Thread: Fuel Storage colours

Originally Posted by CraigE

The thing that annoys me is the yellow ones are almost double the price and made from exactly the same material.

thats cause they dont wear out as you dont open them anyware near as often :P

Sounds like the attendant was being a bit of a tosser just for the sake of it or should I say bumlicker

I would also ask the manager or the fuel company to please explain.
Then give them a nnique story like some one had syphoned your car and you needed to get some fuel to get your heavily pregnant wife to a hospital.

I have been driving Chemicals and fuel around the country now for some time and the container can be any colour that tickles your fancy.

However you must now display the coloured plackard or "Diamond" on the side of the container so the EPA, HAZMAT and other authorities can easily recognise what exactly you are carrying in the container.

Colour coding the plastic containers was a simple solution for the general public to get it right and only Petrol is considered Hazardous Material so this was marked red.

Diesel is yellow becase i guess they thought it needed some colour but is not considered Hazardous.

Cars with LPG will have the Red diamond on the number plate to let the authorities aware of the potential danger.

If you are carrying Haz Materials in bulk then this plackard must be displayed along with a UN code which tells the authorities all around the world exactly what flavour the chemical is on the front, back and both sides of the vehicle as well as the container.

I have a workcover file at work that suggests that different fuels be stored in different coloured containers but doesnt go as far as saying what colour is for what.

We follow the international standard at work which is:

Red = Petrol
Green = Mixed fuel (2 stroke or heating oils etc)
Yellow = Diesel
White = Pottable water
Black = Either Grey water or Non pottable water.

Originally Posted by Snapper

I have been driving Chemicals and fuel around the country now for some time and the container can be any colour that tickles your fancy.

However you must now display the coloured plackard or "Diamond" on the side of the container so the EPA, HAZMAT and other authorities can easily recognise what exactly you are carrying in the container.

Colour coding the plastic containers was a simple solution for the general public to get it right and only Petrol is considered Hazardous Material so this was marked red.

Diesel is yellow becase i guess they thought it needed some colour but is not considered Hazardous.

Cars with LPG will have the Red diamond on the number plate to let the authorities aware of the potential danger.

If you are carrying Haz Materials in bulk then this plackard must be displayed along with a UN code which tells the authorities all around the world exactly what flavour the chemical is on the front, back and both sides of the vehicle as well as the container.

Placarding, diamonds etc are only for bulk quantities. 20lt containers etc are exempt, not sure of exact limits (looked at it only a few weeks ago) but somewhere up to 500litres depending on what state you live in. Some of the newer containers have diamonds as you have said but this is only a code of practice, you can still legitmatelly buy them without and use.
LPG is the exception where the little diamond is required on the number plate.
Diesel is regarded as a Hazardous substance according to NOHSC criteria,
but not a Dangerous Good under the ADGC. We follow both of these criteria in Australia.

Going slightly off topic, how many 20 litre fuel jerry cans can you legally carry in the back of your Land Rover?


In UK, IRC it is only one in a vehicle and there is a limit of 40 litres that you can store at home.

I have green and red fuel containers, both of the plastic variety and steel variety. I try to ensure I label them with a permanent marker pen. Personally belive the steel ones are better then the plastic ones as the plastic ones have poor spouts and tend to leak.

Regards


Brendan

My trucking days are long behind me. We carried all sorts of goods without any hazard plaques whatsoever. Full loads of fuels in drums to mixed loads of "general". "General" was anything, fuel, fertilizer, batteries, tyres, groceries, produce, seed, steel, wire, gas cylinders, booze, biscuits always on top so you walked on them when tarping down. Loading general was a skill, balancing the weight distribution against things that should not be in proxoimity to each other and keeping in mind the drop off points in the case of multiple destinations, so you could get the stuff off without unecessary handling. Avgas in drums was supposed to be tarped before leaving the fuel depot and to be "top loading", nothing to be loaded on top of Avgas drums. This lasted as long as it took to get back to your home depot where the rest of the loading was put on with regard to the other principles of loading general and stuff the Avgas rules.