By Nick Syn

EVER ANSWERED A call on your mobile while filling up? If you have then you’d be guilty of what Shell considers a cardinal sin. SMSing, switching your phone on and off, or even dropping it can trigger a spark large enough to ignite any petrol vapour that might be hanging about.

You wouldn’t be alone in transgressing forecourt rules too, research compiled by Shell from its service stations across the Asia Pacific region shows that 17,000 potentially hazardous incidents took place between January 2003 and July 2004.

Shell is therefore taking measures to curb this problem before it becomes endemic. 71 Shell stations across Singapore recently took part in a nationwide safety awareness drive aimed at highlighting the importance of service station safety.

The chief weapon in most safety campaigns is the cultivation of awareness, in this regard Shell is targeting learner drivers by collaborating with partners such as the Comfort Driving Centre, the Singapore Safety Driving Centre and Bukit Batok Driving Centre.

According to Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of Shell Companies Singapore, Shell is targeting learner drivers in order to “inculcate safety awareness and good habits early”. In addition, Shell’s customer service assistants will also undergo a Workforce Development Agency (WDA)-sanctioned retail safety-training programme.

Shell also launched a safety exhibit at the Singapore Science Centre, a first by Shell companies in the region. The exhibit highlights the volatility and highly flammable nature of fuels and constitutes a significant part of Shell’s broader community-wide efforts at promoting safety education.

If you want to learn more about how to avoid catching on fire when you next fill up, pick up a copy of the Guide to a Safer Refuelling Experience at any Shell service station.

Shell’s Refuelling Safety Tips
-Don’t play with your mobile phone whilst on service station premises
-Don’t smoke
-Don’t leave your car’s engine running while refuelling
-For motorcyclists, always dismount before refuelling
-If you intend to transport fuel, use an approved container. Petrol can dissolve certain plastics and glass containers run the risk of breaking
-Static electricity build-up can cause sparks of sufficient intensity to ignite petrol vapour. To avoid dangerous static build-up, do not re-enter your vehicle during refuelling