Incident Investigation: Fuel Tanker Explodes, Fatally Injuring Worker | WorkSafeBC

The presence of static electricity where a flammable liquid is being handled or used is an extreme workplace hazard and can lead to explosions and fire.
This video slide show recreates an incident at a workplace in British Columbia where a fuel transfer worker was fatally injured when gasoline vapours were ignited by a spark from static electricity. It shows the importance of having effective bonding and grounding systems in place and the hazards of static electricity onboard fuel tankers, and provides information on industry best practices for fuel tanker loading procedures.
Using animation and photos from an incident site, the video depicts the events that led to the incident, and describes the underlying factors and unsafe practices, and how the lack of an effective health and safety program contributed to the incident. It also emphasizes the importance of adopting effective control measures such as engineering controls to reduce the risk.
Visit our website for more information and resources on workplace safety for fuel transfer and bonding and grounding: www.worksafebc.com
View other incident investigation slide shows: • Incident Investigation...
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro to the incident: gasoline vapours ignited during fuel transfer
0:45 How static electricity is generated in fuel tanker hoses
1:14 Bonding and grounding to eliminate static electricity in a fuel delivery system
1:52 Incident recreation
2:58 Top-loading vs. bottom-loading methods and the safety advantages of bottom-loading
3:48 Safe work practices for top-loading and splash-loading
4:18 No way to check grounding and bonding
4:55 Process for fuel transfer
5:14 The components needed to start the fire
5:38 The three likely sources of the static electricity spark
6:27 The explosion and lack of fire control safety system
7:13 The factors contributing to the fire
7:44 Failure of the health and safety program to detect and control the hazard
9:18 Engineering controls required for effective grounding and bonding
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[@worksafebc]

Find information and resources on workplace safety for fuel transfer and bonding and grounding here: www.worksafebc.com

[@elliotpecora737]

In electrical engineering, I have designed stations for 95% alcohol tanker unloading. Called a grounding indicator, it has a clamp you attach to the fuel tanker which then sends a signal to the control station, which only after it has been properly grounded, will allow the flow of alcohol to start. This guarantees that no static electricity can be discharged while unloading.

[@michaelwalker1145]

That system is in bulk fuel terminals. You must ground the vehicle before it will pump. One driver didn't and came back to find his truck still empty.

[@ranger-1214]

Check out the U.S. systems called Scully, used widely in the military especially the Air Force. They have an overfill protection system, that you can then add an ST-47 Groundhog. It won’t allow loading until there is a complete ground, and if during the operation that is broken it will shut down immediately. Many think it is a pain, but it keeps people alive.

[@urareknaw]

Scully plugs are the norm here and the static clamp you talk about. Without a green light the plant doesn’t initiate

[@andya2665]

In medical field we measure ground resistance, and leakgage current on all electrical devices to eliminate shock hazards, and to prevent static in areas where there are proximal O2, and anesthesia gases in use.

[@cliffnelson1174]

AKA as a scully.

[@obviousness8113]

I work in a completely different industry but these lessons are very applicable to my industry and many others. I hope people watch these, learn, and apply these lessons.

[@Stopthisrightnow560]

The biggest lesson I've taken away from this is that safety protocols are there because someone before you paid the ultimate price for fucking up. Never deviate from the safety plans!

[@jerrykinnin7941]

@@Stopthisrightnow560 if ground loading is authorized Why would you top load? He didn't want to do the math to bottom load. He wanted to sight it full without over filling.

[@seanstuchbery]

i work in a medical laboratory and i will no longer be splash loading

[@ToyotaKTM]

I wonder how many times he did this exact same thing before he was killed by one spark.

[@vtwinbreed]

I've pumped fuel over the top of the truck from one compartment into other compartments many of times over 14 years.

[@cjbotts]

@@vtwinbreed top loading gasoline is plain stupid

[@User_92020]

@@vtwinbreed I'm the president of Columbia.

[@virt1one]

well, he won't do THAT again.

[@hershey3]

@@User_92020 sick

[@ONTHEEDGEFRED]

Wow, I've driven trucks for 35 years and never realized something like this was a possibility, this was a very informative video here.

[@SorenCicchini]

Hopefully not fuel tanker trucks.

[@mitchkelsey8743]

While in the Air Force (mid-60s) I cross trained from Survival Equipment to POL. While watching this slide show, I cannot tell you the memories this evoked. Bottom line, I worked on the flight line and in the fuel yard. I am beyond lucky to still be here some 50 odd years later. There were so many mistakes made...

[@williammorgan8786]

somehow i was sent to an aviation unit in 'Nam. my mos was not not there. i was sent down to the flight line and was now a pol guy refueling acft. our fixed wings got av gas, 4 or 5 fuel tanks on the acft, depending on acft type, all were so very slow to refuel, no closed circuit stuff, all splash and go. you guys had a nice filling stand for the truck, concrete pad, nice pipes, everything clean, you could put the pipe deep in the tanker, but then sometimes i had to go to the navy to get fuel, a shit hole of a place, all mud or dust, and nothing against the navy either, a piece of suction hose would be handed up to me on top of the truck, i would wrestle into my tank opening and then have to lay on top of the hose to hold it inside the tank, hose was always filthy, all splash loading, then holler for the navy guy to turn off the gasoline pump and watch another 100 gals. go in the tank and spill over the top of the truck onto the ground, a big mess i did not like. no grounding cables here either. all we had was a 1200 gal. tanker and that amt. was gone in no time and then go back for more. if i had been you i would have stayed in the ALSE shop. no fun refueling in all kinds of weather and not even a damn rain coat. it got cold in Danang area especially in the rain. i hated that job and hated the unit for that matter, surely worst place i ever stopped at and i don't mean Vietnam either. no reply needed to my gibberish, thanks for your service.

