Editor’s Report

Detailed below are new members that have recently joined the APEAduring July, August and September 2006.

July

Keith Gater Suresite Limited 3 Eastway Business Village Olivers Place, Fulwood Preston PR2 9WT

Gary Whiteman AGE System Unit 4 Brookside Sawtry, Nr Huntingdon Peterborough Cambs PE28 5SB

Enda Macken Energy Industry Engineering Dublin Terminal 1 Alexander Road Dublin 1 Ireland

Enda McEntire Annagh Moyne Co.Longford Longford Ireland

Martin Key Midlands Testing and Installation 2 Creampoke Crescent Hemswell Cliff Gainsborough Lincs DN21 5UA

David Bacon Paradigm Management Ltd Lansdowne Building Lansdowne Road Croydon Surrey CR0 2BX

Keith Mabbott EDF Energy Cottam Power Station PO Box 4 Retford Nottinghamshire DN22 0ET

Martyn Gent 75 Printers Fold Burnley Lancashire BB12 6PH John Ledden Tesco Ireland Gresham House Dun Laoghaire Co Dublin Ireland

August

Jack Dobson RSK ENSR Green Farm Business Park Latteridge Green Folly Road Iron Acton Bristol BS37 9TS

Robert Tunnicliff Stoke-on-Trent City Council Community and Adult Services Commercial Team Town Hall Hanley Stoke-on-Trent Staffs ST1 1XP

Bob Terry Bob Terry Haulage 36 Shelley Avenue Hornchurch Essex RM12 4BT

Hilary Barrett Petrogas Group Ltd Applegreen Unit 6 Nass Road Industrial Park Nass Road Dublin Ireland

John Cullerton John Cullerton & Sons Ltd Station Lane Birtley Co Durham DH3 1AW

Joseph AGorman J.A. Gorman Consulting Engineers St. Kevin's Bishopsgate Street Mullingar Westmeath Ireland

Peter Mackey P. M. Mackey & Co (Contractors) Ltd Lagore Road Dunshaughlin Meath Ireland Fergus Heading RPS RPS House Ballymount Dublin 12 Ireland

Kevin Armer L&W Wilson Gatebeck Road Endmoor Kendal Cumbria LA8 0HL

Louise Morgan 11 Heyescroft Bickerstaffe Ormskirk Lancashire L39 0HB

September

Simon Kefford 1 Rock Cottage Lynch Lane Brighstone Newport Isle of Wight PO30 4AZ

Pat Doyle Versant Consulting Limited Lynnwood House Oldenway Business Park, Ballybrit Galway Ireland

Chris Gledhill Graphisign UK Limited Castle Park Bower Street Oldham Lancs OL1 3LN

Sadie Clarke DrillSafe UK Plas Celyn Bangor Road Penmaenmawr Conwy LL34 6LD

Buyankhishig Dashdelger Sky-Post-55 Post Box-341 Ulaanbaatar Bayanzurkh District 211037 Mongolia

UK, Company fined for blocking escape routes with fireworks

Achain of newsagents had been fined £30,000 and ordered to pay nearly £6,700 in costs by Exeter Crown Court for a number of offences in relation to the way it stored fireworks on two of its premises. Forbuoys Ltd pleaded guilty to six offences and the area manager pleaded guilty to two offences under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005.

Under these Regulations companies must register with their local authority if they wish to store or supply fireworks. If a company is storing and supplying more than 50kg of fireworks then their registration certificate must be produced. The charges against Forbuoys were brought by Devon County Council’s Trading Standards Department after it inspected stores in Axminster and Tiverton, in January 2005. Trading Standards Officers were alerted to a possibly hazardous situation by a member of the public. The company was found to have been storing nearly two tonnes of fireworks on its Axminster site, eight times over the legal limit. Fire works were being stored near a fluorescent light with a risk of explosion, other boxes were surrounding a fire exit for use by employees and customers, and others were stacked at the bottom of a staircase.

The sentencing judge said that the company had failed to provide a system which had due regard to safety, putting at risk employees, local residents, passers-by and emergency services. He added that the fact an emergency did not arise was more through luck than judgement. Aspokesperson for Devon County Council, said: “The fines imposed underline the seriousness of these offences. The defendants put innocent and unsuspecting members of the public and their own employees at risk through their blatant disregard for safety requirements. “Businesses must follow strict safety precautions when storing fireworks and other pyrotechnic articles on shop premises to reduce the risk of fire and explosion. If they are unsure, they should contact their local trading standards office for advice.”

