The Bulletin – May 1996

In order to provide the best possible service to their customers, OPW Fueling Components have established a central warehousing facility for the United Kingdom. This is located at Newbury and is operated by Link Hampson UK Distributor for OPW Fueling Components.

e understand that quality, alllld CO lnl tlllrH.JIOIUIS product improvement are umpoirtall1lt to our Cl!..Jlstomers. And at IPetiroT"" IL ·u • ""comn1c, we don't stand

That' IL 5 we have developed a whole 111lew ge inerratuoll1l of UIPIP pope.

N ot jl!..Jlst atll1lotlhier !Pope, lbl!..Jlt a 111ew 1UJsnll1lg m a rnU1fac t1UJrrnli"ilg 1r1>rrocesses Wlhi IL • II m co rrporrate tlhie wo d d's most so lhi. P nstncated testnll1lg and prrocedllUlrres, ll1lew lhingherr of prrodui ct perrforrma li"ilce, a new rra01Jge of

designed fittings, and rigorous new standards of ciuality. All backed 11..1 p by an unmatched support service from design to installation the world over.

in other words, a comp lete system.

We are committed to the best at IPetroTedm1ik. T hat's why we've developed New UIPP

Come aind see New UPP for yo1U1rseff at Sta111Jd IE6 at the Foreco1U1rt Show at the NIEC, 4tlh 6th June. lbe co 1rwi011cedl there's on!y one sys tem for yo1UJ New UIPIP.

llnn; PETRO ECHNIK

r

New UPP Meeting new industry standards. · ·

The Bulletin

A company Limited by Guarantee registered in England No. 2261660

Administrator: Mrs Barbara Jacketts

Opinions expressed in this Journal are not necessarily the views (Free to Members)

£8.00

ISSN 0263 4597 of the Association

Talking Point Contents

The Technical Cordinating Body draft on petrol filling stations is almost complete and is the result of a large number of contributors in the Industry. This draft will be sent out for public comment around the middle of June. The document at the time of writing this is about 300 pages long, it is a pool of experience from a wide section of the industry with a lot of hard work put in from many APEA members. The publication date will depend upon the comments received, but it is planned that the document will be published in 1996.

If leak detection is to preserve the credibility it dese_rves manufacturers, Oil companies and operators MUST ensure that everyone dealing with the equipment fully understands it and calls out the regulators when the alarms sound.

NOTES&NEWS

LETTER TO EDITOR

PROSECUTIONS

PETROL TANK FAILURE

IP PIPEWORK SPECIFICATION

MALTA PETROL STATIONS

HEALTH ON THE FORECOURT

RISK ASSESSMENT IN WARWICKSHIRE

NVQ AT THE FILLING STATION

ELECTRICAL PANELS FOR FILLING STATIONS

NAT McCOY !RISH BRANCH SECRETARY CHRIS

JAMIE THOMPSON ED!T<JR

CAR FIRES AT PETROL STATIONS EXPLAINED

In Germany, in the last three years, more than .30 of gasoline/air-mixtures at public filling stations dui:ng refuelling of motorcars became s?m: of which resulted in the cars catching fire. The of incidents revealed in the majority of cases static electnc1ty as ignition source to which different influences contributed.

Today, many cars are equipped with filling made of non-conductive plastics. This prevents the of vehicle via the fillina nozzle and the electrically d1ss1pat1ve 0 filling hose unless special constructive measures have been taken. If, in addition, the tyres or the forecourt surface are made of non-conductive material, the whole vehicle is highly insulated. As the fuel is electrostatically charged while flowing through pipes and hoses, the whole vehicle will be charged up to some thousand volts during refuelling. In addition, it is possible that a highly insulated vehicle has already been charged by braking before the actual refuelling process is started. When parts of the charged car body are approached by a conductive object, e.g. filling nozzle or refuelling person, spark discharges will occur which are capable of igniting the explosive mixture formed by the displaced fuel vapours.

Even if the car body is earthed, electrically insulated conductors may present an ignition hazard when they are charged by electrostatic induction or contact and when electrical capacity is sufficient for producing an spark. A metal ring fastener for the filler cap to the insulating tank inlet tube is such an electrically lllsula.ted conductor, unless a dissipative path to the car body is provided.

During refuelling, the interior smface of the nonconducting inlet tube can be charged by the flowing fuel to an extent that brush discharges may occur at the metal h.Ihng nozzle. Model experiments indicated that these discharges could be incendive for fuel/air-mixtures. it has been shown that ianition hazards do not exist since the gasoline/air-mixture0 in the tank inlet tube cannot be ignited by brush discharges even in the case of approved gas recovery systems.

1 When persons leave their vehicles' seats, they can 1 ecorne. electrostatically charged and remain charged for some. tune. Discharging of the person in the area of escaping fuel vapours can create a hazard.

The following measures are recommended to avoid the ignition hazards discussed:

• sufficiently dissipative forecourt surfaces

• '-.Ufficiently dissipative filling hoses

• '-Ufficiently dissipative connection of the filling nozzle ..,upport in the tank inlet to the car body

• ..,ufficiently dissipative bonding of all conductive parts 111 the area ()f the tank inlet tube to the car body

• -.ulfic1cntly dissipative tyres

• <t\1>1d<incv <>I' charging of persons. e.g. by antistatic '\l"(l I"'

IRISH NEWS

Irish Pump & Tank Co. ( 1981) Ltd. are proud to announce that we have been for 9002 accreditation, our Quality Pohcy bemg to ful_fII 0 f objective to meet and exceed the needs and expectations o our customers.

To be the first Irish Pump and Installation Contractor in the oil related industry to achieve ISO_ 90?2 we. confident that the ongoing re-orgamsat10n company, together with the attained accreditation h1ghhghts our commitment to our customers.

· fforts

We wish to thank those who supported us m our e. · and we look forward to implementing our Quality m the areas of equipment supply, pipework maintenance of fuel dispensing systems and 011 tan er discharge.

YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE BRANCH

The AGM of the Yorkshire and Humberside branch held at the West Yorkshire Fire Service Training Centre, Oakroyd Hall, Birkenshaw, Bradford on 19 March 1996.

h members and The meetmg was attended by twenty t ree . commenced with the business meeting which mcluded the Treasurer's report and election of officers. Three. officers were elected; the chairman re-elected agam or 1996/97.

Chairman Treasurer

Clive Sweeting (North Lines Council)

Martin Oldknow (South Yorks Fire and Rescue Service)

Secretary and Branch Representative Steve Blanchard (North Lines Council)

Auditor

Roger Marris (West Yorks Fire Service)

After the business meeting, there followed a seminar the various types of underground pipework availa?Ie ie steel, fibre glass, plastic etc and the pros and cons ot each: A presentation was also given on the use of foam products for infill and other purposes.

