tertiary recovery need economic incenti\'es almost comparable with those required for exploration. N o twO OIl reservoirs are identical so that there is no uniform technique that is always appropriate. Each well and reservoir will have its specific problem and degree of economic \·iability

In the North Sea, the technology for increasing yields has been app lied from the very start. Resen'oir engineers have de\'eloped mathematical mod els of the various fields. Studies, usmg these models combined \\·ith the engineer's ex perience, enable them to forecast resen ·oir behaviour and to plan the necessary steps for imprO\'ing reco\'ery and conducting operations with maximum efficiency. The Brent field , for instance, has a gas cap and mo 11 h as brouo ht methods WIll be used to mamtam pressure. Inma y t e g '" up with the oil \Yill be re-injected into the resen·oir, partly to store it pending the construction of a pipeline, and partly to mamtnIn press ure. In addition seawater will be collected, treated and d 11 Th equipment to drI ll pumped do\\·n speclallv-dnlle \\·e s e • d 'n will be pro\"1ded these wells, to treat the water and to pump It 0\\ on the production platforms when they are fir st erected 'ble to use secondary In the North Sea It \\·ould be Impossl h P ·haps that is whv these recowry techmques as an afterthoug t. el '. b 11 d 'secondarv'. ThIS methods are slowIv ceasmg to e ca e , ' .' h ced reco\·erv , and technology IS now generally kno\\n as en an d t an earlier staOe and an old follow-up practIce IS bemg pursue a " . d 'oduction are no\\· so under a ne\\· name. ExploratIon an pI'ld 'pects from the or! expensive that the \'erv least the \\ Ol ex ' d·l the rock formations industry is that e\'ery well IS squeeze untl sq ueak.

Left: In contrast to flank water flooding, gas injection is carried out through wells th a t t erm in a te near the top of t he r ese rvoir Infiltrating the roc k under pressure, the gas c reate s a p iston-like f orce. I t mixes with the oil and forc es it into the lower-level producing wells and up to th e surface where gas and oil are separated and gas is either piped awa y or stored for re use

Top left : I n oil-bearing rock formations , oil ofte n lies above a layer of water. Flank water flooding involves pumpmg more water in at high pressure through injec t ion wells spaced around a group of producing wells This raises th e water level which in tu rn pushes the oil up in to t he producing w ells. The simplified diagram shown here shows this method in use at sea where ea ch platform wo uld. in practice ha v e a number of producing wells drilled fmm it

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT THE WEST MIDLANDS FIRE SERVICE, HEADQUARTERS ON THURSDAY 29TH APRIL 1976

The meeting was opened by T. LISTER Esq. F. I. FIRE E., Chief Fire Officer of The West Midlands Fire Service who welcomed the 67 Members and 7 Visitors present:-

Apologies

The Honorary Secretary reported the receipt of 65 apologies from Members who were unable to attend the meeting.

Minutes

The minutes of the 1975 Annual General Meeting (previously circulated) were put to the meeting. It was proposed by K.J. WILLIAMS seconded by D. RILEY that they be accepted, this was agreed by the meeting.

Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

Chairman's Report

The Chairman of the Association Mr. B.W. C. Thacker in his opening address also greeted the members present, making particular reference to the welcome appearance of Mr. T.J. Metcalf a Founder Member of the Association and now one of its few Honorary Members. He continued "Last year at St. Albans I spoke on the changes that had occurred and during this year now ended our Scottish members have had experience of Local Government upheaval, resulting in great changes in our Scottish Branch, which thankfully however has kept in being and is still active.

During the year, the Midlands Branch of the Association has been reformed and we hope shortly to gather together the members in the appropriate area to form an Eastern Branch. This is in line with the general policy of the Association outlined at the last Annual General Meeting.

As with many other organisations, we have been caught in the spiral of inflation and the last year has been most difficult from a financial point of view. The income of the Association has been static for some years whereas costs have risen alarmingly. These rising costs have forced unwanted economies on us, resulting in publishing delays, cancellation of meetings and less support to branches than we would have wished.

