Business Manager’s Report

Sir,

Having just received this months copy of the Bulletin (Sept issue) I just had to put pen to paper. The article (page 59) The N.I Adventure was quite interesting and it brought back many past memories for it was not actually the first venture away from the mainland for APEA trainers.

I have attached a photo for you and perhaps some of your older members will be able to put names to those who we had over here in the late 1970’s. The course we ran then was organised by my self and Sam Warner the now deceased petroleum officer in Newtownabbey B Council. For your own information, Sam and myself where the only APEA members in N.I. in those past days, we had both done our early training at APEA courses run at Holme Pierpoint in Nottingham, the trainers then where those in the photo.

I attended these training sessions on four occasions and have only recently miss placed my training certificates. I am now retired from employment but I continue to carryout consultancy work on Health and Safety and Petroleum, I did offer my services to your training head Brian Taylor but this never occurred as I think it was just after he took ill in 2000. I was interested in the article the reference to Tom Duke he is a good friend and an work colleague and if he gets around to forming a Northern Ireland branch of APEA I will give him my full support, we tried to get one started in the 70’s but without success. Carry on with your good work for the Association.

Best Regards

Hugh P Caruth FIOSH RSP MAPEA. Caruth Associates Safety Services (see ad in Year Book page 36)

If some on looks at this and can tell me the names I would appreciate being told.

Sir,

I read with interest Bruno Boroewitsch's letter in September's issue of The Bulletin, in which he comments on the decrease in size and international relevance of the biennial International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment exhibition.

I felt compelled to respond to some of the misleading points he raised and place them all in context.

IFFE was owned by Blenheim Exhibitions where it was launched and grew before being sold to Miller Freeman where it went into decline, and was subsequently rescued by William Reed in 2000.

Since then IFFE has grown in terms of its size in relationship to exhibitors and visitors and relevance to the whole forecourt market. The show is also completely transparent about who attends and as such is prepared to have its statistics audited by an external body, unlike most European shows.

This year's event, which took place at the NEC, Birmingham in March, experienced a 2.76% growth in visitor attendance from the previous show. This is no mean feat when considering the overall consolidation within the industry.

IFFE 2003 attracted over 10% more internationals than in 2001 including senior buyers and personnel from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, North America, South/Central Africa, South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific.

Almost 80% of exhibitors expressed satisfaction or better, at the quality of visitors they saw. The fact that 40% of exhibition space for the 2005 event was sold before the March show closed, is testimony that IFFE has retained its importance and relevance as an influential industry event.

For UK and overseas visitors, IFFE is the largest European trade show offering the latest in fuel and forecourt equipment and supplies, alongside innovations for the forecourt shop an increasingly important profit centre for forecourt owners.

I agree with Bruno that this is certainly a tough time for the industry, which is why I am committed to providing an effective marketing tool to help manufacturers generate sales and to address some of the many challenges we face.

I would be interested to know Herr Boroewitsch's relationship with automechnika.

Andrew Reed IFFE Show Director William Reed

Sir,

Before you attempt to obtain petroleum spirit please remember………..

· Petrol may only be dispensed into the fuel

Front left bearded person was deputy chief Trading Standards officer Nottingham Next to him Sid Worsfield? - London fire brigade Back row - third left with tash - Chief Trading standards office Nottingham Back right - two in, myself 30 years ago black hair no beard - I am now white with a beard also white. Back third right - this person was a senior or chief Trading Standards officer from somewhere along the south coast. Front right - at the end Sam Warner next to him you have the Council chief finance officer a name sake Ewin Caruth and the Mayor.

· Petrol may only be obtained by persons over 16 years of age.

It is a legal requirement that the petrol retailer strictly enforces these rules, which form part of the Conditions of the Petroleum Licence issued by Castlereagh Borough Council and are imposed for the safety of employees and the general public.

Issued by Castlereagh Borough Council, Environmental Health.

Tel: (028) 9049 4640

Sir,

We read with interest the letter from TCI Environment in the most recent Bulletin concerning the problems being apparently caused to environmental security by alleged failing US pipe systems that are being reported by The State of Florida environmental dept. and other states in the USA. Our pipe system ' UPP ' is named three times in the TCI letter and I would like to take the opportunity to comment on this.

