Petrol Station Forecourt and Mobile Phones
Discussion
PieSlayer said:
Conscript said:
Probably more risk of a spark being caused by him using the Tannoy loudspeaker.
You mean public address system. Tannoy is a brand name...M-SportMatt said:
Friday evening on the way home from work i stopped at my local Shell station and filled the tank with diesel, whilst doing this I noticed on the pump an advert for the Shell pay at the pump app which i download and a QR code to identify the pump, no issues with mobile phone use there then.
Oddly - even at Shell petrol stations, they still have a sign up, right next to the QR code telling you not to use a mobile phone.......
r11co said:
THat old canard! A throwback from the days when CB radio enthusiasts discovered that heavily amplified radio tranmission signals could mess with the primitive electronics of early digital fuel pumps when used in close proximity, hence a ban on radio transmiters in forecourts.
Had nothing to do with safety and it is now an anachronism - a man-made fibre jacket carries more risk.
Most people have either forgotten about or are too young to know about this, hence the continuing 'spark' myth. Mobiles aren't banned in the Regulations Had nothing to do with safety and it is now an anachronism - a man-made fibre jacket carries more risk.
Ares said:
It's a bit like the no electric devices in hospitals or planes (unless you pay, which removes the risk, seemingly) - As if the tech in either Plane of Hospital would be hindered with a phone.
The Dr. using his mobile in the Intensive Care unit (my late FiL had just had a chunk of bowel removed) didn't seem to upset the electronics beeping all around him.PieSlayer said:
Conscript said:
Probably more risk of a spark being caused by him using the Tannoy loudspeaker.
You mean public address system. Tannoy is a brand name...
The petrol station phone ban is in place because ~5% of people drop their phone from height onto the ground every year. When a phone hits the concrete floor of a forecourt, the rapid separation of battery from connectors can cause a spark. If there are vapours around from spilt petrol, it can cause a fire or explosion. Extremely low risk, of course, but not zero risk.
Yipper said:
The petrol station phone ban is in place because ~5% of people drop their phone from height onto the ground every year. When a phone hits the concrete floor of a forecourt, the rapid separation of battery from connectors can cause a spark. If there are vapours around from spilt petrol, it can cause a fire or explosion. Extremely low risk, of course, but not zero risk.
5% of people might drop there phones, but 100% of vehicle will be started with electricity, all of the fuel will be pumped with electricity and the whole chuffin' forecourt can't even function without electricity. Around 5 years ago i worked for tesco PFS, and attended a fuel course with Esso.
The actual reason is nothing to do with sparks or explosions.
But that they want you to concentrate on what your doing.
Otherwise you will have people so ingrosed in there phone they are pissing fuel all over the forecourt........
The actual reason is nothing to do with sparks or explosions.
But that they want you to concentrate on what your doing.
Otherwise you will have people so ingrosed in there phone they are pissing fuel all over the forecourt........
Yipper said:
The petrol station phone ban is in place because ~5% of people drop their phone from height onto the ground every year. When a phone hits the concrete floor of a forecourt, the rapid separation of battery from connectors can cause a spark. If there are vapours around from spilt petrol, it can cause a fire or explosion. Extremely low risk, of course, but not zero risk.
No recorded incident anywhere in the world ever of a mobile phone causing a fire/explosion......Yet its perfectly safe to drive round in a 30 year old car with old with an old wiring loom open to the elements, bare battery terminals etc...
M-SportMatt said:
robemcdonald said:
Generally there are lots of pointless rules in life. Some make sense and some don't.
When you go to refuel on the pump there will be a picture of an old fashioned mobile phone with a Red Cross over it. This means don't use your phone. The guy behind the tannoy is just enforcing his employers rules i.e just doing his job. It must be a pretty crap job. Why make it more difficult for him? What were you doing that was so important you couldn't leave your phone alone for a few minutes?
Assume you didnt read the OP thenWhen you go to refuel on the pump there will be a picture of an old fashioned mobile phone with a Red Cross over it. This means don't use your phone. The guy behind the tannoy is just enforcing his employers rules i.e just doing his job. It must be a pretty crap job. Why make it more difficult for him? What were you doing that was so important you couldn't leave your phone alone for a few minutes?
I was querying why Shell encourage it and BP discourage it.......
I'll try and explain.
At Shell they don't mind you using your mobile,
At BP it's against their rules
HTH.
amancalledrob said:
PieSlayer said:
Conscript said:
Probably more risk of a spark being caused by him using the Tannoy loudspeaker.
You mean public address system. Tannoy is a brand name...
PieSlayer said:
amancalledrob said:
PieSlayer said:
Conscript said:
Probably more risk of a spark being caused by him using the Tannoy loudspeaker.
You mean public address system. Tannoy is a brand name... knowing me, knowing youObviously when they implement the new rule about having electric car charging available at every petrol station, the risk of sparks will increase... Presumably they'll start selling non-flammable petrol as a safety precaution.