In spite of these restrictions, our Association has remained in touch with the various official bodies dealing with petroleum explosive legislation particularly the Health and Safety Executive. In fact the Honorary Secretary has only recently had meetings with senior members of that executive and I have no doubt he will have something to say on that matter when he presents his report.

From the requests received by this Association for advice and for information from private, public and official bodies it is apparent that its views as an voice in the field of petroleum legislation safety are of great value. In my opin1on, it is the only body able to express views on this particular aspect of safety legislation without being subject to any outside influence, and as such, I believe that it is up to us as members to ensure that this Association remains alive and active and playing a vital role in the field of safe practice.

I am convinced now that this Association is at the cross-roads. It has made a name for good independent advice and unfettered opinion. It is respected for that and its views are sought, but re-organisation of local government has made inroads into our membership and rising costs have restricted our activities.

It is up to us here today to decide which way we will go, to resign ourselves and give up, which is the easy option or to hold what we have and improve upon it which will be harder but which also will be more worthwhile.

In conclusion, I thank you all for your support throughout the year, I thank the members of the Council and in particular, I must express my sincere appreciation to the Honorary Treasurer Cliff Peacock, the Honorary Editor Bob Holdaway and the Honorary Secretary John Frid.

I have been associated with these gentlemen for over a decade during which time we have had many ups and downs. Whatever has arisen they have always been there to help and advise without any thought for themselves. I could not have carried out my duties without them and they have made things easier for me. I am happy to know them and to have served this Association alongside them".

Following his report the Chairman suggested to ;llembers that he would take the Officer's reports first and accept any questions on their content at their conclusion. The meeting accepted this.

Honorary Secretary's Report

The Honorary Secretary commenced his report by quoting the current membership totals as follows: Members 175 Associate Members 142 and Bulletin Subscribers 41. These figures he said represented a slight loss of membership over the previous year, a loss which was solely due to retirements or change of occupation of the members concerned. The Honorary Secretary expressed his concern at the disappointing figures, and spoke at some length outlinging the vital importance of increasing the Association's support. He asked members to bear this in mind at all opportune times, and argued that if every member would recruit just one new member the Association's problems would disappear.

During the year, in response to the need for economies expressed at the 1975 Annual General Meeting, the Honorary Secretary reported that meetings had been kept to a minimum. Much of the Associations work had been carried out by correspondence and by meetings of officers on an informal basis. One meeting of the Emergency Committee had been held in Doncaster during February 1976.

In the period covered by his report the Honorary Secretary had received for comment the following items (a) Department of The Environment Motor Fuel Regulations: Health and Safety Executive Draft Regulations under Health and Safety at Work Act: and Draft Regulations for Special Premises: British Standards Institution Draft Fire Certificates. He further reported that he had attended meetings at The Health and Safety Executive, The Department of Employment, The Department of the Environment and the Home Office, in order to comment on behalf of The Association on matters of interest to the Association. The Honorary Secretary outlined the discussions which had taken place at these various meetings and asked that if all Members who had comments or suggestions concerning future legislation would contact him he would attempt to put these forward at future meetings which were planned.

The Honorary Secretary then spoke regarding Branch activities. He informed Members that the London and South East Branch had been active during the year, that inaugural meetings of The Midland Branch and Eastern Branch has been held or were shortly due to be held, and also that The Scottish Branch was being re-activated. Of the latter he informed the meeting that he had been in contact with Mr. J. Short the Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Branch and had been informed that a survey of Scottish Petroleum Officers had resulted in sufficient growth of membership to warrant the calling of the first meeting after the re-organisation of Scottish Local Government.

The Honorary Secretary stressed the need for an increase in capitation fees to Branches. "Branch activity must be encouraged", he said "for this is where the strength of The Association lies".

The Honorary Secretary in closing his report spoke briefly about the ever increasing costs of publishing the Bulletin. The last edition incurred costs of over £500 on it's production. He went on to explain that in conjunction with the Honorary Editor he had made enquiries about another printer, and the outcome of this may result in future issues being produced in a slightly differing format at a little over half the cost of the present publication. Finally, and as he said "to emphasise, the extent to which the Association's influence has spread", the Honorary Secretary reported that among new subscribers to the Bulletin was one from the Russian Acadamy of Sciences. The Honorary Secretary thanked his fellow Officers of the Association for their help and co-operation during the past year, adding, that without their encouragement and enthusiasm his task as Secretary would have been virtually impossible.

