Thought folks should be aware of this. I think the things are ugly, but...
The following safety alert was forwarded from our DoD customer.
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SAFETY ALERT: PICKUP TRUCKS WITH BED LINERS
I want to relate an incident that happened to an individual the other
day. He was filling a small gas can that was inside the bed of his
pick-up which has a bed liner in it. The gasoline spontaneously
ignited, burning him in the process.
The investigation determined that this was caused by static
electricity buildup from the plastic bed liner. I have since learned
that this is not uncommon, and in fact there are two technical
bulletins out on this. One is from Ford Motor Corp. and the other is
from Standard Oil Co. The recommendations on both are that you should
never fill a gas can in the bed of a truck with a bed liner in it.
Place the container on the ground to fill it. The Ford bulletin also
stated that placing a rubber mat under the bed liner would alleviate
this problem; however, the friend of mine had already done that and
the gasoline still ignited. This leaves the only way to fill gas cans
is to place them on the ground.
WARNING - CHEVRON ISSUES GAS-CAN ALERT Chevron USA has reported
several instances of metal gas-cans exploding while being filled in
the backs of pickup trucks at service stations. In a warning published
in Chevron's Marketing Bulletin 36-1904, Chevron said the insulated
effect of the plastic liners found in the back of many pickup trucks
prevents the static charge generated by gasoline flowing into a metal
can from grounding. As the charge builds, it can create a static spark
between the can and the gas nozzle. Chevron is advising that all cans
should be placed on the ground away from vehicles and people when
being filled.
WARNING - DEATH/ACCIDENT ON REFUELING CANS INSIDE BED LINERS
My daughter, an electrical engineer who is attending a seminar in
Boston this week, called me this AM to have me alert her father of
possible death/injury when fueling a gas can that is sitting in the
back of a pickup truck with a bed liner. (We own a truck with a dealer
supplied bed liner and have boats, ATVs, and a lawn mower which would
mandate fueling a gas can). A flame specialist at this seminar told me
that there have been 23 injuries/deaths because of pickup truck owners
fueling a gas can/tank that is sitting in the back of their pick-up
truck without removing it. Apparently the bed liners do not provide a
ground and the fuel generates static electricity that can cause the
fumes to ignite. This specialist said that there was pressure on the
bed liner manufacturers to put a warning label on their product. With
the selling of so many pick-ups, of which many customers buy a dealer
installed liner, I thought it best to draw attention to this claim for
further investigation.
Jim
'Give me your motor-voter, your scared senior, your lifelong welfare
recipient, your generally misinformed, your undereducated, your envious,
your dissatisfied-with-life, your lover-of-failed-policies past, your
Hollywood contacts, your Tyson Foods employee, your Clinton has made
interest rates go down believer, your tax lover...I need that vote'
Billary '96
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