Filling up Calor Cylinders at a petrol station is extremely dangerous
Posted on Sep 25, 2017 by Michael | Comments (0)
We are extremely concerned at the reported rise in the number of people filling up Calor cylinders using autogas dispensers on petrol forecourts. People are buying adaptors on the internet and then using these to connect to filling nozzles. This activity is extremely dangerous and has resulted in serious fires, injury and prosecutions. In 2013 the Health and Safety Executive successfully prosecuted a man who had sold more than 700 potentially dangerous adaptors to members of the public, enabling LPG cylinders to be filled at petrol stations. John Hodges, a Health and Safety Executive scientist, concluded that the devices were hazardous and likely to cause leaks. Magistrates at Preston County Court heard that the safe filling of LPG cylinders requires appropriate expertise and equipment and should only be undertaken by trained personnel on the cylinder-owning company’s premises, and, for safety reasons, are only filled to 80% capacity. They should never be filled at petrol stations and should never be filled to the top.
The prosecution followed an incident at Rossendale in Lancashire which caused a dangerous fire on a petrol station forecourt that led to one man being seriously burned. Similar fires have happened at both Shell and Morrisons fuel stations. UK health and safety law, particularly the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations, and the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations, imposes significant duties on petrol station operators to ensure safety.
"Henry Betts, Head of Safety at Calor Gas Ltd said: We are extremely concerned about this trend. It is a serious accident just waiting to happen – again. We have thanked the Health and Safety Executive for its robust action in the past, but feel that they need to be doing more to prevent further incidents in the future by taking action against the companies and individuals who sell these dangerous filling adaptors."
"The vast majority of petrol stations display notices which outlaw this sort of activity. Apart from the obvious dangers, if an accident takes place on a forecourt, the site operator could be liable for prosecution".
