Filling up the family car or a work vehicle with fuel is a familiar task for most drivers.

But what about dealing safely with those small quantities of fuel that need to be handled, transported and stored for use with mowers, chainsaws and the like?

Here are some tips.

• Obey all the normal service station site rules including: no mobile phone use, engines stopped, any form of fire/ignition source extinguished, and no children under 15 to operate the pump even under supervision.
• Avoid contact with fuel and breathing fuel vapours.
• Only carry or store fuel in approved metal or plastic fuel containers that meet AS 2906-2001 and are marked accordingly. Plastic oil containers, drink bottles and the like are totally unsuitable and their susceptibility to static buildup and discharge poses a significant fire risk. Standards approved plastic containers are acceptable. Fuel containers must be leak-free.
• Never fill a container that’s in a car, ute tray or trailer. Always place the container on the ground to discharge static first. Then discharge any static charge on your body by touching the container with your bare hand. The fuel pump nozzle should contact the container during filling to allow the nozzles in-built ground connection to drain off any static that might build up during filling.
• Don’t carry or store more fuel than is essential for your immediate needs and always secure containers during transport so they can’t move about.
• Don’t carry fuel inside a car or caravan.
• Don’t store fuel for long periods as most fuels only have a shelf life of about three months, under ideal conditions.
• Always store fuel in a cool place and away from potential ignition sources.