The Presentations were given by:

British Steel Ameron

Dura Pipe Tank safe

Mr B Glover

Mr R Graham

Mr D O'Dea

Mr G Wheeler

At the conclusion of the pipework presentations open forum was held in which all members keenly parlic1pated. The meeting closed with the Chairman thank.in¥ all the speakers and members for a very enthusiastic meeting.

DURAPIPE, PETROL-LINE COILS

Following the successful launch of Petrol-Line Plus last November the system has been further extended to include 50 and I 00 metre coils. These have been used on a number of projects recently and helped to reduce the number of joints in the system and installation time.

The introduction of coils is only one of several planned additions to the range other innovative products will be available shortly.

Recent testing has shown that the integrity and performance of electrofusion joints can be affected by the use of site generators operating below their nominated rating. This leads to reduced power output and potentially insufficient energy being supplied to form the joint.

The Durapipe, Petrol-Line system incorporating a matched range of pipe, fittings (operating at 39.5 Volts) and Electrofusion Control Units are less prone to this problem as they are able to accommodate plus/minus I 0 per cent variations in input voltage. Notwithstanding this inbuilt margin of safety Durapipe do recommend that only fully tested and calibrated generators are used.

Users of Petrol-Line will know that Durapipe support their product with a comprehensive training programme. This training is undertaken 'Free of Charge' and can be completed either on site or at Durapipe's manufacturing base in Cannock, Staffs.

Durapipe personnel are also available for lectures and demonstrations on the design of electrofusion and PetrolLine systems.

More information can be obtained direct from Dennis O'Dea at Durapipe, Tel. 01543 279909, or please call on our stand at the Forecourt Show UK, June 3rd-5th inc.

What is lacking in the matter of CCTV is that so many references to the need for it are often anecdotal and subjective. There is no evidence to illustrate that incidents have occurred because it was absent, or have been avoided because it was present. Such statistics that are available support this view and one wonders how unattended selfservice sites manage without it if it is thought such an essential aid to safety.

Mr Sweetincr has the crrace to admit that we've managed 0 0 without it for 30 years so why do we need ti now, and that it is difficult to say when (if ever) it should be Despite this welcome honesty, some authorities see its installation as obligatory in any circumstances.

When considering CCTV, it is important to distinction between health and safety, and criminal activity at sites. Many site staff welcome the of such systems which help deter or detect cnmmals. These considerations will affect any unstructured research on the matter.

Most site owners/operators, certainly UKPIA companies do not seek to avoid implementing essential safety They are, however, naturally to unwarranted expenditure, as are Local Our view is not that CCTV is never required. The fact is we need to properly assess the risks to help decide it may k d t investicrate the be appropnate. The HSE has been as e 0 0 d · s/operators an matter. Perhaps the mdustry site owner bi. h . . h Id eek to esta is petroleum Iicensincr authont1es s ou s b ,, o d I th outcome e1ore mutually acceptable crmdance an P ace e t 0 h Id 't preven us the HSE. We may fail to agree but that s ou n trying to make a mature contribution.

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Howell

Letters to the Editor

Dear Sir.

Closed Circuit Television at Self Service Stations

I refer to the ite1:1 by Clive in Volume 34 of The Bulletin. and wnte. on behalf ot UKPIA.

.Whilst welcoming the of the matler, we strono-ly retute that secunng proper standards of are resrstecl tor budgetary reasons by the likes of UKPIA members. Of course. businesses have to take commercial dec.isio.ns. but to infer that the safety of others is unduly put at rrsk rs completely unacceptable.

Dear Sir,

CCTV Volume 34 No 1

r re uiring CCTV fo1: There may be a case fo. q_ experience this situation " . urt but 111 ou1 . . reasons on the 101eco · f ·ome unusual site feature d rs because o s is very rare an occu · · or design.

d •Y d insistence of one or two Unfortunately at CCTV is being fitted to · ·ts of the ((ll!nti Y · 1· · PLA s 111 some p.u · 11e 11 t to obtain a rcence ll1 · as 1 requ11 er standard layout srtes : ' t' 11•11 desio-n and layout have I h ah srtes o sun ' · e that county, a t nuc · · :I , II )\'er· tt1e country. and 1ndecd · II pentec .i t been successlu Y 0 ' 1.,111 f'J")!11 the other PLA·s. · " ·lent or col n: ' Europe wrthout !lllll

I 11 1,.y followed bv the one or two I · f ·t rrnte nat .1 pt t rs un or L 1 ,.se successful dialogue which exrsts reflects upon the ot 1e1 \\· r. .' h PLA wd the 011 mdust1y. between t e '

Yours sincerely.

J Thompson

London Fire Brigade

PROSECUTIONS

£2050FINES

Kent Trading Standards finally completed a prosecution on l 4th March 1996 at West Malling Magistrates Court against a company called Joyhill Ltd. and it's manager John Overton, the case having been adjourned on 5 previous occasions at the request of the defence.

The case arose following a lengthy investigation into. a leakage of petrol from a filling station at East Peckham m West Kent. On 28th December 1994 a call was received at the Department's Maidstone Office explaining that British Telecom had discovered that one of · their inspection chambers was full of petrol. On attending the local Petroleum Officer confirmed their findings.

On removal of the petrol, the Department continued to receive requests for attendance over several months. After each heavy rainfall the chamber refilled. It is estimated that some 3,000 litres of petrol and water were removed over a three week period.

The Officer who attended the first call-out visited the nearby filling station in East Peckham and began an investigation requesting their site records. However these records did not appear until 6th January 1995. On close examination it was discovered that the petrol delivery documents did not tie up with the wet stock control records. As the investigating Officer worked back through the records there was evidence of major discrepancies. When the site cashier was questioned about these discrepancies and other points the majority of the true records were then produced.

The Licensee and the manager were then interviewed in accordance with PACE when it came to light that there had been a major Joss of petrol of some thousands of litres Without any notification to the Department. The of the loss was due to a leaking underground tank which was 30 years old though initially only a suction line was discovered to be leaking. Jn addition there had been very little practical training of the cashiers on site.

It is impossible to calculate how much pet:ol. is in the ground but there has been an estimate that 1t .1s gomg to cost£ I00.000 to clean up the site. This not mclude the cost of closing the site or the of a 15m recovery well. The filling station has rem.amed closed. smce early 1995 and work continues in cleanmg up the site. In addition two neighbouring houses have been affected.

F tl 1·11'd aoainst both the our charges were subse4uen Y ' c · c1 . h h two of each were >mpany and the manaoe1 t oug Withdrawn followin the c- entry of guilty pl_eas. Pr d g ·t· h l · ·ensrng Authority _ocee ed on were failing to not1 Y t e ,ic. · of a le·ik ( d' · 17 d f' 1 ·1 1 ·no to marntarn 1ecrnds oi c con itmn J an a ctrai 111·ng. d 1 1 . · . 1-(ls (Jf inventory checks <1n a1 ure to mamtam reco · <condition 26 and 56 ).

