Gas Pump Safety

Parent Cafe
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<p>Some of this I’ve heard before, but I didn’t know about the “getting in and out of the car while pumping gas” part. How many times have I sat back down in the front seat while pumping gas to get something out of my purse? :eek:</p>

<p>Subject: Shell Oil Comments - A Must Read</p>

<pre><code> Safety Alert!
</code></pre>

<p>Here’s some reasons why we don’t allow cell phones in operating areas, propylene oxide handling and storage area, propane, gas and diesel refueling areas.</p>

<p>The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations</p>

<p>In the first case, the phone was placed on the car’s trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.</p>

<p>In the second, an individual suffered severe burns to their face when fumes ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car! </p>

<p>And in the third, an individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling their car.</p>

<p>You should know that:
Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes</p>

<p>Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition</p>

<p>Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat! , Etc.</p>

<p>Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e. solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)</p>

<p>To sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling</p>

<p>1) Turn off engine
2) Don’t smoke
3) Don’t use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don’t re-enter your vehicle during fueling</p>

<p>Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of"static electricity" at gas pumps . His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.</p>

<p>His results were very surprising:

  1. Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
  2. Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished, they went back to pull the nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of static.
  3. Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
  4. Most men never get back in their vehicle unt il completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
  5. Don’t ever use cell phones when pumping gas
  6. It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
  7. There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
  8. Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.</p>

<p>Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with gas.</p>

<p>If you absolutely HAVE to get in your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle out. This way the static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.</p>

<p>As I mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of this danger. You can find out more information by going to <a href=“http://www.pei.org/”>http://www.pei.org/&lt;/a&gt; Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says “Stop Static”.</p>

<p>I ask you to please send this in formation to ALL your family and friends, especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas. If this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in time. Thanks for passing this along.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reminder…I can’t tell you how many times I have been pumping gas and had someone pull up at the next pump and proceed to pump gas with their engine running. If I ask them to shut it off they look at me like I am nuts…but I worked in a refinery for years and was taught more respect for the dangers. I have actually seen people smoke a cigarette while pumping gas…</p>

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<p>Stupid things:</p>

<p>Running your engine
Smoking</p>

<p>Things that have not been proven to ever cause a fire:</p>

<p>Cell phones</p>

<p>Things that might cause fires:</p>

<p>Static from sliding across synthetic seats on a dry, “staticy” day</p>

<p>The warning above from “Shell” is pure urban legend. Go ahead and Google on it. There are still NO documented occurrences of cell phones causing fires by igniting vapors.</p>

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<p>I copied the entire email- which, yes, the cell phone stuff is considered a hoax. But I had never heard about static buildup getting in and out of the car. According to the article, most of the fires were <em>caused</em> by getting in and out of the car while pumping gas. Is that false as well?</p>

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<p>doubleplay~</p>

<p>They have signs up at our gas stations saying not to re-enter your vehicle while you’re pumping gas for the very reason cited. </p>

<p>~berurah</p>

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<p>From memory – there have been one or two cases, ever, where someone carried a static charge from getting out of a car to the nozzle and started a brief flash fire. If you’re worried about this, touch the metal frame of the gas pump housing or your car before you touch the gas nozzle. In any event, with the billions of times per year someone fills their fuel tank in the US compared to the number of pump fires that might have been caused by static, you are more likely to get hit by a meteor. I wouldn’t worry about.</p>

<p>(And if you are getting back in the car to avoid rain, you are good to go. No static in humid weather.)</p>

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<p>OMG, this shows how bad my critical reading skills are…
I always thought the “do not re-enter vehicle” warning was to prevent do-do’s from getting back into their car and accidentally driving away while the gas was still pumping!!! Never paid that much attention or gave it much thought.</p>

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<p>It does happen to women more than men. They say it’s because women are more prone to get back in the vehicle, but I’ve wondered if pantyhose play a role. They seem to be more staticy then socks.</p>

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<p>Pantyhose? do people still wear them? I realized when packing for a trip a couple of weeks ago that I don’t think I’ve worn them more then twice in the last year. Guess that means I’m safe at the pump.</p>

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<p>

This is why I never wear nylons when driving :)</p>

<p>I really don’t see how a cell phone could cause a fire. There’s nothing to spark. The ringer is really just a tone at the speaker as opposed to a solenoid. The only way a spark could be caused would be if someone dropped the cell phone and it flew apart. Even then, I’d expect the air would have to be ripe with fumes for there to be an actual problem.</p>

<p>Maybe this is why there are very few issues at gas stations. This biggest problem is people driving away with the nozzle still in the car but they make ‘breakaway’ hoses to cover for this.</p>

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<p>This was researched on that show on TLC or Discovery where they try to prove or disprove things. I am having a senior moment on the name of the show. </p>

<p>The cellphone claims are not true. TheyDO NOT ignite a fire and the association with fires at pumps are urban legends. The static problems do occur. If you get out of your car and touch something, anything on the car you discharge the static buildup. Some folks leave the door open, sit back down while the pump fills the tank, get back out of the car without touching anything and then pick up the pump. This can cause a fire. Turns out women have a much higher tendency to sit back in the seat, then get out without touching the car itself, and then grabbing the handle of the pump. If you sit in the car, just touch the door or anything on the car before you touch the pump. </p>

<p>Myth Busters–that was the show. They gave a good presentation of the data, and did al sorts of stuff to try to get a cellphone to trigger a fire. The phone never did. They DID generate static electricity and did spark a fire.</p>

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<p>I love Mythbusters! ;)</p>

<p>I’ve seen pumps that instruct you to ‘touch here’ before pumping for the purpose of discharging static. But I tend to think this is purely to cover the companies’ behinds should the one freak accident occur. And…if you are in a well ventilated area, static wouldn’t be an issue would it?</p>

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<p>Cell phones don’t cause gas station fires. Rofl, because this is supposed to be a college level forum or something. Glad to see tax payer $$ at work.</p>

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<p>LOL, I’ll start wearing hose again when they invent some with toes- so I can wear sandals. Otherwise…fagetaboutit.</p>

<p>loveagoodbrew, I posted the entire article, but specifically was asking about/addressing the part about getting in and out of a car.</p>

<p>BTW, have you tried Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter?</p>

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<p>They have toeless pantyhose now dp! (Not that I intend to wear them…lol!)</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Proof of non-authenticity (is that a word?).</p>

<p>You can put a cigarette out in diesel fuel.</p>

<p>636</p>

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<p>I saw a show on TV that played several tapes of gas stations fires (caused by static electricity) that were caught on security cameras - and it freaked me out!!! </p>

<p>Here’s something REALLY important — If you are unlucky enough to have a flash fire while filling your car DO NOT PULL THE HANDLE OUT OF THE GAS TANK!!! Yikes - that’s where the BIG trouble begins, and it is a natural reaction.</p>

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<p>Urban Legends.</p>

<p>see:
Cell phones:
<a href=“http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp[/url]”>http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Static electricity:
<a href=“http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp[/url]”>http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>The MythBUsters program where they took this one on was a classic. They went to great lengths to try to blow up the fumes with a cell phone but couldn’t (lot’s of shots of bored firefighters sitting around waiting for the plexiglass booth full of fumes to ignite). THen they build a contraption to generate a static spark as if someone in synthetic clothing got in and out of the car on a dry day. Called it the “panty-tronic generator”. I was laughing so hard at that point that I don’t remember if they got a big enough spark. Conclusion: if you do get back in the car on a cold dry day, touch the car on the way back out to discharge any static.</p>

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<p>For an example of what NOT to do at the gas pumps, watch Zoolander.</p>