This is not the first time Forbuoys has been in breach of regulations when storing fireworks. In May 2000 the retailer was found guilty of incorrect storage of boxes of fireworks on its site in Staines and fined £2,000. Then in 2003 it failed to respond to formal cautions by Trading Standards Officers regarding breaches of law when storing fireworks at its Axminster and Honiston premises. The offences were regarded as so serious that sentencing was referred from Axminster Magistrates Court to the High Court.

UK, Lancashire. Man burns face after petrol put on BBQ

ABlackburn man was taken to hospital with burns to his face and arm after lighting a barbecue his friend had doused with petrol. Firefighters said James McArthur was "lucky" to escape serious burns following the incident in the back garden of a home in Hereford Road, Blackburn. They warned others not to mix petrol and barbecues.

John Wright, 38, who organised the barbecue, insisted he only sprinkled the equivalent of a "table spoon if that" of petrol onto charcoal in a bid to get it going. But he vowed: "I will only use petrol in my hedge cutter from now on" after seeing his pal get hurt when he walked up to the barbecue and ignited it with a lighter. The flames shot up in the air catching Mr McArthur in the face and arm. He spent the night at Royal Preston Hospital as a precaution. Arelieved Mr Wright said: "We were in my garden and were doing some hedge cutting which is why the petrol was out. "I thought as it was a nice day it would be a good idea to get a barbecue going so we could eat as we were working. "I only sprinkled a bit of petrol on to the charcoal as it was a bit wet but it was just a touch - a table spoon if that. "But as I went to get an extendable lighter to light it John went right up to the barbecue and lit it with a lighter and was stood right over it when it went up. "He suffered burns to the top of his eyebrows and face and to his arm but they were just minor burns. "When I went to visit him in hospital he was laughing about it but he has been lucky."

Firefighters said petrol had no place at barbecues. He added: "He suffered his burns after petrol had been put on the barbecue to get it going again. "The injuries were not too serious but he was lucky they were not much worse. "We would like to remind people that they should never put petrol on a barbecue."

UK, London. ‘I saw petrol explosion kill my partner’

petrol explosion killed her partner as he worked on a car in their garage. Carol Robertson told how she had been with him at the time, the Croydon inquest heard, when he was draining petrol from the tank of a friend's Mercedes at their home in ArbuthnotLane, Bexley. The blast threw her across the floor and she was badly burnt and dazed, with no chance of rescuing 47-year-old gas fitter Kevin Birch. His body was not recovered by fire-fighters for 24 hours.

Fire investigator Andy Davies said the most likely cause of the tragedy was a static arc in clothing, or a spark from a tool being dropped on the concrete floor. But, he stressed, the evidence was not conclusive. Miss Robertson, a health worker, recalled the disastrous day of May 9, 2004. "He changed into his old clothes and went into the garage. He was there for some time and he came in and asked me to help him - he probably meant standing there keeping him company while he was working. I rather grudgingly went out there." She occasionally handed him tools, like screwdrivers and spanners, while he was in the garage pit. He filled a plastic bucket three-quarters full with petrol and passed it on to her. She placed it near the garage doors and put a rag over it. Meanwhile, Mr Birch started filling a second bucket under the car. "The fumes were getting bad and I didn't feel well. We came out of the garage a couple of times and had milk to drink because it was getting at our throats." Mr Birch returned to the pit. "I bent down to see what he was doing. He had his back to me. He appeared to have a bucket in front of him; presumably the fuel was draining into it. "There were flecks of fuel all over the place and I asked him if he realised that fuel was going everywhere. I don't know if he replied or not. "All of a sudden there was a flash - a blast, that blew me back. I was knocked over."

The garage burst into flames. Miss Robertson remembered that two fires started - one right in front of her and the other near the doors. "I didn't have any time to react or do anything. There was a fire extinguisher but it was completely engulfed in flames. My immediate thought was to get out. There was no way that I could go into the pit."

She ran into the house but the phone was dead, so she ran to neighbours for help. One of them tried to get into the garage but she warned him not to because he would not be able to do anything. Miss Robertson was taken to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and transferred to a specialist burns unit in East Grinstead. She said that Mr Birch had been very safety-conscious. Mr Davies said his inspection pit did not show that any electric switches had been on and that no power tools had been in

use. But there were oxy-acetyline cylinders in the garage, and fire-fighters had to wait for them to cool down before they could reach the body in the pit. Meanwhile the area, including a stretch of the busy A2 was cordoned off because of the serious danger of further explosions.

Detective Inspector Patrick Carey said an electrical socket at the back of the garage had been plugged in but, because the cable had been destroyed, it had not been possible to work out to where it had been linked. Coroner Dr Roy Palmer recorded a narrative verdict that, on the balance of probabilities, a spark caused by the dropping of a tool, or an electrical discharge or some kind of arcing, had led to the blast. "The source was probably in the pit but the nature of the ignition could not be determined.