F'111c · I' '·"'() · d . ·h cl1·1rge together s o 0 were impose on edc c • .• Wilh total costs of' £850 makino a total of f2050. In adcl1t1on. I he oi I company owning thee- site viewed the breach ol 111 "ilCc conditions as a breach of contract and evicted the 11 1;i11;1µer from the site.

LICENSEE PROSECUTED AFTER CUSTOMER IS SPLASHED WITH PETROL

The licensee of a petrol station at Morley near Leeds was charged by the West Yorkshire Fire and Civil ?efence Authority with four offences contrary to the Cond1t10ns of Licence following an incident where a customer was splashed with petrol.

In August 1995 the unfortunate customer was from head to foot in petrol when the nozzle she was holdmg suddenly became detached from its hose.

To compound an already dangerous situation the attendant failed to switch off the pump although the accident was clearly visible from the control point.

Fortunately the customer had the wit to stop the flow_ of petrol by placing an adjacent nozzle into the pump housmg of the detached nozzle. Then to make matters worse, the attendant allowed the customer to start the car, parked in a pool of petrol, so that it could be moved to another pump to continue refuelling.

After disputino a claim for compensation for her 0 damaged attire, the customer was allowed to dnve away without being warned of the dangers of wearing petrol soaked clothing.

As a result of receiving a complaint from the distressed customer, the incident was investigated by the PLA. the concern at the total absence of any proper it was decided that a prosecution was the most appropriate course of action under the circumstances. This decision was vindicated by the Magistrates when they imposed a significant larger penalty for the supervision offence.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the following offences heard by the Magistrates on 18 March 1996:-

Breach of Condition Part V (24a) (lack of proper supervision): Fined£ 1,500.

Breach of Condition Pai1 II (22b) (leaking hose): Fined £300.

Breach of Condition Part V (21) (failure to maintain training records): Fined £200.

Breach of Condition Part V (6a) (failure to keep the pumps securely locked when the premises are closed): Fined £300.

Petrol Tank Failure

By David Humphrey Woodward Kent County Council

Following the con s tructi on a nd co mmissioning of a ne w pe trol filling s tation two a nd half years ago, it came as a s urpri se o n the l 5th Nov e mber last to hear that th e pe trol compa ny s us pec ted a leak from o ne of th e 35 ,000 litres und ergro und petrol s torage tanks

The re port was rec e ived a t the M a ids tone Area Offi ce by the local Pe troleum Speci a li s t Officer who was a dvi sed th at some 200 litres of mono- propyl e ne g lycol mixture had been u sed over the past few .days to refill th e interstiti a l s p ace between the two s teel s kin s of th e tank.

It was agreed not to add any fmther liquid to the inte rs titi a l space but arrange for a press ure test to be condu c ted by th e tan k m a nufacturers. Thi s operatio n was carried o ut in the prese nce of th e Pe troleum Office r o n th e l 6 th November whe n a 3 p .s .i press ure failed w ithin JO ininutes.

It was now c lear that the ta nk had failed a nd th e nex t co nce rn was to asce rt a in if pe trol was esca pin g from it. To thi s encl th e co nte nt s of th e tank were c lose ly monitored over the nex t 24 ho urs with no loss of petrol. The co nc lu sio n was that the o ut er sk.in had failed but fo r w ha t reaso n ?

Ess o , the petrol com pa ny in q uest io n , decided that the next co urse of act io n wo ul d be to re move th e ta n k from th e g ro und for exa min at ion a nd rep lacement.

Fo rtun ate ly ha v ing used o ne of the new me th od s of in s ta ll at ion, the tank ·s re mova l s ho ul d not have proved too

k flled with pea grave l, CJ reater tas k h a vin g been bac 1 If th e o ld me th od of "' cted ex pe nse. a lthough s till an un ex pe bac k fill ed with co ncrete , in s ta llation had been used, I d t be a ba nd oned where it Id ba bl y ha ve 13 o th e tank wou P10 11 d in a nother locati o n was and a new tank ms ta e

N ber work began o n the · CJ f 27th overn

On the rnonun"' 0 G . F'!JinCJ Stati o n on th e A2 at f I t k at the ate I "' d h re moval o t le an ' d k was located Alrea y t e I . the fru le tan cl B ouahton w le1e 1 d b e ll broke n up a nd remove 0 b · the t'mk 13 e · concrete sla ovei ' u·ol Imel bee n re moved trom · l · llallllll CJ pe ' The pre viou s day t le ie! <. I addition of nitI-ogen gas. th e tank and it made safe wit l e '

lsln CJ w ha t co uld o nl y be t was now L o The co ntrac 01 . att ac hed to a road tanker ac uum pipe ' de sc nbed as a v, cl ts to suck o ut th e pea grave l d f · waste p1 o uc · ' no rm a ll y use . 01 ' It had been hoped that woode n fro m around th e cl cl w n between the adjace nt tank s s hutte rin g co ul d be fo il ce 0 md in CJ th ose tanks from fa llin g .d 1 pea CJrave s u11 OL "' cl to avo 1 t l e_ ' 0 1 fa il ed tank was re move into th e cav ity w he n t l e . t po ss i.ble a nd s ub sequ e n tly both ol tl s was no , Howevei , ·1 1 b , eX [JOsed but re main e d s tabl e d ue to I t· 1ks eca me , , th e o t 1e1 ai · , . . . . 1 o lclin CJ fast . Re m ov 1ng th e g ra ve l h t k-lash s t1 aps l "' t e an 1 ·ocess and co nt111u ed 111to th e even111 g. became a s ow P1 ·

k 11owed no s iCJ nS of s urface w e a r as th ey we re The ta n s s "'. . . . cl · .;:,1ct o ne co uld s till see the m a nul ac ture r s nam e ex pose , 111 " o n th e s ide.

Eventually the failed tank was lifted out by crane and laid to one side for examination. A s it was lifted one could see water pouring out of the apparent leak On examination, virtually on the base line on the underside of the tank, was found a small ·area about two inche s in diameter where the yellow polyurethane protective coating had broken away Thi s exposed the bare steel which was on one of the concentric welded seams. At this point, closer examination rev ea led no sign s of corro sion such as ru sting , yet where the steel plate s of the outer skin overlapped there was a form of indentation and speculation was that part of the weld was mi ss ing or had been damaged.

The lates t information is that the tank was cut into sec tion s and the failed portion has been submitted to an md e pen dent te sting authority.