[@Steph6n]

@@williammorgan8786 this is incredible... amazing how bad it used to be and that lessons are still not learned from this important history. Thank you for sharing this.

[@nickmartin1527]

@@williammorgan8786 Jesus, wow

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

@@williammorgan8786 what? That's how the Russkis did refuelling during World War Two! I'd have thought we'd have at least a moderately better system during Nam.

[@stewoe7157]

If you were working only with jet fuel, it's not as dangerous. Jet fuel will not ignite with a spark. Unlike gasoline. I don't know what fuel they used in aviation in the 60's.

[@seanb3516]

It's astonishing how many Errors you have to string together before you get an Incident.

[@Danrul]

My takeaway from these incident reports is quite different: any one of these errors could allow an incident to occur, but as they stack up together the odds increase exponentially. On a similar note, not all errors can be classed the same way. Errors further up the chain of command (eg, moving the parking location without relocating the relevant safety equipment, ambivalent SWP, lack of inspection to correct these issues) create an environment where individual lapses in judgement are allowed to have tragic consequences. A lot of different errors occured here, and all those errors contribute to how badly things went, but every one of those errors constitutes a potential tragedy on their own.

[@someperson7]

Moral: If the bad thing CAN happen, take away it's chance to happen. This is risk control.

[@FixItYerself]

seeing how ignorant the driver was to how dangerous his work procedures were, it makes you wonder how many times he did the same thing before, lucky enough to survive. it's sad to see someone die in that manner before safety issues were fixed

[@carmenschumann826]

@@Danrul . . . thank you for clarifying this the correct way, there were no valid excuses ! Sometimes it's really astonishing how stupid behavior can sum up before there is an bad incident . . . finally - unable of counting this sadly lost life - having the necessary safety measures in place for sure wouldn't have implicated higher costs anyway . . .

[@randywl8925]

@@carmenschumann826 the stupid behaviors were caused by the company. Have they had a video such as this one to show to all drivers and explain the importance of grounding..... That guy wouldn't be up there with his rayon t-shirt and Ray-Ban sunglasses and straw hat. I'm a floor layer by profession. I've never hired anyone to do work for me so I have some mechanical knowledge. I've rebuilt a couple of engines, ported a set of heads...... All kinds of stuff. I know nothing about how to load a truck with fuel but the first thing I would think about not knowing anything about that industry would be sparks. Some people grow up with mechanical smarts. Some people just go through the motions randomly. This company failed miserably to perform safety checks in safety meetings to explain what would happen if you are not properly grounded and if the truck was not properly grounded. that sort of cleaning should scare the living bejuses out of people so that they follow their instructions. Any employee sound not following those instructions should be fired immediately.

[@wb2194]

I am a retired construction safety engineer. In my experience, employers are more concerned with money than safety. They say "Safety First" but that's a lie. When I would bring up safety violations to management the answer was usually "we've always done it this way, and we see no need to change."

[@Rambomathie]

I've done It this way my whole life and never had a Accident... Your been lucky your whole life, Is my response.

[@mtsflorida]

Exactly right. No one follows the book. They take short cuts to get by quickly until things begin to break down and property is damaged and people die. Driving laws are not followed, maintenance is not kept and violations go uncorrected and even after fatalities they don't change the way they should but only attempt to appease the victims family.

[@medler2110]

Both employers and Employees are guilty of the "We've done it this way for years" attitude, its sometimes harder to get employees to accept new working practices, than getting the employer to agree and pay for their introduction.

[@VirtualPainRecords]

I'm an event technician in Germany and in apprenticeship school we were always taught to do exactly the same like you said. If someone was like 'we've always done it this way and it works' we just say 'noooo, we are NOT gonna do it this way because it's not safe and 100% illegal, we're either gonna do it right or we are gonna cancel the job no matter what because safety is all we have'. Nobody is gonna risk such an illegal and unsafe way just to make something work. Just be creative and don't lose your job because of not carrying about safety as much as you should do. That's just essential. And btw if you'd do this in Germany and someone will find out (or even gets hurt) you'll be permanently banned for executing that job and will have to go to court, most likely paying a huge fine or even go to jail if someone gets injured.

[@danielebrparish4271]

It creates wealth for local law firms and since insurance agents are paid on commission the increase in rates due to claims gives the local agents a pay raise.

[@jamminwrenches860]

The biggest problem seems to be most people don't understand that static can be created just by splash loading - simply filling a vessel the way we have hundreds of times before. It's just difficult to think that a liquid could produce electricity.

[@geniferteal4178]

Watching a minute of this video and I already understand the importance of grounding when moving fuel on these trucks. Just the movement of fuel can cause the charge. I had no idea. I hope all employees watch this and learn how important grounding can be. It's something I would never be lazy about if I work there.