Petrol stations need safety rules for obvious reasons, but sometimes they have stupid rules that don't make sense if you stop and think about it.
For example... a Sainsburys petrol station near me claims to have "reach any side" hoses, but they aren't quite long enough to use on the opposite side of an estate car without putting a LOT of strain on the hose. I had the audacity to turn my car around as there was only one pump dispensing unleaded. Tannoy woman insisted I turn my car back the other way. Well OK, having to pull on the hose with my full body weight is a better solution...
When paying I asked why I had to turn my car around... the reason was "If we have a fire, we need everyone facing the same way so they can all drive forwards out of the petrol station". No point in arguing as she's presumably doing what she was told, but presumably her managers had yet to experience 1) many cars come equipped with a reverse gear nowadays and 2) To drive out forwards from where I had filled up, I would have had to drive past two rows of flaming petrol pumps into the logjam of cars that always forms at the front of that forecourt, so would have reversed out into the large open expanse of concrete instead.
Petrol stations need safety rules for obvious reasons, but sometimes they have stupid rules that don't make sense if you stop and think about it.
For example... a Sainsburys petrol station near me claims to have "reach any side" hoses, but they aren't quite long enough to use on the opposite side of an estate car without putting a LOT of strain on the hose. I had the audacity to turn my car around as there was only one pump dispensing unleaded. Tannoy woman insisted I turn my car back the other way. Well OK, having to pull on the hose with my full body weight is a better solution...
When paying I asked why I had to turn my car around... the reason was "If we have a fire, we need everyone facing the same way so they can all drive forwards out of the petrol station". No point in arguing as she's presumably doing what she was told, but presumably her managers had yet to experience 1) many cars come equipped with a reverse gear nowadays and 2) To drive out forwards from where I had filled up, I would have had to drive past two rows of flaming petrol pumps into the logjam of cars that always forms at the front of that forecourt, so would have reversed out into the large open expanse of concrete instead.
Bristol spark said:
Around 5 years ago i worked for tesco PFS, and attended a fuel course with Esso.
The actual reason is nothing to do with sparks or explosions.
But that they want you to concentrate on what your doing.
Otherwise you will have people so ingrosed in there phone they are pissing fuel all over the forecourt........
In which case they are too stupid to be driving on the road and deserve to be doused in petrol. HTH The actual reason is nothing to do with sparks or explosions.
But that they want you to concentrate on what your doing.
Otherwise you will have people so ingrosed in there phone they are pissing fuel all over the forecourt........
Since taking early retirement from my IT job seven years ago, I've been working part time in a supermarket petrol station. We don't let people using pumps or walking about on the forecourt use phones because they are a distraction. Nothing to do with the risk of sparks. No problem if a passenger is on their phone.
We won't let prople jump start a car on the forecourt, as there is a spark risk there. We push them over to the main carpark.
Personally, I couldn't care less if someone wants to spill fuel over themselves, or walk in front of a moving vehicle, or fill pop bottles with petrol, or any of the many other stupid things that people try and do. An "incident" livens up what is generally a very boring shift. My employer takes a different view, makes rules, and everything is on CCTV. If there's an accident, or a "mystery shopper" test, I have to be seen to be doing my best to enforce the rules.
We won't let prople jump start a car on the forecourt, as there is a spark risk there. We push them over to the main carpark.
Personally, I couldn't care less if someone wants to spill fuel over themselves, or walk in front of a moving vehicle, or fill pop bottles with petrol, or any of the many other stupid things that people try and do. An "incident" livens up what is generally a very boring shift. My employer takes a different view, makes rules, and everything is on CCTV. If there's an accident, or a "mystery shopper" test, I have to be seen to be doing my best to enforce the rules.
Moonpie21 said:
I was filling up in a BP the other day look over to my right as the lady at the pump next to me gets in her car, closes the door and sparks up a cigarette... 99% certain that is fairly near the top of the list of things you don't do at a petrol station.
Can you somehow ignite petrol with cigarettes now? Ares said:
1) The chance of a spark is less that the static electricity potential risk in exiting your car
2) Shell actually advise scanning the QR code from inside your car.
It's a bit like the no electric devices in hospitals or planes (unless you pay, which removes the risk, seemingly) - As if the tech in either Plane of Hospital would be hindered with a phone.
I wonder how many cases of the following have been irrefutably proven to be caused by a mobile phone?:2) Shell actually advise scanning the QR code from inside your car.
It's a bit like the no electric devices in hospitals or planes (unless you pay, which removes the risk, seemingly) - As if the tech in either Plane of Hospital would be hindered with a phone.
1) A patient dying of cardiac arrest because someone updated their FB status whilst stood next to an ECMO machine.
2) A plane brought down by iOS or Android using 3/4G to update itself.
3) A petrol station fireball, resulting in many deaths, because someone replied to a WhatsApp group whilst filling up.
It's just scaremongering to control the cattle, like seatbelts and safety briefings on planes.
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