Considerable time was taken the next day by the contractors in clearing the gap between the two tanks still in position in order to install the new tank It was necessary to remove the concrete slab over the two adjacent tanks to allow access for the back filling with pea gravel of these tanks as well as the new one. Neverthele ss the task was completed within a couple more days and the site back to full capacity the following week

Clearly this episode has demonstrated that the development of new technology in the petroleum indu stry has made great strides in protecting public safety and th_e environment. Yet perhaps there is still a failing when it comes to the manufacturer, transport or in stallation procedure s the human touch'

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INSTITUTE PETROLEUM'S PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION FOR UNDERGROUND

PIPEWORK SYSTEMS AT PETROL FILLING STATIONS

The provision of suitable pipework systems at petrol filling stations is a fundamental requirement to minimise safety and environmental hazards. Increasing concerns from industry and licensing authorities over leaks from metal pipework and difficulties in selecting suitable non-metallic systems have lead the Institute of Petroleum to produce a performance specification for all pipework intended to be installed at petrol filling stations. The aims of this specification are:

(i) to provide a common standard for industry and licensing authorities to use in assessing and accepting pipework systems using different materials

(ii) to identify and quantify m1111mum performance requirements commensurate with overall fitness-forpurpose.

(iii) to encourage improvements 111 performance of pipework systems to achieve increased reliability, stability, safety and environmental protection.

(iv) to form the basis for product type approval and certification.

objective of this notice is to advise a programme for the implementation of this specification. This prgoramme has ?een agreed with pipework manufacturers and suppliers, mdustry (through the IP), licensing authorities (through LACOTS), the HSE and the NRA.

Proposed Implement t" T" b a 100 1meta le and Requirements General

In accordance with th f ll · b . .. e 0 owmg tunetable all pipework systems e certified as meeti·na th · o e requirements of· tl1e IP'· Performance Specification. · s

Timetable

1. New Systems/Products

From 1.10.96 all new s ·t ·/ · · · · · ys ems P1oducts mtroduced (111clud111g add1t1onal components · . ·. · . · 01 pipe sizes which extend ex1st111g systems) should be cei·t·t·· d . . . · t' h · · 1 ie as meetmu the requirements o t e spec1f1cation. 0

2. Existing Systems/Products

Systems and products which have been · ·t· II i 1 . . 1 1 t 11 ms <1 el anl comm1ss1onec at petro 1 mg stations witl1 t·I · 1e agreement of Petroleum L1cens111g Authorities prior to 1 l' 6 d d . 1. may contmue to be use un er current arranaen1e t. I . h . . 1 o 11 S LI p to .10.97, provided t ey a1e 1kely to be cei·t·11·1 · 1 1 · · tX rom I. I0. 97. Where advice needed. guidance should be sought from regional licensmg co-ordination "TOLIIJ. b s.

From 1.10.97 existing systems and products should not be accepted for installation unless they have been certified as meeting the requirements nf the specification.

3. New Construction

New construction is defined as the installation of any new lengths of pipework and fittings which are not just an exact replacement of part of an existing installation. For such new construction, existing systems/products installed and commissioned at sites prior to 1.6.96, and which are likely to achieve certification as meeting the requirements of the specification, may be used. After 1.10.97 only certified products should be used for new construction.

4. Repairs and/or Replacements

A repair and/or replacement is defined as a new s_ectlon of pipework installed for the sole purpose of an existing length of pipework. Approvals may contmue to be given for the use of existing pipe systems and products for this purpose.

Galvanised Steel Pipe

Galvanised steel pipework is known to have relatively short periods of use as a result of poor mstallat10n practices or corrosion. These potential problems mean that galvanised steel pipework will not meet the new IP Performance Specification. It is _that galvanised steel pipe is not installed at petrol f1llmg stat10ns after 1.10.96 unless:

(i) a risk assessment for the proposed installati?n shows d D ty risks are that the environmental an sa e acceptable.

(ii) the pipework is pro_vided containment or leak detect10n

(iii) the pipework is intended for paragraph 4

Alternative protection for which, it is specification.

with secondary repair work as in

· k s·ys·tems with corrosion steel p1pewor · the pipe and its joints are now available expected, will ·meet the performance

Third Party Certification

·i-- t. tint 1 system or product meets the The cert1 1ca 1011 ' ' ·. · , , .- d . t· 1 ·pecificaoon should be ca111e out by a reqmrernents o t 1e s I T d't d ·ipprl1val body or test 10use. he · . J1 acc1 e 1 e ' ' . . Y . p . 1 1111 will keep a list nt such o.rgan1sat1ons Institute ot etio eL . d . · , · . b dies such as LA COTS to ete11111111.: who ·rnd will rele1 to o · · h.. · ' tl list Acceptance on to t 1s list will should be on 1e 1 · · · evidence nt comp iance with an normally requne . , . . I ·t· 1chrd tor c1ua!Ity ,1ssu1<1nLe. 1nternat1ona s ai '

I ·pl)ses of certification of pipewl.)r!Jsvste111s For t 1e pu1 · · , · 1 · ·i1 not be necessaiy t01 the tests to h<1ve be\.'!1 ·1pprova II WI • ' . i t t1y the cerlitymg body. 11 they have not. the carnel ou 1 t1·idy will he ex1)ected to review and reco111111eml cert1 y1ng l t ,, l)f. tll" test data and 1esults sub1111ttecl to them accep anlt: · ·

Anv concerns with rt'gard to certification of a partindar systc 1 ;1 or product will. where_ approprialL': be addrL'ssecl b) a.joint LACOTS/HSE/IP Ad\ 1snry Co111rn1ttee.

MALTA TAKES A STEP TOWARDS EUROPE

By Jamie Thompson

O n Fe bru a ry 25 thi s yea r a se min a r o n pet rol fillin g safe ty was he ld in Malta w ith co ntribut o r s fr o m th e U K. Ma lta a nd Be lg ium to g i ve prese nt a tion s o n th e c on s tr uct io n re quire m e n ts fo r se r v ice sta ti o ns in E uro pe a nd !h e reas o n s be hind th e s ta ndar ds T he se min a r was o rga n ised by G e o rge Fe l"f"u g ia of Powe r pla n (Ma lta) Ltd and was we ll att e nd e d by ove r 80 of t he se r v ice stat io n w h o a re k now n in Ma lta as the G RTU o r th e of Ge ne ra l Re ta il e rs a nd Trade rs

There are approx 100 service station on the islands. of Malta and Gozo which not only serve the people who live on the islands but the large number of tourists who visit the islands. Petrol is imported to the islands by sea to a large storacre facility in B'Bucria and is distributed from the b b terminal by the Government owned Enemalta corporation. This company also imports gas for the islands (LPG) and produces electricity from the Oil fired power station.

An enthusiastic supporter of the move for upgrading the service stations come from the Minister for Environment Mr Ninnu Zammit who was hopeful that the Government would ease planning restrictions and also allow the development of the service stations to include convenience stores.

The Chairman of Enamalta Mr Joe Vincenti explained that at present, the service stations should be developed by their owners with assistance comincr from Enemalta who b would allow other services such as mini markets, car washes and Gas cylinder sales to help promote extra sales. In addition a I cent extra profit per litre would help the service station owners with the investment.

There was great enthusiasm from the majority of service station owners who wanted to know how the new technology worked and the costs of installing double skin tanks , plastic pipework , separators and new canopies.

