Sometimes Being Thrifty Doesn't Pay
By Holly Westerfield
Muncie, IN – As the price of fuel remains high, many people are stretching a tank of gas as far as they can. As a result, you may see an increase in customers who walk in after their cars have run out of gas. We thought this might be a good opportunity to remind your employees about fuel safety involving portable containers.
Always Use Approved Containers
Fuel containers are approved and enforced by governmental bodies like the EPA, OSHA, and DOT. They must be made of a compatible material and safe designs. Approved containers will list their approval status on the side of the actual container, and should not hold any more than 5 gallons of fuel.
Some customers may think they can save money by skipping the approved containers and filling up a milk jug, buckets, or plastic bags instead. This is ill-advised, dangerous, and illegal! We have approved containers for a reason. Approved containers are made of compatible plastics that will not interact with the fuel. Compatibility is extremely important, as gasoline will eat through many types of plastic. If they do not use the correct containers, the gasoline may eat through the container and spill out before your customer can make it back to their car. Finally, using unapproved containers like plastic totes or grocery bags leads to a messy and potentially dangerous dispensing experience. It only takes one spark or a little static electricity to start a dangerous fire.
Here is a real-life example of what can happen if you try to fill an ungrounded container. This customer starts filling his containers about 45 seconds into the video.
Safely Filling the Container
Approved containers are designed to make the storage and dispensing process as safe as possible. However, this only works if customers fill these containers correctly.
Customers will often place the container in a truck bed, in a trailer, or on the floor of a vehicle so they can avoid having to pick it up once it is filled. What they don’t realize is these containers are designed to be filled while sitting on the ground. Containers filled on a raised surface aren't grounded, which causes static electricity to build inside the container until a spark is generated, which leads to a potentially dangerous fire. For this reason, gas containers must be placed on the ground before they are filled.
Remind your employees that they should never allow a customer to fill an unapproved container. Using an approved container is a requirement, not an option. Customers may think they are being thrifty by storing fuel in buckets, plastic bags, or milk jugs but in reality, they are just wasting fuel, losing a lot of money, and putting themselves and the environment in genuine danger.