Fire regulations are baffling
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• No way of overcoming some of the problems raised by the new regulations on the conveyance of inflammable substances could be suggested by a Home Office expert who recently attended a meeting of the express carriers' functional committee, reports the R HA journal Road Way. The best that he could do was to ask operators to do their utmost to comply with the regulations.
If more than 250kg of inflammable liquids is carried on a vehicle other than a tanker, smoking is prohibited, a fire e'xtinguisher must be carried, and steps must be taken to prevent spillage. There are also complex provisions about marking receptacles and vehicles. But whereas the operator is obliged to mark vehicles carrying inflammable materials in more than specified amounts, the makers are not obliged to show the weight on the receptacles. Even where they do, points out the RHA, bank staff in a depot would be hard put to it to tot up all the weights of individual small packages making up a mixed load.
If the problem were overcome by marking all express carriers' vans with the approved sign, this would be like crying -wolfand would defeat the purpose of the regulations. Operators could, on the other hand, refuse to accept unmarked consignments-but this would put manufacturers in difficulties.
It was suggested at the meeting that the permitted amount in an unmarked vehicle might be raised from 250 to 1,000kg, and the limit per receptacle amended to 250kg.