A tour of the islands service stations revealed a mixture of situations some which I considered to be dangerous, and others in positions to cause possible environmental damage. One in particular in the photographs showed a suction expo sed for cars to run over and wiring to the pumps which was expo sed on the forecourt service. I am happy to report that thi s site was the first to be redeveloped and at the time of writing thi s work is almo st completed.

A Malta petrol tank has typically been manufactured by s mall metal fabricators with tanks constructed to no recogni sed standard s, the tank s I saw had flat ends , poor con struction and left much to be de s ired. The enthu s ia s m for the tas k in hand has meant that already a m a nufacturing plant in Malta has been sent a c o py of the Europ ea n s tandard on tanks

Pipe wo rk ha s traditionally bee n s te e l a nd ba ckfill for tank s and pipe wo rk has bee n rubbl e S o me of th e petrol s ta tion s are s ituated very c lose to o th e r ho uses a nd th e G ove rnm e nt has bee n ad vised of th e ri s k assess m e nt a pp roac h used in th e UK

T he law o n kee pin g pe tro l was m ade in 1955 a nd is base d loose ly o n UK la w w ith th e s tat e O il Co mp a ny E ne m a lt a res po ns ibl e fo r e nfo rc in g s uc h lega l require m e nt s

The need for improved operating standards and procedures was recognised by the engineers of Enemalta who may well be visiting Europe in the future to aain some b experience 111 the techniques used.

Perhaps. the best example of an entrepreneur not quite und_erstandmg the engineering requirements for a petrol station was one that has been built in Valletta on top of a multi storey car park. The filling station is complete in that

1 d re there but they the building, canopy and pumps is an s a 1 ' now have to fi aure out where to put the tanks· b

It is likely to remain in this state for some time. h APEA now has so me

I am happy to report that t e · 1ng a k f . 1ard to rece1v ' members in Malta and we loo 01 \\ station on h f of the service ' report on progress on t e utlll e these lovely islands.

Preventable Health Measures in the Forecourt Environment

By Margaret Bozdan Principal Needwood Training Associates-P.O. Box 233, OX17 2YU

Alcohol and drug use or abuse is a subject of growing concern for many major companies and especially within the area of working on a petrol forecourt service station, where the contractor or the sub-contractor is responsible for the work carried out, and answerable to the major clients if there is an incident or accident caused by someone under the influence of the effects of alcohol or drugs.

Already major oil companies are issuing strict guidelines for contractors and sub-contractors to draw up an Alcohol and Drug Use and Abuse Policy, involving a of testing for designated employees and where reqmred, regular fitness checks.

Recent media reports indicated that by the year 2005 the UK will experience a significant wave of drugs abuse in the workforce unlike anything known in this country.

Here are some statistics:-

• Alcohol Concern has calculated that over 14 million days are lost in the UK because of alcohol abuse.

• Estimates put the hidden count of problem drinking at 2 to 2.5% of payroll annually in lost productivity. Therefore a company with a pay bill of £200,000 will lose £5000.

• The BMA indicate that 60% of workplace fatalities and 15% of accidents are alcohol related.

• Measured in terms of accidents, lost productivity, crime death or damaged health, the combined social costs of problem drinking in the United States have been estimated to exceed 89 billion dollars annually.

present under the Health and Safety at Work Act £ 4 , the employer must ensure that employees and others Otbre1 not put at risk by work activities which therefore 1ges th I ' fell · e emp oyer to ensure that no employee endanaers ow employe t k d o of 1 es a wor ue to bemg under the influence n a coho! or drugs. Under common law the employer will be held vicariously liable for the actions of one 711m ployee towards another where work activi.ties are vo ved Any p h . · ma erson w o uses or misuses alcohol or drugs breach. of s.7 of the Health and Safety at ea,., et, which requires that employees take reasonable (> the'.n.1·:ti•es and others who may be affected b their ll< 11 or om1s.1·w11.1· at work. · y

S also have a responsibility under the Health .1 d : at Work Act to provide a safe working 1''.t: should also. be_ to promote good for employees. An 111d1v1duals health, both physical c1nd mental, is critical to the quality of their work and therefore an essential factor in competitive success.

In examining the work place for contractors working on ' husy petrol forecourt service station. there is an added

hazard in the form of petroleum vapour which can exist in recognised areas, (zones 0, 1 & 2) and extra safety precautions will be required to control the potential risk of explosions or accidents.

Increase demands on competent contractors to supply their services to the oil companies means in many circumstances that the employees of the contracting firms may well be placed under pressure to work away from the base location, home and family leading to increased stress levels. Long working days and early morning starts may increase the risk of alcohol remaining in their systems when they start out on the road to work. The contractor may well be taking medication prescribed from his or her GP to the employer or may have medication over the counter not realising that they contam substances that impair their reactions or cause drowsiness.

Alcohol is an anaesthetic, at low levels it does have a stimulating effect (Kalant 1975), but this is soon overtaken by a depressant action affecting the central nervous system, control complex thinking, feeling, behaviour, concentration and insight are dulled. In environmental terms one can expect that disinhibited behaviour, judgement and restraint are impaired, along with, emotional and muscular control.

Many employers have policies which identify alcoholwork problems and provide help for the problem dnnker. Yet many do not. An alcohol and drug testing programme can take many forms, such as:-

• pre employment

• reasonable suspicion

• probable cause/for cause

• random or unannounced testing

• testing to transfer/promotion

• on return from treatment testing

Such testing remains controversial since a positive can lead to an employees dismissal. It is therefore importan to have all the factors in place within a drua and alcohol policy. This should include the following

f ddroa

• a statement o need for example a documente 0 policy, or .concerns about productivity, e111ployee health and fitness, or employee public safety;

• a statement of purpose _ for example employee health, and safety and productivity, and company competitiveness

• employers responsibilities

• employee responsibilities

• disciplinary actions

One should also remember the human factor in this, as a result of a celebration or a family trauma a positive result may be established albeit on a very low level. This will have to be taken into account when taking disciplinary action as this may give rise to the potential for a protracted employee claim for unfair dismissal.

It is cost effective for any employer large or small to invest in a drug and alcohol use and abuse policy. A policy can reduce absenteeism, ill health, poor quality and quantity of work and the need for disciplinary action.

Screening employees does not guarantee a drug free environment, however there may be a commercial benefit to companies who screen candidates, pmticularly at the pre employment stage and in sensitive industries.

The number of people presenting themselves on the job seeking market place with established alcohol and drug abuse problems is increasing and will continue to do so.

Clearly employment of alcohol and drug abuse victims might require expensive professional support and advice in future years.

Safe Working Environment

Employers also have a responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act to provide a safe working environment.

Petrol is now classified as Carcinogenic (category 2). Regulation 7 of COSHH now applies to petrol. Consideration of the controls contained in the Carcinogens Approved Code of Practice is required, and this is aimed at minimising peoples exposure to carcinogens.