Honorary Treasurer's report

The Honorary Treasurer, discussing the Income and Expenditure Account for the year 1975, pointed out that the increase in miscellaneous printing was due to the necessity for re-printing the Association's Code of Practice, for which there has been a steady demand; that the increase in the postage account was due to the increase in postal charges: and that the cost of meetings had been pruned considerably by doing

much of the business by post and telephone a method that is only practicable when the committee is small. He pointed out that, while the balance in hand at the end of the year looked encouraging, it was only an illusion as there was a bill of more than £500 due for prsentation for the December issue of "The Bulletin".

He stated that there was one ray of sunshine, however, as the Inland Revenue Authorities had approved the Association for the purpose of Sec. 192 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act, 1970 so that the whole of the annual subscription will be allowable as a deduction from members emoluments assessable under Schedule E. This means that "with effect from the year commencing April 6, a member who is assessable to income tax under Schedule E in respect of the emoluments of an office or employment is entitled to a deduction from those emoluments of the whole of the annual subscription which is due and payable by him to the body in the Income Tax Year, provided that:-

(a) The subscription is defrayed out of the emoluments of the office or employment, and

(b) the activities of the society so far as they are directed to qualifying objects are relevant to the office or employment; that is to say, the performance of the duties of the office or employment, or the exercise of the profession concerned, is directly affected by the pursuance of the qualifying objects".

The Honorary Treasurer stated that to many members "The Bulletin" was as important as belonging to a branch and urged that the subscriptions be increased so that normal quarterly printing of "The Bulletin" could be resumed; the income tax concession made this possible without any extra cost to the members. He mentioned that the Honorary Secretary had found a way of printing that was much cheaper yet only slightly below the quality of the present method, so that normal publication once again became feasible, provided the extra funds became available.

In conclusion, he thanked the other members of the Emergency Committee especially the Honorary Secretary, for their support during the year.

Honorary Editor's Report

Mr. Holdaway informed the meeting, this would be his last report as "Caretaker" Editor. He stated that the appointment last year of Mr. J.B. Crewe, Bedfordshire County Council as Assistant Editor had been OI considerable value to himself and to Mr. Crewe, who was sole nominee for the Editorial post. He recommended his appointment reminding the meeting that Mr. Crewe who had assisted him at Shrewsbury had been involved in the work from the very first duplicated issue, and in Mr. Crewe's stewardsnip he had ever confidence for the future of the Bulletin. Mr. Holdaway regretted that the financial position of the Association had curtailed the number of issues published over the last two ,years. He reported the very heavy increase in printing costs and stated that the Honorary Secretary had made enquiries of the City of Cambridge Printing Department who could print the Bulletin to a high standard at approximately half the normal commercial cost.

The Editor reminded all present that this unique journal could only survive with the full support of the members contributions and suggestions, and in thanking all members and readers for such support, urged a continuation to the new Editor.

Upon the completion of the Officer's reports the Chairman requested the comments of the meeting. There followed some considerable discussion mainly concerning the Association's finances and various items contained in the annual accounts. Questions were answered by the Officers, and the Honorary Secretary in answer to a request from the Chairman, gave more detailed information regarding his latest meeting at the Health and Safety Executive Offices. Finally it was moved by D. Hall and seconded by E.W. Dean that the Officers reports be accepted, this was agreed by the meeting.

(a) Election of Chairman:-

The Vice Chairman of the Association MR. H.T.E. JACKSON (G.L.C.) was nominated and elected Chairman for the ensuing year. Upon his installation the new Chairman thanked the members for the honour of his election and expressed his belief in the continued value of the Association with whicq he had been concerned since its inception.