[@Starchface]

Tanker drivers should have a means of routinely testing continuity between the tank, nozzles and ground. It should be standard procedure to check it before pumping. It would only take a couple of seconds. And that splash-loading of gasoline is asking for trouble. Gasoline vapours in particular are highly explosive (the liquid itself doesn't burn). Some fun safety tips when you're at the gas station: touch the nozzle to a metal area of your vehicle before putting it in the filler hole so that any spark that occurs is far from gasoline vapours. Ensure that the metal nozzle is contacting the filling tube, which it does by design. And don't shuffle around in your shoes or get in the car while filling. That produces large static charges which may not dissipate quickly. Mobile phones do not cause explosions. That was a myth resulting from people who get in and out of the car while filling, often with a phone in hand.

[@stephencell2290]

They can check the system, I bet the company doesn’t know how. You’re right , very easily avoidable.

[@stephencell2290]

Tge myth is older than cell phones actually. I heard the myth in Georgia in the early 90s. With so many culprits.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Electric cars have none of these dangers

[@vtwinbreed]

Fuel equipment on single vehicle tanker trucks are so old and antiquated, a lot of the hardware used was made back in the 60's and 70s and the designs never changed.

[@dustinandtarynwolfe5540]

@@NicholasLittlejohn no they just have lithium batteries which react violently with water vapor in the air

[@TachiTekmo]

Now you'll understand why you must fill your jerry-can on the ground, and not the bed of your truck.

[@lakecityransom]

This info needs to be taught more. I had no idea the fuel itself brings in charge buildup under improper conditions.

[@blatherskite9601]

@@lakecityransom I learned something new today, too.

[@ONTHEEDGEFRED]

@@lakecityransom I didn't realize this either, very informative video right here.

[@sed6]

My plastic Jerry can also?

[@marks6663]

what difference does it make? you fuel your car with the same hose, but the car is not grounded since it is sitting on four rubber mounts.

[@paulaskew1294]

I watched a safety video at fuel terminal. I will never forget this statement from it. Gasoline has a designed mission. And that's to find an ignition source. It's very good at it. After all that's what it's designed to do.

[@guns-gas-diesel]

Pretty good saying but it should have said gasoline vapors.

[@Kuzyapso]

As a truck driver considering getting into hazmat you definitely changed my mind

[@georgetsokanis3542]

I was a propane delivery driver. It's alot different than gasoline or oil. Cleaner,easier to load and discharge. It's a hard job nonetheless.

[@JohnSmith-cf4gn]

I've hauled acetylene, ammonia, hydrogen, poison gas, nitroglycerin, and swinging meat but I've never hauled gasoline or propane, too dangerous.

[@kcook8119]

Oh don't be a pansy. You hook up properly and no problems.

[@LEGENDOFSEVENN]

​@@kcook8119 exactly 😂

[@grootsyt]

​@@JohnSmith-cf4gnhow is nitroglycerin any safer?

[@johnbroski1993]

USCSB hasn't posted a video in months so this will do I suppose.

[@arvind-venkat]

Ma man.

[@dixieinstrumental805]

I started with USCSB videos as well. For some reasion videos like this keep popping up on my feed and ai am not even out of high school. Guess J know where I will be working

[@lgunderso2117]

Yeah I wonder what's up with their recent lack of posts... @dixie lol yup, I started there many years ago, I'm an electrical engineer designing auto assembly lines now and I look at things through a different lens than my coworkers. I think it has made our designs better and helped prevent injuries.

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

It was the USCSB that got me into these types of videos. I now watch WorkSafeBC videos and USCSB Videos

[@jgavpercussion]

@@lgunderso2117 Trump administration cut their funding and basically gutted the agency

[@zen4men]

With governments everywhere thrusting tyranny in people's faces harder and harder each year - 2020 to 2022 has been a real eyeopener - your video is a refreshing change of tone from the horrible and strident demands of 'Comply or get shafted!' we have here in the UK. Your technique REALLY works, as everything you say is so gentle, so obviously true, and so obviously caring - without one word of threat. Looking back on my working life, there were several moments where, had circumstances been slightly different, someone could have been injured or killed. ...... I was lucky, took note, and did my best to do better from then on. Your videos are impressive - keep up the good work!

[@PlasmaCoolantLeak]

Former USAF POL here. One of the first things we learned in tech school was the hazard of static electricity.

[@TheAwkwardBanana]

That poor, poor driver.

[@seanb3516]

As a CSO I watch all sub-trades perform their tasks. I may not know how they do their job however I do know what good work practices look like. It is this sort of intuitiveness that alerts you to someone working unsafely and trying to cut corners. It's either stupid workers or stupid SWP's. This video presented some new technical information regarding safe fuel transfer that I was unaware of and that actually surprises me. I hope the 'end' of the Pandemic will bring forth a newly revived WSBC. I am certain that work will increase exponentially for the summer of 2021. Thx!

[@Brind-amour]

👍🏼

[@chuckg2016]

Your site is one of the best sources of solid information on the web.

[@ichbindarren]

I worked with fuels for 6 years. You NEVER top fill a tank. Especially a low flashpoint fuel like gasoline.