Presently the Department of Environment is undertaking an exercise to measure benzene levels on service station forecourts to establish whether the levels constitute a health hazard to the public and anyone working in a service station

environment. The results of these tests will be anonymous and will be shared with the industry once all the results have been collated.

Health surveillance is advised under COSHH and the extent of the surveillance's should be determined and reviewed during COSHH assessments. The COSHH Regulations require employers to inform employees the risks to health created by exposure and the precautions to be taken. For those involved coming into contact with petroleum product and vapour on a regular basis there should be ongoing information and training in the following:-

• the nature and degree of risk as a consequence of exposure

• the control measures adopted, including any personal protective equipment required

• the reasons for personal protective equipment and clothing, the jobs where they are to be used and how to use them properly

• the role of control measures and the need to report promptly any failings

Summary

Protecting those who are potentially exposed to and safety hazards through effective controls, can m the provision of necessary data to make measured to improve the health and safety in the working environment.

There are positive aspects for employers who inves_t in health and safety issues, as this will project a · · this present clunate of proactive company. Taking act10n m · bi" f h · ployees and the pu 1c concern for the safety o t eu em · ak h". . . d ly those who m e t 1s will be a challengmg exercise an on commitment will survive.

Introducing New Licence Conditions and Risk Assessment Procedures in Warwickshire

By A F Levett, Deputy County Trading Standards Officer

January the of edition 2 of the LACOTS Petroleum Licence Cond1t1ons and the HSE d · p t I A . , ocument "Dispensmg e sse_ssmg and Controlling the Risk of Fire and Explosion dt Sites where Petrol St I d F 1.. 1 1s Oiel ,m Dispensed as a ue : n February we faced the reality of putting the contents of both documents into effect!

In Warwickshire. premises arc issued with an annual licence with the renewal dates equally into the separate months of the year. I am sure this is common practice. The renewal process starts some 2 months before the licence expires. We plan to issue the new conditions at the renewal stage over the coming 12 months. However the administrative arrangements that have to be put in place

b· , 1 of licensees to receive the new mean the fllst <1tc 1 t"I M·iy The followin° steps conditions will have to wait un I ' , . t imiJlement the nt:\\ <.:ond1t1ons.- have been necessmy o

• obtain the approval of the authority

· tl licence conditions in the Warwickshire

• repnnt 1e 1 1 style (we have decided to reta111 t 1e denoting changed text)

• prepare an letter to go out to tlw l.icenst'L's drawing attention to the req.uireml'nt tor nsk assessment and reminding them ol tht· need for routine tank and line testing according to an agrel'd schl'duk

• add site-specific conditions to individual copies of the licence conditions where necessary

• re-train officers in the contents of the conditions

• reissue on a rolling cycle with licence renewals.

The estimated cost of this work is £2,500.

We decided that the introduction of the new risk assessment procedures meant changing the way we inspect petrol filling stations. We have already warned our licensees using the PETEL information circular of the impending changes (this cost us £350) and now propose the following steps:-

• Introduce licensees to the need to risk assess at the time of the next renewal. Thus the need will roll out over the following 12 months. We shall also inform them that an assessment must be carried out by the date of the subsequent renewal. In theory, every petrol filling station in Warwickshire should have been risk assessed by May 1997 at the latest.

• Inform licensees of their obligations including our to buy the HSE document. (We have identified a local source where they can obtain one).

• Notify small sites that we will give additional help if they try to risk assess and fail. We are concerned that so.me small private and farm installations unfamiliar With the detail of petroleum installations will find the process difficult. We do not intend however to carry out the assessment for them.

• We may use seminars to inform licensees. We have done so previously but we want to see how the new document works in practice.

A critical step in the process will be the re-training of officers to understand the risk assessment procedures and how we expect the site inspections to be conducted. It will become an audit of site arrangements including the risk assessment, stock records, staff training records, site maintenance records and be based on the site register. We do not expect to validate every risk assessment but conduct a programme of reviewing a proportion. We will be much more interested to ensure the licensee has in place a regular programme of inspection and testing rather than relying on us lifting every manhole cover and looking inside every pump.

Since the recommended reintroduction of tank and line testing, Warwickshire has been happy to agree with a licensee a site-specific programme based on the needs of that particular site. If the site does not present a programme for agreement, then we will require the site to follow Warwickshire's tank and line testing policy. This is based on the HSE recommendations recently updated in a PETEL circular. We have found this practice works extremely well.

In short there is a lot to be done but we have decided the best thing to do is bite the bullet and get on with it.

Adrian Levett is a Fellow of the APEA, Chairman of the LACOTS Petroleum Working Group and a member of the HSE Steering Group reviewing petroleum legislation.

THE EMPEROR'S NEW MANIFOLD

By Mike Elst f o . on o PW Fuelmg Components

The new TC 8 .. HS(GJ4 I'' ·. · · guidance. popularly known as "Son of Is now at th f I allowable opt' e. ma draft stage. It will detail the Recovery · for lllstallation of Staae I B Vapour · · ll1 llle With th c emissions TI . . e recent EU directive on VOC i1s new doc . . h . predecessor . Ji ument Ill common wit its " ows for . t II I . h I I manifolding 1 ·. ms a at1on ol i1g eve o vent I mes ·it · health and s·iJ' . · ' se1v1ce stations. However. as a . , ety issue or ·1. f k high level manir Id' cs pa1t.o ans assessment. 1s 0 ing c1 viable opt1on'J

For many sites . <>ver the nex• 11 · • install mg Stage I B Vapour Recovery ' i1ee years ll b I rend t·rnk,. · · wi ea egal requirement. As the 1 ' cj' Cl I'.. onJy J1ttecJ With One Vapour connection the ..,, l' is aceci with two initial choices: ..

;i ! li1 ;1 va1Jour 'tll· I ' <1p or lo each UST vent line which Y\<1uld illl"ln I _ ' on Y one tanker compartment could be ()I I le iaded <tl any one lime.

1,, 111;1n1lold exist . · 1ng vent I Illes to a common vapour 1(J;1Jll<>r "II lilL' '"t'I'\. · ' ' ice stal ion encl.

In most cases option a) is unacceptable to all parties, as the time taken to complete the drop is excessive.

There are three methods of installing option b)

• Below ground manifolding.

• Low level above ground rnanifolding.

• High level above ground manifolding.

It is generally agreed that the most efficient method for returning vapour to the road tanker is below g:round manifolding. Obviously. this is not always as a retrofit operation and therefore the majority of conversions on existing sites have been low level above ground manifolding. There have always been a small number of sites fitted with high level above ground manifolding. indeed the first UK Stage I B site. at Lough ton. had a high level manifold. The general reasoning behind this appears to have been that high level manifolding negates !he need

for crossover protection, which is generally considered to be essential for low level and below ground manifolding.

