Fire risk assessment in fire hazardous zones of gasoline stations

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess fire risk in fire hazardous zones (FHZ) at the dispenser areas of gasoline stations. METHODS: There were 47 stations chosen for fire risk assessment and two zones around the dispenser area of each station were assessed. The assessments were carried out by applying the matrix (3 × 4) of fire risk assessment by multipliers of opportunities level of hazard occurrence and the subsequent severity of the incident. RESULTS: Across the 47 gasoline stations studied, there was an average of 23 ± 12 nozzles and none had vapor recovery systems (VRS) on dispenser nozzles. The average daily amount of gasoline sold was 3382 L. Each gasoline station had an average of 10 ± 5 workers/station; they all worked within a 1.5 meter radius of the dispenser (FHZ-I); and they used cellphones >4 hours/day. The average level of flammable gas was in the range 1.3%-7.4% LEL-UEL (6.2% ± 5.2%). The fire risk was found to be an intolerable risk in FHZ-I at 40 stations (85.1%) and FHZ-II at 10 stations (21.3%). A total of 18 stations were ranked as having a substantial risk, whereas 19 stations also had a moderate risk in FHZ-II; those levels correlated with the station locations and the quantity of fuel sold. CONCLUSION: It suggests that high risk must be controlled by using preventive and safety actions: eliminating fire ignition sources, such as by cellphone prohibition, and inspection of electrostatic discharges, engineering control with grounding when refuelling, signposting of hazardous zones, and VRS installation on dispenser nozzles.