He regretted having done little for the Association on a national basis in his year as Vice Chairman but he had been involved in work of the South East Branch. He considered that the future value of the Association to Members would lie very heavily in the work of Branches. The South East Branch had managed to provide four meetings during the year with speakers on various interesting subjects and one visit to a pump ers premises which had been of value. He hoped that other branches would soon be formed and active.

(b) There was no nomination for the office of Vice-Chairman.

(c) Mr. J. W. Frid (Cambs.) was nominated and elected Honorary Secretary for the ensuing year. ,

(d) Mr. C.T. Peacock (Yorks.) was nominated and elected Honorary Treasurer for the 'ensulug year.

(e) Mr. J.S. Crewe (Beds. Assistant Editor) was nominated and elected Honorary Editor for the ensuing year. After his election the new Editor spoke to Members saying, "I would like to express my thanks to the members of the Association for the honour they have bestowed upon me in electing me as Editor of 'The Bulletin:

During the coming year, The Bulletin will endeavour to provide an even greater bond between members, and to remain one of the cornerstones of the Association as it always has been in the past, in the hands of its previous Editors Mr. Holdaway and Mr. Thacker.

May I, on behalf of everyone present, express our thanks to Mr. Holdaway for the great deal of hard work and dedication he has devoted to the Bulletin throughout his terms of office at its Edi tor Mr. Holdaway has always been a very real asset to the Association and to its Members and I hope he will continue to give us the benefit of his knowledge and experience for a very long time to come".

(f) Mr. R.P. Holdaway (Salop) was nominated and elected Honorary Liaison Officer for the ensuing year.

(g) There was no nomination for the office of Honorary Legal Officer and it was agreed by the Meeting that this be left open.

(h) Mr. A. Foster was nominated and elected Honorary Auditor.

Election of Council

The Honorary Secretary reported that he had received four nominations for membership of the Council of the Association. The meeting agreed that the following be elected MR. N.S. FOX (Warwicks), MR. F. KNOWLES (Bucks), MR B.O. LOWE (Beds.). MR. D.J. RIDDETT (Hampshire).

Election of Scrutineers

At the suggestion of the Honorary h t the appointment Secretary lt was agreed t a of scrutineers be made at any meeting where their services would be required.

Notice of Motion No. 1

"That the annual subscription to the Association be reviewed in order to recognise and remedy the present financial si tuation"

, introducing The Honorary Secretary ln this item commenced by reiterating the , hich he had remarks regarding membershlP w made in his annual report, and then drew 'athe attention of the meeting to the ASSOCl " h'ch the Honorary tions financial POSltlon w 1 blem I' d The pro Treasurer had so ably out lne i te " s basically qu facing the Assoclatl0n, wa t' organis a 10n simple he said, We had an d ' It ould be geare which was running well. c d , ' d t incre ase an up at any tlme ln or er 0 , It was expand its benefits to members, 1 ly because prevented from doing this so e, had combininflation and lack of membershlP , t' 's resources, ed to drain the Assocla 10n I tions t only two so u There were, he wen on, bership 'th increase mem to the problem, el er 'ncreas e I 'dicated or 1 as he had previous y ln 'Id enable subscriptions to a level that wou uch 1 ternative to s us to continue. The a A ciation's 'd' up the ssO action would be Wln lng Officer affairs. He felt that no or th AssOcla 1 , who had contributed to e hip had received the benefits of membehrs future th ht for t e ' could, if he had any oug , It , t'ons demlse, contemplate the ASSocla 1 'd in t Y contlnUe , was the Honorary Secre ar ,t ' t strlve 0 the interest of all of us, 0

improve the Association's viability and influence particularly at this present time when so much new legislation which is in the pipe-line will eventually bring new and difficult problems for its implementors the Council of the Association had given this problem a great deal of though and attention and had brought the Notice of Motion to the meeting in order that members could decide the Association's future.

The recommendation of the Council was that the subscription fees to the Association should be increased, and that every member be asked to make a special effort to increase membership in order that the future activities of the organisation can be assured and expanded.