TCI are correct when they state that the original article from The Dept of the Environment in Talahassee indicates that there are no problems reported with our UPP system in Florida, or indeed in any of the many other states in the US where UPP is installed. Our original approval came in 1996 ( not four years ago as claimed ) and it was some seven years ago that we completed the first UPP site in Florida, at Tallahassee. UPP is no newcomer in the USA. This inaugural site's pipe system is functioning normally and has not been victim to any problems of product failure or contractor error. The TCI Environment letter claims that you can count the number of sites into which UPP has been installed on your hands : in fact, we have hundreds of sites in North America to date of which over 30 are in Florida and all of them are functioning well.

We are working with fuel retailers in various global locations in the retraction of non-metallic failed pipe systems and replacement with UPP ; in many cases, without breaking ground if required, so providing a fully retractable system. Therefore to these operators , any incident of crumbling pipe and leaking fuel are not seen as a ' rehash of old information ' as TCI indicate, but a real and current environmental issue. This is presumably the reason why The Bulletin, with an international and not just European readership, informs the industry of this serious situation. A visit to some of these globallyspread sites would result in an understanding of the poor performance of failing pipe systems ; in order to comprehend that the problem is one of today and merits proper concern. Operators and regulators require sound systems and any apparent compromise with leaking pipes, however small, appears justifiably unacceptable to the State of Florida authorities.

There is now sufficient photographic and witness evidence of these problems occurring in North America and many other parts of the world, such that the industry will recognise that they are not isolated to just a few contractor errors in one or two states of the US.

Stephen de Wild PetroTechnik Ltd Olympus Close Whitehouse Ind. Est. Ipswich UK IP1 5LN sdewild@upp.co.uk

UK, August 21 2003. Petrol Station Forecourt shopping ‘To grow twice as fast as high street’

Supermarket groups are likely to launch a major charm offensive to woo petrol station owners after research predicted forecourt shopping would grow twice as fast as the high street over the next four years.

Petrol station forecourts are set to top growth rates in the buoyant convenience store market, with sales expected to soar by 4.5 per cent a year to 2007, a report by the market analyst Datamonitor reveals today. This contrasts with forecast growth of just 2 per cent for the overall food and drinks market and beats an estimated annual 4.1 per cent for the convenience store market.

Supermarkets have targeted petrol station forecourts as a way to tap into the lucrative convenience market, with Sainsbury's teaming up with Shell to open 100 mini-supermarkets on the oil major's forecourts. Tesco runs most of its 110 Tesco Express stores in conjunction with Esso.

The report found that service stations already account for one-fifth or more of convenience sales in most European markets. Swedish forecourts lead the way, accounting for 83 per cent of the last-minute shopping market. While fuel retailers seek to supplement declining petrol margins, hit by rising oil prices and taxation levels of up to 80 per cent, by selling higher margin, non-fuel goods, their forecourts offer supermarkets an easy expansion route.

Marks & Spencer needs to find space to locate 200 of its Simply Food convenience store formats and is considering petrol station forecourts along with airport terminals, London Underground stations and motorway service stations as possible venues.

The push by supermarkets into the convenience store sector - Tesco bought the T&S chain last November, two months after Co-op swallowed the Alldays chain - has threatened the hold petrol stations previously had on the market. Datamonitor warned, "Fuel retailers must keep abreast of market developments and anticipate trends within the sector if they are to compete

UK, Sandwell, June 16 2003. Man rescued as blaze hits home

A man was rescued by firefighters after a blaze swept through his Bearwood home.

It is believed the fire started accidentally when the owner, a motorcycle enthusiast, was decanting petrol in his kitchen and a gas hob left on ignited fumes. He tried to escape the blaze by going upstairs and had to be rescued by firefighters from a first floor window of the terraced house in Westbury Road. T he man was taken by ambulance to Birmingham's City Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and minor cuts to his hands.

Three people living in neighbouring properties were evacuated for about an hour while firefighters brought the blaze under control after it was reported at 2pm yesterday. Ladywood fire station officer John Jones said, "He had two motorbikes in the house and there were some petrol containers in the kitchen. He must have run upstairs and was in the front room when we arrived. He was a very lucky chap."

Mr Jones warned people against keeping inflammable liquids like petrol in the house. He said the fire spread extremely quickly, reaching furniture stored in the roof space.

Firefighters using a hydraulic platform had to remove roof tiles to strip the area and ensure there was nothing left burning.