[@jerrykinnin7941]

I load allot of alcohol it's top loaded in a rack there's a cap comes down over the manhole product goes in one hose vapor comes out another. I've not hauled Gasoline or Diesel yet.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

After working for the largest fuel carrier in the area, but on the fleet side, not as a driver, I know about how all the equipment works but didn’t run it myself so often. But outer guys would top load diesel when necessary. Really not a big deal if you make sure you’re bonded. But gassed to scare me. And the guys never too loaded it.

[@mcrangelvlogs9396]

@@invictusbp1prop143diesel doesnt have dangerous gases like gasoline does you can unload diesel just with the favor open no hose needed but to unload gasoline thats another story you have to use the vapor hose or the cars hot exhaust will ignite the gases in the station or near by

[@brianskinner5212]

There are many oil well that are loaded through the top with a 5 foot long 4 inch hose. You have to ground the truck though.

[@brianskinner5212]

@@mcrangelvlogs9396 when unloading air is sucked into the tank so there are minimal fumes

[@arbitrage2141]

I work on a ranch and we deal with fuel all the time. Mostly diesel but all of this and other videos are good to know about.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Diesel isn’t anywhere near as scar6 as gas.

[@gov2260]

I am a fuel tanker driver of 15 years. When top loading like this guy you are supposed to lean the metal nozzle on the metal rim of the tank as you fill it for this reason. Back in the 80s and the 90s top loading was a common practice. Now it's very rare and most of the newer drivers are not trained how to do it properly. When I first started, I helped pump out an overturned tanker on a cold night I already had a small amount of Diesel at the bottom of the tank as I splash loaded the 87unl on top I could clearly see blue pops of static electricity in the tank, The static went away soon after and I surmised the static was due to the relative gravity between the two fuels being so different. As the small amount of Diesel turned to 87unl the static I witnessed also went away. Stay safe stay grounded ;)

[@markpolice3585]

Exactly. I top load when we're working hurricanes and I always touch the nozzle to the some part of the opening.

[@3bydacreekside]

This is my dose of chemical and industrial safety after uscsb hasn't uploaded in months...

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

New one today

[@christianhaley4334]

who tf would've thought loading gasoline into a trailer generates static electricity wow incredibly dangerous and incredibly unsafe for them, training is clearly lacking :(

[@dethray1000]

every tanker driver knows this--it is a risk--99 percent of the time you use grounding--sometimes your doing the 1 percent and it is a problem--i know of a guy who was using a broom to sweep snow off the top of his trailer and a static spark from the broom let it up--he closed the dome lid to put it out

[@UtilityPro]

I love how matter of fact these videos are; it's like Joe Friday of Dragnet; narrating the chain of events that lead to the incident.

[@catlady8324]

Just the facts, ma’am.

[@petcatznz]

Hindsight is a wonderful tool. All who handle such volatile substances should watch videos such as this one, forewarned is forearmed.

[@kaischluter2081]

This video provides a great overview and very detailed explanation about the too often understimated dangers of electrostatic charges during loading operations. Thank you @WorkSafeBC! And please keep in mind, that this isn't only true for tankers but also for containers like IBC, big bags or barrels. As presented in the video, the only way to prevent this danger is by effectively bond and ground every conductive part of the whole system. Therefore, monitored grounding devices like the TIMM EKX-4 which can verify the gorunding status and send a signal to the control station, must be taken into consideration!

[@DVincentW]

Save a life... great info, and sad the guy didnt make it.

[@6stringgunner511]

I drove a tractor tanker-trailer for a major gasoline company for 25 yrs. The drivers performance was lacking from the word go! He should have NEVER been on the top side, pumping off. Big EPA violation right there! (Fumes were not contained) Plus, the static charge possibilities!!! ALWAYS pump off or gravity drop the fuel using the vapor recovery system!!!

[@hlk466]

I'm considering driving a similar fuel tanker (same as exploded one) so how dangerous would you consider these jobs if proper procedure is followed? I'm talking loading and accidents. This video has me thinking twice

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

@@hlk466 Very dangerous for low pay. Gas fumes cause cancer.

[@juliogonzo2718]

There is no EPA in Canada. I have operated a smaller bulk tanker like this where our company bulk plant had a top loading rack. You are frequently loading on top of partially loaded compartments as you are making multiple smaller deliveries off a compartment as opposed to dumping the whole thing into an underground tank at a gas station. The larger terminals where you bottom load you can only load an empty compartment and have to open the internal and pail drain first. This is obviously so you don't overfill. I guess you could pump the whole thing off then reload it bottom, but this would cut into the 10-20 deliveries you had to do that day. A dip chart for each compartment would likely be the only way you could safely bottom load a partial compartment as thermal expansion would throw any calculations of dispensed product off, as well as discrepancy due to loading a partial compartment. It was not unusual to pump a few hundred litres more or less out of a compartment than your calculations state should be in it. You would never notice it gravity dropping, but you do pumping off through a meter

[@avsystem3142]

This was in Canada, completely different responsible agencies. In the U.S. workplace safety is the purview of OSHA, not the EPA.

[@dethray1000]

there is no epa requirement for controling vapor except at the refineries-states have different requirements-california is the toughest--when your pumping most do not have a vapor hookup to a tank your pumping into-i hated pumping gasoline,very very dangerous

[@MickCone]

I was MMS/EOD, remembering all the things we were supposed to do, and didn't, makes me shudder today. It's a wonder any of us came home.

[@Ramiiam]

This is the channel to unwind after a bad day at the office.