The Motion was then put to the meeting for discussion. Many members spoke on the issues involved. It was pointed out that too great an increase in subscription could result in a fall in membership. This was countered by The Honorary Treasurer who reminded members of his Annual Report in which he had informed us that subscription to the Association would be a deductable item for income tax purposes. It was suggested that an approach to the petroleum industry for a grant or some other form of assistance might be one other method of easing the financial situation. This proposal was discussed and finally it was agreed that the Honorary Secretary and the other Officers should explore this possibility.

It was then proposed by D. HALL seconded by P. ROBINSON that the annual subscription for Members be increased to £6.00 per annum; that the annual subscription for Associates be increased to £7.00 per annum; and that capitation fees to Branches be increased to 0.50p per Branch Member per annum. The Chairman then put this to the vote and the proposal was carried, only two members voting against.

Notice of Motion No. 2

"That the following persons be elected Honorary Members of The Association. G.N. DEAN, ESQ., C.R. PESKETT, ESQ., H. GRIFFITHS, ESQ., DR. G.J. JEACOCKE, and G. ASHLEY ESQ.".

This was introduced by the Honorary Secretary who spoke at some length regarding the considerable help and advice which these gentlemen had so unselfishly given to the Association over many years. The Chairman and other Officers drew the attention of the Meeting to the great debt of gratitude which The Association owes to these colleagues and friends. The Chairman then told the Meeting that it was felt by The Council of The Association that the granting of Honorary Membership to these five gentlemen would be some measure of the Associations gratitude. The Motion was then proposed by B.W.C. THACKER, Seconded by J.W. FRID, and accepted unanimously by the Members present.

Any other business

Under this item The Honorary Secretary of the Midlands Branch drew Members attention to the next meeting of his Branch which was to be held at the Warwickshire Oil Terminal, Kingsbury.

Mr. B. LOWE of Bedfordshire raised the question of re-forming the old Anglia Branch. It was left for Mr. Lowe and The Honorary Secretary to arrange a first meeting at an early date.

The Meeting then adjourned for lunch at 12.45.

In the afternoon a most interesting talk was given by J.R. RUSSELL, ESQ., H.M. Deputy Superintending Inspector of Factories. He spoke of the work being carried out by the Health and Safety Executive, and gave Members an insight into some of the future tasks which the Executive had before it. His talk was followed by an interesting of question and answer, and at the end of this both sides had a good insigr.t into each others problems.

Mr. Russell was sincerely thanked by Mr. R.P. Holdaway for this talk, and inquisition by the Meeting, upon the conclusion of which the Members showed their appreciation in the usual fashion.

Finally, the Chairman, Mr. H.T.E. Jackson thanked the Chief Fire Officer for the West Midlands County Council, Mr. T. Lister, and his staff, for the excellent facilities which had been given to the Meeting, and for their help in making the meeting so SUccessful.

BRANCH REPORTS

EASTERN

Minutes of the Inaugural Meeting of the Eastern Branch held at the Cambridgeshire County Council, Fire and Rescue Service, Divisional Headquarters, Parkside, Cambridge, on Wednesday 7th July 1976.

Introduction

The meeting was opened by Mr. J.W. Frid, National Secretary of the Association who welcomed the 16 members and 3 visitors present:-

Mr. Frid, in his introduction, commented that branch activity within the Association was low compared with before reorganisation, and that there was a call from the membership for renewed branch participation. He reported that there had previously been an Anglian branch, and that it was now intended to reopen this as the Eastern branch of the Association. Mr. Frid then introduced Mr. J.S. Crewe, (Beds. C.C.), Hon. Editor of The Bulletin, and Mr. B.O. Lowe, (Beds. C.C.), Council Member. He then invited members to appoint officers to the new branch.

Election of Branch Chairman

Mr. T.A. Armstrong (Norfolk) proposed that Mr. Frid be elected Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. J. S. Crewe and agreed by the meeting.

Election of Branch Secretary

E. Brown (Cambs.) proposed Mr. J.S. Crewe as Secretary. This was seconded by Hr. ,T.". Frid (Cambs.) and agreed 'by the r:leeting.

