You don’t often think about the dangers that might be lurking when you top up your tank – take it from us however, petrol stations are surprisingly dangerous places.
For petrol station operators in particular, it’s important that you take steps to protect everyone in and around your petrol station:
- Customers
- Car wash operators
- Staff
- Passers-by
- Tanker drivers
And it all starts with hazchem signs and emergency information panels (EIPs).
Why hazchem signs and EIPs are so important
There are a couple of substances out there that everyone knows are toxic or dangerous.
Electricity is one. Poison is another no-brainer. And petrol is also one of these substances.
As we all know, petrol is a highly flammable liquid. In addition to fires however, it can also emit vapours and fumes that over an extended period can cause lasting health problems.
It’s these reasons that make it so important that professional EIP signs are placed around your petrol station to visually communicate the dangers of this substance.
In particular, it’s important that the area is covered in appropriate hazchem signs and emergency information panels (EIPs).
That’s because petrol is classified as a hazardous chemical under hazchem standards – specifically, it’s a class 3 hazardous chemical (meaning flammable liquid).
As such, hazchem signs and emergency information panels are a must from a legal standpoint.
Click here to buy hazchem signs and EIPs online.
What sorts of hazchem signs and dangerous goods signs do petrol stations need?
Hazchem diamonds
As we mentioned above, petrol is classified as a hazardous chemical. As such, it needs hazchem signs to identify the substance and the risk it poses.
With regards to petrol, that means a class-3 hazchem diamond with a fire pictogram and clear text that says “flammable liquid”.
In many cases, hazchem diamonds may be joined by other hazchem signs, such as hazchem plates, which say “hazchem” in red capital letters.
These hazchem signs should be located near petrol pumps to remind motorists of the potential for fires and explosions.
Learn more about the different hazchem classes.
Emergency information panels
Targeted primarily towards drivers of petrol tankers, these signs provide all the essential safety information needed to stay safe with petrol, including:
- The substance name
- UN number
- Hazchem code
- Emergency contact
- Phone numbers for specialist advice
While it may appear like a foreign language, for those in the know, this tells them everything they need to know, including proper fire response (crucial when petrol is involved) as well as spill disposal.
GHS signs
The Globally Harmonised System of Classification (GHS) is a globally-recognised scheme that is used alongside hazchem diamonds.
Instead of focusing on the substance itself however, GHS diamonds highlight the physical danger that it poses.
While GHS-FL (flammable materials) signs may be the most commonly paired with petrol, some petrol stations may also use GHS-AH (health hazard) signs to highlight the consequences of inhaling petrol fumes.
Fire service signs
We can’t talk about petrol without mentioning fire safety!
At any workplace (and not just the ones with a high risk of fire), fire service signs are an essential part of your fire safety plan.
With petrol in particular, you’ll want to use fire service signs to help motorists locate fire fighting equipment such as extinguishers and hoses.
You’ll also have to go a step further, and ensure that you also place signs identifying the type of fire extinguisher. Different fires react differently to different types of suppressants – for example, you can’t use water to fight electrical fires.
Petrol fires in particular should be fought using vapourising liquid – this suppresses fires without further spreading petrol and oil like water-based suppressants might.
These fire extinguishers are identified using yellow circles.
Prohibition signs
In order to stay safe around petrol, specific behaviours and habits should be followed. In particular, that means:
- No open flames or cigarettes
- No mobile phone usage
- Shutting off your engine
- Practicing caution when filling up
- Minimising spills
All of these activities increase the risk of ignition, and are prohibited around petrol pumps.
Naturally, you’ll need signs to communicate this!
Prohibition signs outline specific behaviours and actions that are simply unsafe, and therefore prohibited.
We can get safety signs to you, fast!
At Signsmart, many of our clients are in the petrochemical industry. In addition to big names like Exxon and Caltex, it also includes many petrol stations.
Our stock of prohibition signs includes all the standard hazchem signs and EIPs required of petrol stations. From prohibition signs, to fire service signs, to to GHS labels, we keep a wide range of signs in stock.
This allows us to ship replacements to you quickly – in many cases, by the next day.
We’ll help minimise the amount of time you spend without proper sign coverage, allowing you to dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend without proper sign coverage!
Need something custom-made? Our custom sign service offer similarly fast turnaround, allowing us to provide you with signs tailored to your unique needs, OHS obligations and industry regulations.
And all with minimal downtime!
Updating safety signs and EIPs at your petrol station?
Contact Signsmart today!
When it comes to running a petrol station, hazchem signs, EIPs and other types of signs are a crucial part of the safety and OHS equation that can’t be overlooked.
In addition to providing high-quality signs, our team are also safety experts. We help you and your business understand your legal requirements, how signs fit into the equation and how you can comply with safety standards.
Browse our online sign shop here.
Alternatively, get in touch with us directly by calling (03) 9687 3050.
