A QUESTION that often pops up on the forum is what are the regulations about the carriage of petrol for small two stroke engines?
And it is no surprise as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) admit themselves that current legislation is muddled, so much so they have launched a consultation on simplifying the rules.
HSE is inviting comments on proposals to consolidate and refine eight pieces of legislation that apply to the storage of petrol at workplaces that dispense petrol, mainly petrol stations, and non-workplace premises such as private homes.
Kären Clayton, of HSE, said: "The proposal is to revoke all existing legislation and consolidate the provisions to be maintained into one single set of new regulations.
"This will modernise and simplify the current legislative arrangements whilst maintaining existing standards of safety."
While the vast majority of the possible changes is directed at petrol stations, there is a section covering domestic storage.
From paragraph 55 the proposals look to limit the amount of petrol able to be stored to 20 litres, and also to ensure it is in recognised containers up to a maximum size of 10 litres (plastic) and 20 litres (metal).
One area that does not appear to be covered in the consultation is the carriage of small petrol containers, something that many landscapers have to consider every day.
For more information, and the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals, see: CD264 – Consultation on proposals for the consolidation of petroleum legislation
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