Recently there has been a trend in some areas to install high level manifolding at sites without an overfill prevention device. The rationale is that, in the event of an overfill, product will only travel up the individual vent pipes until it is equal with the level of the product in the road tanker. Therefore, there will be no product leakage or cross-contamination. In reality, this option is being used as a cost-saving exercise. Although this option is still technically allowed within "Son of HS(G)41 ",there are two major questions that need to be answered relating to safety and the environment:-

I. If there is an overfill of the UST, and the level of the product in the vent pipe is now equal with the level of the product in the tanker, how does the driver empty the hose? Even when the outlet valve on the tanker has been closed, the level of the product in the vent pipe will be considerably higher than the level of the product in the delivery hose. Therefore, the hose will remain full. The driver would have to wait until several vehicles have refuelled, with fuel from that particular UST, before it is possible to drain the hose. This may not necessarily be a problem, if the site is open and relatively busy. However, what happens if the site is not busy, or even closed? Many city centre sites now take deliveries at night. With the advent of DCDs, the driver may be the only person on site. Tanker drivers have some leeway on their schedules, but these have normally been carefully planned to achieve the maximum number of deliveries per shift. Can we be sure that the driver will not uncouple the hose anyway and rely on the interceptors at site to cope with any spillage? Even if there is another UST of the same grade on site, is it possible to disconnect a full hose from one fill point and connect it to another without any spillage of product?

2. In the event of an overfill, product will probably have been flowing through a 4" hose and 4" fill pipe into the UST. It will not travel through a 2" vent pipe at the vel_ocity. A volume of liquid passing into an openmg, which has a much smaller diameter will start travel a much higher velocity. For example, this 1s the basis of a spray nozzle on a oarden hose. As a si_mple ?uide, liquid passing from a0 4" pipe into a 2" pipe will_ travel at_ four times the velocity in the s1:naller than It was travelling at in the larger pipe. is related to the square of the diameter of each section of· pipe, i.e Consequently. when product the vent pipe, 1t will be travelling up the v:nt pipe at a _mt!ch greater velocity than the rate at which the lev:I 1s Jailing in the road tanker or risino in the UST. t1_ reasonable to assume that when two levels co111c1de, the product in the vent pipe will suddenly come to a c?mplete halt? I would suonest that there are two possible scenarios which give for concern:

• The velocity of the product causes it to travel beyond the equal levels height" until it enters the manifold. Product can then enter other tanks which are linked by the manifold. resulting in a product crossover. The consequences of such a crossover have been well documented recently: they can be serious. far-reaching and costly. Drivers of cars with catalytic converters beware.

• Generally, on a high level manifold, the PN valve is situated at the top of one of the existing vent pipes, in effect, the other pipes are manifolded into it. Again, the velocity of the product causes it to beyond the "equal levels height" and, because it_ is in line with the PN valve, come into contact with the pressure venting mechanism. As we know, this is only set at 35mb and may be opened by a volume of product as well as by vapour. If some of the product passes through the PN valve, it probably be deflected upwards after passmg through a gauze. The similarity may now be made with a garden hose with a sprinkler attachment.

Let me declare my interest in case anybody is not clear on this point. OPW make both overfill devices and crossover protection valves. Installat10n of high level manifoldino without either safety feature, means a reduction our potential market. However, in mind risk assessment, environmental respons1b1hty and commercial considerations I do feel that somebody should tell the emperor that all not as it appears with his new manifold. Would anyone else care to step forward_ specifiers, regulators, installers or am I just a lone vmce in the wilderness?

N.V.Q. AT THE FILLING STATION

By John Fuller

In 1992, the Petroleum Employers' Skills the body responsible for vocational standards . m the downstream oil industry, agreed to set up a working group of industry specialists to produce a job standard for the legislative requirements of operatmg a petroleum filling station. The intention to put _together a standard which would reflect the trammg reqmrements contained in the Appendix to HS(G) 41.

The London Fire Bricrade Petroleum Inspectorate agreed to join the working group contributed a great deal to the work.

After approximately 12 months' work, three j?b competence National Vocational umts were passed to the National Retail Training Council be added to their National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications for all types of retail operations.

The units and elements are titled as follows:

Receiving Deliveries of Fuel

i) Prepare to Receive Deliveries of Motor Fuel ii) Carry Out Legislative and Organisational Requirements on Vehicle Arrival. iii) Receive Fuel Deliveries

iv) Return to Normal Operating Status

Preparing to Receive and Confirm Driver-Controlled Deliveries of Fuel

i) Carry Out Pre Delivery and Tank Inventory Checks

ii) Carry Out Post Driver-Controlled Delivery Checks

Maintaining Operational Effectiveness of Equipment

i) Clean Equipment

ii) Carry Out Routine Inspections of Equipment and Replace Consumables

They now form part of the Distributive Occupational Standards Council (the successor to NRTC) level 2 job qualifications for retail workers, as optional extra units.

It soon became apparent. however, that these units were adequate to cover the whole function of running a forecourt. In 1995, PESC obtained agreement from the Department for Education and Training for a project, paid for by them, to produce additional units which would cover all remaining aspects peculiar to running a forecourt operation. but not covering any of the shop retailing aspects.

This exercise, using as a nucleus working group those who completed the earlier work, is now complete and the N/SVQ units are shortly to be field-trialled to ensure they are accurate and workahle. After that. they will he sent for accreditation by Council for Vocational Qualifications and the Scottish Vocational Education Council.

It is hoped that they will be available for use by the. industry hy September 1996. Again. the draft units and t"lements are follows:

< ontrnl fuel Dispensing and Authorisation Equipment

11 brnhle safe dispensing of fuel

111 Monitor the safe dispensing of fuel

111 l Tr;1nsfer lr;111saction to point of sale

Contribute to Health and Safety Within the Fuel Dispensing Area

i) Monitor and maintain the health and safety of self, colleagues and members of the public within the fuel-dispensing area

ii) Monitor forecourt activities to control risks to the fuel-dispensing area.

iii) Take emergency action

Receive Deliveries of Motor Fuel

i) Prepare to receive deliveries of motor fuel ii) Carry out legislative and organisational requirements on vehicle arrival.

iii) Receive fuel deliveries

iv) Return site to normal operating status

Prepare to Receive and Confirm Driver-Controlled Deliveries of Motor Fuel

i) Carry out pre delivery nd tank inventory checks ii) Carry out post driver-controlled delivery checks

Maintain Operational Effectiveness of Forecourt Equipment i) Clean equipment ii) Carry out routine inspection of equipment and replace consumables

Dispense Fuel to Customer Requirements

i) Dispense fuel ii) Monitor the safe dispensing of fuel

The intention is to ensure that it is possible for an employer to have a full range of job competence standard he or she can offer to employees working on a forecourt. In particular, the industry can ensure that those staff engaged on work with legislative and/or safety requirements are fully job competent.

PESC intends to publicise the standards extensively across the industry and to ensure they are backed up with the training needed to meet them.

