Since there has been discussion about Gas Pump Safety over at the new Gas Pump Game introduced by Utterz http://www.utterz.com/…NQ/utt.php, I thought I would offer a new topic. I didn’t want to distract from the fun and intended purposes of that post!

Cell phones have not been shown to be the cause of fires at gas pumps. Several agencies (including the Petroleum Equipment Institute http://pei.org/ and Mythbusters) have already discounted the rumors of gas pump fires from cell phone use.

However, gas pump fires ARE the result of static. Interestingly enough, the Purdue University Extension office has an entire safety program called "Do’s and Don’ts at the Gas Pump. http://www.ces.purdue.edu/…/index.htm

In this study they state:

Of the refueling fires reported, 50 percent of the cases involved the person getting back into the vehicle while the gas was still flowing into the tank. When they return to the fill area and touch the nozzle to complete the fillup, a static spark ignites the fumes, which causes a flash fire. Of the static fires reported, 78 percent happen to women. Why? Some of the reasons why motorists re-enter their cars during refueling seem to be gender specific:

• return the credit card to purse
• get money out of purse
• check on the kids
• write a check
• get warm
• write down odometer reading
• use the cell phone
• put on lipstick

The attached video is one example of a static fire resulting from a woman entering and exiting her car after she had started pumping fuel.

You can see a detailed video (11:08) from Purdue Extension here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch

It shows various causes of gas pump fires, as well as precautions that you can put into place to ensure your safety. Remember, the BEST thing you can do to discharge static is to touch either the pump itself or the frame of your car before again touching the gas nozzle.