Branch TIules

The Chairman then read through the rules of the old Anglian Branch, and there was general discussion of various matters associated with these. It was felt that the existing quorum for a branch meeting of 10 persons present should be retained, and that a branch fee of 50p per person be adopted. It was also felt that, with the present strength of the branch, a branch Executive Committee was unnecessary. After further discussion, Mr. T.A. Armstrong proposed that the old Anglian Branch rules be adopted as the rules of the Eastern Branch, and that a branch membership fee of 50p per person be levied. This was seconded by Mr. E. Brown and agreed by the membership. The chairman undertook to produce copies of the Rules for each Member of the Branch at the next meeting.

Branch Funds

The Chairman, Mr. Frid, reported that £16.02 remained from the branch monies of the old Anglian Branch. He proposed that:-

"Previous monies belonging to the old Anglian branch, amounting to £16.02, be taken over as the funds of the Eastern Branch".

This was seconded by Mr. E. Brown and agreed by the meeting.

Annual Timetable

The Chairman then went on to give a brief run-down of the sort of timetable that the branch should be aiming for, with its A.G.M. in April, prior to the Association A.G.M. , with an Autumn meeting initially and other meetings as they could be arranged. He then asked for suggestions from the membership for future venues, and various places were suggested.

General Discussion

The formal business of the meeting being over, a general discussion took place concerning various matters of interest, including a short talk by Messrs. Holland and Cook, of Forecourt Metrication Ltd., on conversion of forecourt dipsticks from imperial to graduations. A discussion of this tOP1C then ensued amongst those present. General dis-satisfaction was expressed at the ion whereupon tankers delivered to garages 1n . . . t th underground tank metrlc quant1t1es, bu e rial quant1t- dipsticks were graduated 1n lmpe ies. The Secretary was instructed by the membership to wri te to both the Hetrication Board and the Health and Safety Executive, , .' t' faction and to ask to express th1s d1s-sa 1S , for their views on the situation.

The meeting adjourned for lunch at 1.00 p.m.

.Forum

Following lunch, the meeting re-convened at 2.15 p.m., when a forum was held: matters of general interest were Y members, and in each case disCUSS 10n place, with members putting the1r own views and those of their author1t1es or , a wl'de range of topics within employers, on the Petroleum legislative and administrative fields.

This discussion continued until 3.45 p.m. when the meeting was closed by the Chairman.

MIDLANDS

The Annual General Meeting of the newly formed Midlands Branch of the Association was held at Warwickshire Oil Storage Ltd., Kingsbury, Tamworth, Staffordshire, on Wednesday, 19th May, 1976.

PRESENT

There were 14 members present.

APOLOGIES

4 apologies were received.

OFFICIAL WELCOME

Members were welcomed to Warwickshire Oil Storage Ltd., by the manager, who stated that the Company was formed to distribute oil products for various Oil Companies.

MINUTES

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Birmingham on the 23rd July, 1975 were confirmed and duly signed.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

There were no matters arising from the Minutes.

APPROVAL OF BRANCH RULES & CONSTITUTION

The draft Branch Rules and Constitution were approved.

BRANCH SUBSCRIPTIONS

It was approved unanimously that a levy of 50p per member be imposed to meet the cost of administration.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS & COMMITTEE

It was decided that the Officers and Committee who were elected at the previous Annual General Meeting in 1975, be empowered to carry on during the coming year.

DATE & PLACE OF NEXT MEETING

This was left to the discretion of the Officers and Committee.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

During the session various members asked if the secretary could contact the other sections of the industry i.e. the Explosives side, in order to try to boost the poor membership as it stood at the meeting. If .these people were in agreement to jOining the Association a better liaison would exist between the two sides.

Following the meeting a tour of Warwickshire Oil Storage Ltd., had been arranged in order that members could see the layout and discuss the problems which arise on a bulk storage depot.

After lunch members were visited by two Health and Safety Executive Officials, Dr. Johnson and Mr. Nimmo, who answered various questions on general matters relating to Petroleum and Explosive Legislation.

Finally the members were entertained by British Pipeline (U.K.O.P.) Terminal, a large Control Station used to alternate the flow of Petroleum Products from Liverpool to the Thames Es tuary.