List of Working Group Members

David Revill

Trevor Baker

Jackie Paton

Kate Randell

Robert Swann

Rory Hennessy

John Browning

David Burns

Malcolm Flippance

Ray Lee

Phillip Monger

Steven Parker

Jean Stanley

Sharon Brengosz

Jerry Killinger

Barry Fitz-Patrick

John Emhling

Conoco Esso Gulf Gulf Kuwait

London Fire Brigade Mobil Mobil MITSC MITSC

Petrol Retailers Association Polygon Retailing J. Sainsbury Shell Texaco Total

Main Distribution Panels for Petrol Stations and Motorway Service Areas

By Tony Tomlyn

I The present trend.

In order to reduce retail construction costs some companies are reducing the specification for the Main Electrical Distribution Panel.

This is in my opinion a serious retrograde step and will lead to increased running expenses for the retail end user.

This may lead to the reduction in the use of RCCBOs "Residual Current Circuit Breaker Overloads" and a comparatively small amount of construction expense may be saved in this area.

The RCCBO provides complete fault protection for each circuit which means that if an item of equipment fails then only the one circuit is affected. It is immediately obvious to both the site staff and the electrician what is at fault and makes for easy diagnosis and a quick safe repair.

Any downgrading will lead to very many more expensive and time consuming electrical faults where if an earth fault develops (and these are the most common) at least part of the installation will be switched off. This is due to the fact that in the slightly cheaper panels an RCD controls a bank of circuit breakers and will cut off their supply in the event of a vault. Cash losses at the site will greatly outweigh the extra cost of incorporating RCCBOs. Ref. note no 3 & 5.

Intelligent Mains Panels Condition Monitoring

2. Advanced technology

Another area of technology which is developing will most probably exceed the ability ?f the c?mmon electrical contractor to build panels but will provide the customer company with the tools to again imp1:ove. simplify and reduce tl Performance of sites and ma111tat11 p1oduct1v1ty. Site on 1e f' · " · d · downtime or even the loss of part o a site 1or a per10 ot 11 cat1se cash flow problem. t1111e ea ' · ·

3. Current Panels, development.

, · p'111els have been developed over years of Current mdll1 ' · d RCCBO . , d feedback and use cascade s to t"on which allows each circuit complete Provide d1scnm11M 1 · 1 • • I . · ·t y form oJ- tau It. If a tau t occm s t 1en Protect10n a 0 ams an · · c ·. ·t is ,1ffected leavinn the rest of the site the clll all conductors at the fault. fully enero1set ,1n Thus fullyccomplying with all current Regulations.

I · · 1·p(11··1te automatic !inhtin°

Most modern pane s mco ' . . c c control and emergency lighting automatic testmg. A processor is used in these panels to control the automatIC lighting facility which switches lighting on off in preset groups according to ambient ltght levels. (this has proved a considerable energy saving). This same universal processor can be cascaded to provide telemetry and circuit condition monitoring.

4. Advanced Panels

Advanced Distribution Panels can be produced to provide the following:-

Graphical computer time related readout or hard copy (from computer) in a microsoft or IBM compatible "windows" format is available for all remote monitoring locations using a PC.

a. Energy Monitoring

* Overall site electrical energy monitoring

Individual circuit energy monitoring, eg:-

* Shop lighting

* Canopy lighting

* Signage lighting · * Air conditioning consumption * Car wash consumption

* Others as required

b. Circuit Condition Monitoring

Circuit condition monitoring relates to current leakage which is directly proportional to insulation breakdown etc. This means that as circuits are monitored then their health is monitored and any deviation which can lead to a circuit breakdown can be anticipated and signalled (even to the selected contractor).

This mav considerablv reduce the time required for annual testing 1vhich is time consuming and obstructil'e. lnspectio11, and testing the protecth•e del'ices, will still lwwel'er be required (Ref. The new code of practice for the design and construction and operation of petrol filling stations APEA/IP 1996 and LACOTS 1995-96.)

The most common breakdowns are generally insulation breakdowns within equipment mostly outside where dampness can penetrate.

* Main eaithing circuit (overall site health) * Car wash circuit * Vacuum unit circuit * Jet wash unit circuit * External flood lighting circuit

Signage circuit * Pumps and or submersible pump circuit * Air conditioning. shop lighting and any more whid1 may he required

Each circuit monitored requires a pick up coil installed within the main panel and in some cases an amplifier tn obtain the necessary readout level. The information io., then fed via the processor through tclecom lineo., to the rt'mote monitoring point wherL' the information io., cYaluated. The cost 11( this j(1cilitr depends 011 ho1r 111u11111u1w11cter.1urc required to he monitored

It is easily possible to set up a system within this facility which signals the controller or the contractor thus taking fault rectification away from the user company and quickly identifying the fault and calling for prompt rectification.

The User Company therefore getting a notification of the fault for accountability and able to identify when it is rectified (fault identified together with contractor performance). The Site now experiencing the quickest and most efficient service, even on occasions having a fault rectified before it fully manifests itself and causes possible site inconvenience or downtime.

This is now new technology. It is used extensively in the water industry where telemetry for remote pumping and control is employed, it is also used extensively in hospital operating theatres etc. where breakdowns must never happen.

The components and the processors together with the computer management software have progressed to a point where the cost becomes a viable proposition and provides the user company with a very powerful tool for optimising performance and maintaining profitability.

5. Safety, Litigation and the Law

Main Distribution Panels developed with years of experience provide the user company with as safe as possible

design to protect against electrical shock, fire and explosion coupled with easy understanding and reliability as an assurance for the future.

Where slightly cheaper Main Panels are built with RCDs governing banks of single pole circuit breakers they become not only a liability towards maintaining service but also may in some cases be possibly just outside the law. This applies to TT earthing systems where single pole isolation on its own is not allowed in the IEE regs BS7671 and is therefore unlawful within the Electricity at Work Regulations.

Practically, single pole isolation means that an electrician working on apparatus would have the neutral still connected which could carry current (safety) and additionally if he were to touch the wire on to earthed metalwork he would undoubtedly cause the RCD to operate rendering a loss of energy to considerable ar_ea of the site. This often happens where earlier models of mam panels are still in use.

To rectify the earth neutral fault the electrician has to remove and all neutral wiring within the main panel to find location of the fault. This itself is very time and of course the electrical supply has to be switched off to enable work within the main panel.

is we all have to guard and design agamst, It 1s to cover all aspects of safety as we can all md1V1dually be hable now and in the future!

David Honeyman

technology ltd

EX PANDAB SITE DPE'AllTI CONTROL R

Lightweight , flexible , durable and completely corrosion resistan t, UPP from PetroTechnik has consiste ntly proved its superiority over traditional pipework systems

And now, we 've taken UPP one stage further still as you ' ll see on the cent re pages!

1111•••

PETROTECI-INIK

T H E u p p P E 0 P l E

At the forefront of service station technology

PetroTechn ik Ltd. , Maitland Road , Lion Barn Business Park , Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 8NZ. Tel : 01449 722822. Fax: 01449 721821.