[@chrismayer3919]

…And people wonder why I’m so paranoid about gasoline/fuel systems 😰

[@FFEMTB08]

Why would he top load? Sounds so much more difficult than ground loading. And clearly more dangerous.

[@hanhphuc166]

The grounding system wasn't installed at the new location

[@juliogonzo2718]

He would have been top loading to visually ensure the compartment was not overfilled. Quantity in a partially filled compartment is going to fluctuate with temperature. Also if the compartment has been filled several times without being completely emptied, you could easily have hundreds of litres more or less than what you have calculated on top of volume fluctuations from temperature. When you bottom load at a big terminal the compartments have to be empty. This is to ensure the compartment cannot be overfilled. you drain contents of loading pipe into a pail with compartment internal valve open to make sure the compartment is empty. You then program the rack to load less quantity than the compartment can safely hold. In a smaller bulk plant situation where you normally top load it does not have to be empty and often deliveries are to small tanks, as opposed to a gas station with large tanks where they order a quantity and that is what the truck is loaded with.

[@kentpaterson6218]

He had to meter off a volume even though there are levels inside the tank all fuel is temperature corrected. This is done all over the place unfortunately.

[@Aranimda]

It is better to keep oxygen separated from fuel vapors. You can't avoid all sparks and other ignition sources all the time.

[@adamt5986]

Good video. My knee jerk reaction is it is the employee’s life is on the line so therefore they should have the the knowledge and process to do the job safely. However this shows there are some components of this system that are “hidden” and need to the validated outside of the employee’s control. I hope the employee’s dependents were fairly compensated.

[@nickmartin1527]

pays $15 an hour at best

[@1800s]

$36hr here in So-cal

[@user-up4ui2gh2b]

This is an excellent video!

[@ZorbaTheDutch]

The company's behavior comes across as criminally negligent.

[@jurgenkuhlmann9194]

Shake hands with danger!

[@xygomorphic44]

I used to fuel planes, and the first thing you do before you open any values is to connect the grounding clamp to a metal part of the plane. Ever fuel truck and fuel system is supposed to have one. It's a simple, mundane task, but it prevents explosions like this.

[@captainsquarters7099]

I do this exact thing for a living and we don’t have any grounding while delivering to customers such as farms.this has given me a lot to think about.

[@michaeldelio1870]

Hey captain, do you deliver gasoline, or fuel oil? I deliver heating oil, and never heard of a disaster such as this. It is an eye opening video.

[@injusticeanywherethreatens4810]

This is one reason why the trades are dying. Safety ! I've read about numerous people who died while working in the trades. . The employer didn't provide a physics specialist on site or hammer into the mind of the worker the importance of potential differences in the voltages of the truck's equipment. Heck Im a chemistry major and I have just learned From this video that gasoline can create a charge buildup from rubbing against the rubber of the tube and the metal of the nozzle. And yet they expect a layman to know all of this? Ha!

[@tashalynn29]

I just learned from it that splashing gas isn't good either

[@leftysheppey]

You can get hydrostatic charges in water. Are you that surprised, as a chemistry major, that it can happen in other liquids?

[@Arnond35]

Yeah, i have a minor in chemistry and i just learned that too 😞

[@oldgamerkatt9829]

I work for this company and it is hammered into us about Using grounding and bonding. If you are caught not using it, you are written up and possibly suspended.

[@KevinFromTheOffice]

Yay! I’ve been waiting for more of this

[@likydsplit8483]

“The more we read about static electricity, the more scared we got. So we stopped reading about it.” - Red Adair.

[@Livinlivin836]

I would gladly donate to this channel if weekly videos like this came out. Would donate even more if daily videos came out. These videos crucial.

[@SergeantExtreme]

I mean, there's a limit to how many of these incidents occur. Canada is a fairly crazy place, but I'm pretty sure a fuel tanker truck doesn't blow up on a daily basis up nort'.

[@jaquigreenlees]

Every Canadian in BC does donate to this channel, it is a government agency so taxes pay for it.

[@allanj4576]

Donate?! This video was produced by a branch of the provincial government. No need to donate, they take our money through ridiculous taxes.

[@oliverwilson11]

@@allanj4576 And we're all glad they do! They are giving the whole world excellent content for free 😀

[@jeanhebert2130]

Thanks

[@fred5149]

Rest in peace sir ..I am sorry you had to perish this way ..you worked just like me

[@curbyourshi1056]

RIP Worker.

[@thebaldeagle655]

Another factor that was barely mentioned is that he was alone. When transfering fuel someone has to be on top to ensure you don't overflow the compartment. By only having 1 person, this resulted in the need to top load. Had there been 2 people it would have been easier to hook your hoses up to bottom load this ensuring a bonded and grounded system. I also find it hard to believe that the transfer home wasn't wire lined and bonded as they all are required to be. This alone is a catastrophe waiting to happen!

[@danielrose1392]

Some lack of grounding when delivering to a private costumer should not happen but will definitely happen occasionally, but a lack of grounding at a base they are operating from is even more disturbing

[@invictusbp1prop143]

How do you figure it requires 2 people to transfer thru the loading head? I have no idea why anyone would choose to top load gasoline unless something was broken preventing a transfer thru the manifold or if the equipment was just not set up right. But one man can just pop the done lid on the compartment connect loading heads, open valves, and pump from one to the other. Where is the necessity of a second?