The Fire Victim Support Unit were contacted to help the man find somewhere to stay. Neighbour Robert Pickering said he returned from a visit to the shops to see thick black smoke pouring from the house. "The smoke was horrendous," he said.

UK, Stafford June 23 2003 Tanks ablaze after welding work

Firefighters and environmental workers were called to a Staffordshire farm following a fierce blaze involving three diesel tanks.

The fire broke out in Upper Haughton House Farm, near Stafford, at 11.55am yesterday while the owner was carrying out welding work in a timber garage. Sparks flew and ignited straw, causing the flames to then spread to the rest of the garage and neighbouring wooden outbuildings at the Bradley Lane farm.

Divisional officer Phil Causer said, "The farmer had three large diesel tanks stored on a trailer which became involved in a severe fire. One tank ruptured and a lot of diesel ran down the drive and down one of the drains, so it became an environmental issue. We contained the flames and brought in a damage limitation unit from Burton upon Trent. The diesel had run into a nearby stream so we dammed that and soaked up the diesel, then spent time making sure the tanks were safe." He added: "The fire was burning quite fiercely for about 30 minutes because of the diesel. Our initial approach was to protect the farmhouse and remainder of the buildings, then we focused on preventing an explosion."

Fire crews were also concerned for the welfare of 20 calves in a building next to the garage. "We couldn't bring them out because of the fire so we kept them cool and they weren't hurt," said Mr Causer.

Two fire engines from Stafford and one from Gnosall went to the scene, along with Environment Agency officials.

UK, Smoker burned as petrol ignites

A motorist who filled his car with petrol while smoking a cigarette suffered serious burns when the fuel caught light.

The man was engulfed in flames as he poured petrol from a can into his car at the side of the M5 near Wellington in Somerset. It is thought he had been driving north along the motorway in the early hours of Friday morning when he ran out of petrol. He bought a can of the fuel, but as he was filling up the car the vapour ignited, setting fire to his clothes.

A spokesman for the Somerset Fire Brigade said: "Fire crews from Wellington were called to the northbound carriageway of the M5. When they arrived at the scene they found a male casualty with serious burns to 20% of his body. he was given first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital by ambulance."

Fire safety officer Chris Snook said: "Whenever you are dealing with petrol you should never smoke or have any naked flames around. This applies to garage forecourts or any other areas where petroleum spirit is used. fire is very unforgiving, so think about your own personal safety at all times".

UK, June 29 2003. Switzerland cheapest for petrol

The price of filling up at the pumps is a favourite gripe among motorists, but the UK is well behind several other European countries for sky-high petrol prices, according to figures released today.

At 76p a litre the UK is in equal seventh place out of 12 nations for the cheapest petrol, having moved up from 10th position in 2002. UK prices are now 12p a litre cheaper than those in the highest priced nation, France.

Prices in France have rocketed 14p a litre in the last year and now stand at 88p a litre. Holland, Germany and Norway also all have higher fuel costs than the UK.

Britons looking for petrol price bargains this summer should avoid France and head for Switzerland, says the survey from American Express. Fuel in Switzerland costs around 59p a litre - the cheapest in Europe.

Switzerland has taken over as the cheapest country for petrol from Ireland which has seen a rise in prices to 61p a litre. Austria (62p a litre) and Spain (66p) are the only other countries where petrol is under 70p a litre.

American Express Travel senior vice president Brendan Walsh said, "There is growing speculation that greater numbers of British holidaymakers will plan last-minute travel overseas this summer. Those who have yet to decide can save money by picking a destination where petrol is cheaper."

Here is the American Express fuel table:

Country Cost Per Litre (p)

1. Switzerland 59 2. Ireland 61 3. Austria 62 4. Spain 66 5. Belgium 72 6. Sweden 74 7= UK 76 7= Italy 76 9. Norway 80 10. Germany * 80 11. Holland 83 12. France 88

* To the nearest pound, Germany's petrol is slightly more expensive than Norway's.

UK, July 1 2003. Consultation on petroleum hydrocarboncontaminated soils

The Environment Agency is currently developing an approach for the evaluation of the risks to human health from petroleum hydrocarbons in soils and is consulting on this approach.

Petroleum contamination in soils is currently evaluated using a wide variety of approaches, ranging from the assessment of "total petroleum hydrocarbons" to the evaluation of individual substances and petroleum fractions. Differences in analytical techniques, data interpretation and risk