UK, Hertfordshire. Children carry petrol in plastic bags

Aug 22nd 2006 - Mini moto and buzzboard users are putting themselves at risk by carrying petrol around in plastic bags, fire chiefs have warned. As Hertfordshire police continue to receive complaints about youngsters riding on parkland and community areas, there are concerns about the risk of petrol catching light causing serious injuries.

Jack Daw of Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service said: "Petrol is highly flammable and these youngsters could be putting their own and other people's safety at risk. "It is imperative that we warn people about the dangers of carrying fuel in this way before someone is seriously hurt."

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue have reminded petrol stations across Dacorum of their responsibilities and have been putting posters on the town's noticeboards and handing out leaflets with advice about fire safety and legal information. Mr Daw said "We are reminding petrol station owners that it is illegal to sell petrol to anyone under the age of 16 and that any petrol sold must by law go into motor vehicle fuel tanks or approved suitable containers".

UK, Stage II Vapour Recovery Code of Practice

Stage II petrol vapour recovery control regulations for petrol dispensing outlets came into effect in the UK on 1st October 2006. The regulations impose compliance with a threshold of 3,500m3 for existing stations and 500m3 for new stations for petrol.

The Guidance note has been issued by DEFRA;, further details are available on DEFRA’s web site under reference SI 2006 No. 2311 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si200623.htm

Petrol retailers should be aware that systems have to be installed by the 1st of January 2010 and should not delay in contacting their equipment suppliers to schedule PVR II installation to meet this deadline.

The Forecourt Equipment Federation is keen to ensure that a consistent regime exists for all aspects of Stage II Vapour Recovery and to ensure continued safety of equipment when modified with VR. The FEF has developed a ‘Code of Practice – titled ; Design, Installation, Commissioning, Operation and Maintenance of Stage II Vapour Recovery Systems’and takes a generic approach to the technical requirements that apply, whilst supporting the approach of best available technology and drawing on experience of Stage II vapour recovery from other leading European countries, many of whom have had VR prescribed by law since the early 90’s. The FEF COPdocument is endorsed by the HSE is intended to be the primary reference point for VR Stage II in the UK and to be helpful and guide and assist those parties who are affected by this requirement.

The document is available as a free download from the FEF Website. More information on the equipment manufacturers/suppliers can be obtained on the FEF’s web site at, www.fef.org.uk. or by contacting the FEF. Issued by the:- Forecourt Equipment Federation PO Box 35084 London NW14BT Email office@fef.org.uk Tel: 020 79358532

UK, Families evacuated as firefighters prevent blaze spreading to petrol station in Southport

Firefighters battled a blaze at a scrapyard next to a petrol station. Agiant plume of black smoke could be seen from across the river in Liverpool as flames shot into the air above Birkenhead. Residents whose homes back on to the yard on Borough Road were evacuated as 25 firefighters put out the blaze, and a garden fence was destroyed. The fire was reported at 7.30pm.

Watch manager Barry Moore said: "We heard a lot of explosions. "We got two firefighters round the back of the houses to stop the fire spreading. "It would have been horrible if it had spread to the petrol station." Firefighters left the scene at 9.15pm and police are now investigating. "There were children spotted prior to our attendance," Mr Moore said. "Crews arriving from Liverpool could see the smoke from the other side of the water." In total, 40 scrap vehicles and a crane, a timber roof and several hundred vehicle components were damaged at Wirral Spares. Awall was cordoned off as it is in danger of collapse.

UK, Homeowners warned don’t clean your house with petrol!

Homeowners were warned not to use petrol as a cleaning aid after a pensioner's home was badly damaged in a blast. Ronald Cox escaped virtually unscathed after fuel he had been using to clean his kitchen floor gave off vapours which were set alight by a boiler pilot light.

Mr Cox, 75, from Scunthorpe, had been removing floor tiles and decided to remove residual glue using an eggcup full of petrol, after household cleaners proved unsuccessful. Group manager Stuart Spence, from Humberside Fire and Rescue, said Mr Cox was lucky to escape the blast uninjured. He warned people not to use fuel in the house. "The place for petrol is in motor vehicles," he said. The explosion ripped through the semi-detached property blowing out the front bay window, bringing down part of the kitchen ceiling and causing structural damage to an inside wall. Mr Cox was given oxygen at the scene before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

UK, Worcester. Oil in the water phone firm fined for diesel spill

Mobile phone giant Vodafone has been fined £5,000 for causing an oil spill in a Worcestershire river which took more than a year to clear up. Worcester magistrates heard how the company had a telecommunications mast on land at Brine Pits Farm in Wychbold, near Droitwich, powered by a diesel generator