[@06fz1000]

When I worked at refueling operations at an airport that was the number one thing you always did very first... Connect your ground

[@guns-gas-diesel]

And disconnecting it is the last thing you do.

[@AZMarine513]

Very good video. Sharing this with my team. We move Jet A only but still very relevant.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Renewable diesel is the future

[@3613jeremy]

Bulk gasoline transfers should always have a sealed vapor recovery system connected that was the biggest issue with this accident

[@juliogonzo2718]

It is not a requirement to recover vapours where i live in Canada during delivery or loading. I think some terminals have vapour recovery during loading, but the imperial oil terminal I loaded at did not, it just vented out the pipe at the back

[@ghostsoul529]

I had no idea that a spark created by static electricity can be created so easily

[@runsolo7418]

The colder it is, the dryer the air is, the easier to induce static charge. So up here in Canada, getting out of your car during winter you automatically have a static charge. When you grab the fuel nozzle to fuel your vehicle, touch your bare hand/fingers to the stainless steel hose fitting for a three seconds to dissipate the static charge, before you even put the fuel nozzle into the vehicle filler pipe. If you are loading a vehicle and the the fuel vapor ignites, never, ever remove the nozzle. Leave the nozzle in the vehicle. Stop squeezing the lever, to stop any fuel flowing. On the fuel station, depending on the model, either press the on/off paddle with your hand, "it is at the top of the pocket where you removed the fuel nozzle. With the pump off and no fuel flowing the fire will burn the remaining oxygen in the vehicles fuel tank inside ten seconds and the fire will go out on it's own.

[@thebestofj.fraley]

We watched a video in my fire academy class about an incident that happened in Yuma AZ. In the 70's a rail tanker bleve occurred. 13 firefighters found out the hard way not to put out a tanker fire. They found half of the rail car 2 miles away, but never found the bodies. All of them were vaporized. That film is shown in every fire academy world wide. I'm surprised that didn't happen to this guy but he still died nonetheless. I would rather go quickly not suffering like him 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@mediocreman2]

That was in Kingman Arizona, not Yuma. You can find the video on KZbin.

[@trueilarim]

The video you talked can be found here in youtube. It is titled ”BLEVE Video from the 1970’s”

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Not suffering? How do you figure that? That explosion was minimal. Not like an explosion that involves a large amount of fuel under pressure. The fuel was in the compartment with an open dome lid. The fire killed that man. Burning to death isn’t quite my idea of a pleasant way to go.

[@NathanM4A1]

@@invictusbp1prop143 I was seconds away from crucifying you for your poor reading comprehension when I re-read the original comment and saw that the OP made a grammatical error. His last sentence, read exactly how he typed it, is read as him wanting to also go quickly and not suffering, like the guy involved in this incident. However, I'm pretty certain he did not mean that. He missed a comma, between "quickly", and "not". Typed out properly, it would be "I would rather go quickly, not suffering like him". That gives the sentence the meaning he was going for. So he definitely fucked up by not having the comma, but you also kinda fucked up by not interpreting his actual meaning. It took me only a few seconds to work out what he actually meant. While non-existent punctuation marks can be the difference between an English sentence being interpreted one way, or another, this sentence, unlike some in English which cannot be seen the other way without the punctuation marks, can be easily seen in the two different meanings, regardless of whether they punctuation is there or not. But this is an important lesson on why proper punctuation and grammar are important. Stay in school kids.

[@765kvline]

The video is here (among others): kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmTOfISJbbCtiNU

[@udayamendis1956]

Very useful

[@am4484]

"Safety First" is often all talk

[@Aprilsraven629]

Not mentioned here but static electricity can occur during pumping fuel into underground or above ground tanks during thunderstorms...I worked for a Petrol Station and all pumping operations ceased during storms...you could feel the fizzle on the bowsers, nozzles and in the air it was frightening

[@mediocreman2]

The sad thing is it sounds like he might not have been educated on the dangers involved with static. The company failed to educate and that's scary.

[@dominichamel4685]

We as workers, no matter the field we're in, are disposable if it costs the company money

[@SkillBuilder]

Amazing lesson and the badly injured driver was still telling the guys to shut off the valves. Probably best that he didn't make it with those kind of burns. Years of pain.

[@MrOramato]

Thank You so much. I grew up in a commercial industrial construction family business. I knew about static dangers of course but I made assumptions that transfer hoses would auto ground, like plugging in our 10 gauge extension cords. I knew the company color coding that indicated the last date the grounding was check by our safety engineer (my brother). I likely day dreamed during the fuel safety, but I don’t understand how I passed the test. Anyway, great warning for up and coming workers (I’m retired).

[@nickelmickel4170]

And they all went home and nobody went to jail.

[@JumbalayahJihad]

I used to work as an Aircraft Fueler at the age of 19 and once fueled a 737 but forgot to ground my truck to it beforehand because it was departing within 10 minutes of arriving at the gate. The company I worked for used shoddy fueling equipment from the late 80's early 90's that routinely failed safety protocols and inspections and PPE (minus a reflective vest) was virtually nonexistent. Had things gone awry, that one time I forgot to ground could've easily killed me and I would guarantee that company would try to put all of the blame on a 19 year old kid for forgetting to bonding to the plane (as they did when one of their managers crashed their 10K into my 6k but then shifted the blame onto me because he was a manager and couldn't do any wrong). Moral of the story, work for a company that actually gives a shit about their worker's safety by not cutting corners where it counts.

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

On the plus side, Jet A (aka kerosene) is a lot less of an explosion hazard than gasoline (lower vapor pressure), so forgetting to electrically bond truck to nozzle to plane is _somewhat_ less unsafe than with gas, especially when it's cold out. (That's a big part of why we use kerosene for jet fuel instead of gasoline; gasoline in the huge bulk quantities needed for fuelling big jetliners would be insanely dangerous to do routinely.)

[@mediocreman2]

If you forgot to follow the procedure, and the shoddy equipment was working perfectly at that time, then yeah it's your fault.

[@spacewolfjr]

2:39 Canadian Tire Multimeter? C'mon guys did Hulk Horgan take your Flukes away?!

[@lgunderso2117]

LOL! As an EE I am dissapointed, but I think even a Canadian tire meter can accurately tell you if something is in the sub ohm or gigaohm range lol.

[@erwinjoshuat1327]

Hahaha you really made me laugh and embarrassed at the same time since I'm guilty as charged using a dirt cheap Chinese made DMMs at home since my boss don't let me take the Metrahits outside the Refinery that I'm working in. Maybe my boss is the Hulk Hogan/ boogie man of top end DMMs 😅

[@fyrman9092]

As an airport firefighter, one of the duties was to inspect the plane fueling trucks. The bonding wire was a common failure item because the insulation/coating had been worn off. Oddly enough, the NFPA fueling standards called for bonding and NOT grounding. By the cable insulation being worn away, and touching the ground, a ground is introduced creating an ignition source. Drivers would write up issues and the FBO would defer repairs until the airport authority and FAA inspector dropped the hammer. Good times...

[@renneedwards9826]

Oh wow 😯 Safety first 😔💯

[@eprofessio]

Rest In Peace.

[@abigaillane94]

Would he have been less injured if he had been wearing the recommend PPE? I’m curious if it would have saved him or if this was going to be a fatal accident no matter the protection equipment. Seems pretty unsurvivable to me 🥺

[@BetterCallSauS]

I could see how goggles/face shield, fire retardant coveralls (which can be very effective), proper boots, gloves etc. could help protect his body. But if the flames burned his lungs and that's what killed him, then most PPE would be useless at that point. He probably never wore it much and was used to working alone and unsupervised. May he rest in peace.

[@saxongreen78]

He was also thrown to the ground and sprayed with burning petrol...the only measure that has any real value is PREVENTION.

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

That tanker truck is in remarkably-good shape for having been in an explosion and fire.

[@victorponce7238]

I didn't know this about static electricity coming from the fuel itself. Wow! Poor guy. He should've known about the grounding.

[@spikenomoon]

Crazy after being blown up he was still worried about turning it off.

[@raymondleggs5508]

the burned shoe by the hose sends chills up my spine

[@KeithDickson-rm2fp]

I wasn't tanker driver for many years back in the 90s. When I was driving back then I was also aware of an empty trailer with vapors In the tanker only. The vapors could kill you is not the gas. Unless The trailer has to be Vented. And as I was watching the other articles in this video For comments. 1 driver said that when top loading which I did always had the nausea touch the trailer when Rim To prevent static electricity.... All all drivers who drive tankers should be very aware of this This is your life in their hands Management care less about the drivers Drivers or diamond dosen't. Dufing my years of being a truck driver I moved onto bigger and better things that paid me much, much better pay. ,because I realized that I can make way better money while becoming a mover for a great company who really cares for their drivers. I got out of the Hazmat buz because of this same reason and I didn't have to worry about being blown up or have my self killed for something as stupid as this. "If it NOT SAFE, DON'T DO IT"!!!!

[@richbattaglia5350]

With every advancement, there is advanced upkeep. Sad that we still have to learn things the hard way before necessary change can be implemented to operate our modern world.

[@FloridaMan69.]

Crazy

[@rickhatesmisleadia7101]

I drove fuel truck back in the 90's and when I was trained no one told me about how a static charge builds up but I was told to ground the truck anytime I was fueling it up. I'm now seeing how many times I risked my life when I decided not to ground the truck because I was only getting a few hundred litres of gas. Typically I never carried gas as I worked for the UFA which is all farmers so 95% of them only took diesel fuel which is far less dangerous than gas.

[@_DB.COOPER]

There are rules for a reason. Shortcuts can be fatal.

[@mtsflorida]

Wearing the thick rubber boots protects the operator but not the truck. A simple toe chain around an axle, drum, chassis or frame connecting the tanker filling point and going to rebar driven 6-8 feet into the ground would have likely prevented this if the connection was torqued making contact at both ends. Conductivity and grounding are absolutely necessary. Torque values are 53 foot lbs or 650 inch lbs per 2 awg. A standard 12 volt auto cable of 00 requires about a 12 ton crimp to properly connect whereas a 200 amp 120 volt dual lines require about 110 lbs of torque each. The tight connection is important but too tight can cause a defective end so torque values need to be followed when dealing with electrical issues. The more the fault the greater the heat at that point until a short is formed and in cases of fuel and oxygen (air) present you have an exosive situation. Safety procedures started out great as we learned of our mistakes in technology but now we no longer become as interested unless laws force us and even then it doesn't get its due diligence.

[@TsunauticusIV]

Poor fella 😔

[@hamentaschen]

"The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."

[@davidmetcalfe1076]

Petrol vapour is heavier than air.Hence petrol vapour will travel along the ground.It would only need ignition to ignite.

[@dethray1000]

not true--depends on many factors--temp being the biggest

[@geoffreypiltz271]

Without knowing about bonding and grounding I still wouldn't have used top loading for gasoline as I know that this would have created a dangerously combustible atmosphere in and above the tanker.

[@SuperPhunThyme9]

This really is a good channel. I normally shun the quality of almost any government work, but there's a few exceptions....one is the NTSB (in the usa), and then there's the group who makes these videos.

[@json2582]

NTSB is crap. Board is old geezers with expired lisences. Hardly ever go into the field unless politically expedient. Objective research says they are wrong more often than not.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

New CSB video today

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

@@json2582 wrong

[@locklear308]

What's up with the phrase "taken to hospital" vs "was taken to the hospital" ?

[@teeanahera8949]

“Static electricity is invisible” I would have thought all electricity is invisible.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

My dad drove a fuel truck in the Army. I don't remember the order anymore, however when I was probably in 5th grade told me the exact order of grounding. Apparently the formula for miltary aviation fuel has been altered since the first Gulf War, to make it less volatile during transport.

[@alantorrance6153]

When I was flying in light aircraft, the first step in refueling was to attach a ground wire to a lug on the aircraft. This was to ensure the aircraft was earthed. Then, and only then, was the cap on the tank opened, and the transfer hose lifted and the nozzle inserted into the filler or tank. The fueling equipment had inbuilt earthing wires, hence any static was safely discharged without any spark being possible.

[@nathan7627]

poor guy

[@JimWhitaker]

Confuses "charge" and "voltage" in several places.

[@nightshadegatito]

RIP in peace 🙏

[@cleenlivin]

Such a horrible way for your life to end.

[@waynedyer3475]

Unbelievable the company was that unsafe. Sorry it cost a man his life and effects many others. That was about as smart as looking for land mines with a hammer. RIP

[@johndoyle4723]

Just about every mistake possible. Modern loading systems have an interlock from the ground control panel to prevent the operation starting until satisfactory grounding achieved. Top loading splash filling is potentially very dangerous, ideally bottom loading with the displaced vapours fed back to the storage tank.

[@donlyons3196]

I HOPE SOMEONE PAID FOR THIS!!

[@chriswells1440]

A smart Company Safety Guy that knows how much things could be a hazard could have prevented this. Usually a Safety Guy looks like a creep. But he's the smart protector for people and the company. A cable grounded to the nozzle to the body of the tanker then the tanker grounded to the ground with a copper rod would have worked. Just very sad. Some rules seem dumb but they work. Refresher safety videos always.

[@nickmartin1527]

danger creeps up to get you

[@plumberman4u]

5min 20. In UK The combustion Triangle is 1.FUEL 2. IGNITION SOURCE 3. SUPPORTER OF COMBUSTION.

[@vejet]

You couldn't PAY ME ENOGH to work around huge tankers of farmable liquids 😬

[@juanlemod]

I wanted to go into hauling petroleum and oil after four years of trucking, but I had no idea about bonding and grounding when transferring fuel. I wonder if these things are taught during training in the US? I’m confused, was the guy transferring diesel or gas from the rear tanker to the front tanker? They mentioned that he was transferring diesel from one of the tankers to his fuel tank for his tractor but then started talking about gasoline. The tractor this guy had was definitely running on diesel, as I saw that it had an 18-speed manual shifter in the cab. Maybe the tanker trailers he was pulling had different compartments for different fuels? The reason this is confusing is because diesel doesn’t combust easily unless under pressure. I think people say you can even extinguish an open flame with diesel, though I’m not going to test out that claim myself, lol. Now, I’m scared to fuel up my own Toyota Corolla at the gas station not knowing if the pumps are properly grounded and bonded, lol. Many people and businesses tend to overlook safety if it saves them time and or money. Maybe some gasoline owner did some maintenance and forgot to get one of the pumps bonded and grounded, or the person doing the maintenance didn’t bother to confirm it was bonded and grounded when finishing up? It’s fascinating that an electrical charge can be built up from mere splashing!!!

[@andrewdouglas1963]

I deliver fuel in the UK and as far as I'm aware, gasoline is not pumped on any truck. Gasoline is only discharged by gravity flow through closed bulk hose. In all fuel delivery trucks I have seen there is a clear warning that gasoline must not be discharged through cargo pump. RIP to the guy in this video.

[@OldGamerKatt]

In Canada we pump gas daily, we dont top load though.

[@johnstone9396]

I work in an automotive paint manufacturing plant, we unload tankers of solvents and resins daily, our pump systems will not come on unless the entire system is bonded and grounded, but some workers learn to bypass this safety system by unplugging the line from one system and plugging in another one that is grounded to “ trick” the system, there has not been an incident yet but it’s bound to happen and when it does the whole area our plant is in is gonna go ka boom, we look for offenders but we will never catch them every time, to date at least 5 people have been let go for this, they get one warning and have to go to a bonding grounding training, 2nd offense is immediate firing