A guy at the next bowser was on his mobile phone??!!

[martyal44]

Ok so I pull into a Shell in Newcastle today and I park next to the shop so I grab the pump and pull it over the back of the boot to reach the left side
filler (Falcon) and away I go. The guy opposite filling a Toyota van is in the middle of a happy conversation on his mobile phone...I sort of glare and when he finally looks at me I ask him to not use his phone but he says 'It's too late now' then I say sternly 'Well do you want to live till Easter and by the way I'm sure it's illegal anyway' ,he finally stops and walks away 1-2 metres and seems to hang up. My wife went in to pay so I didn't go into the shop but I thought the console operator is supposed to look out for compromising behaviour and use their loud speaker.
So I was pretty annoyed at the whole episode but was it;
1. An illegal situation?
2. It was 29 degrees temp and the station was full of other cars/families so was I fair to speak up?
3. What would you have done?
4. If it was illegal and downright dangerous what can be done as an education campaign?
P.S. I've seen people on their mobiles in a servo but with the window up and also cigarettes alight in the bowser queues. Is this illegal/dangerous?

[steweyau]

Hi

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articl...30/1799366.htm

cheers

[Whoosha]

Don't let Mr Petrolec (AU1XLS) see ya on the phone he hits the auto shut down Static and or drop the phone and the battery falls out can be nasty . and there are signs to warn people of the dangers .

[mike_nofx]

It is possible to cause an explosion, but extremely unlikely.

There are hundreds of things which can spark in and around a service station, car batteries are one thing. Static electricity is probably a bigger risk than a mobile phone.

[Captain Stubing]

I didn't think it was illegal, unless you dropped the phone and created a spark somehow.
Mythbusters reckon it was a myth, and so does Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

[strobe]

Pulled into a servo in tassie once, guy comes out to fill the car smoking a cigarette.

[sideways82]

you can put a cigarette out in petrol

[MWTB]

Originally Posted by sideways82

you can put a cigarette out in petrol

That's beside the point. The fumes ignite, not the liquid. Yeah, you can drop a ciggie in a cup of petrol and nothing will happen, but hold a lighter outside the mouth of a jerry can and see what happens.

You can smoke a ciggie at a servo no issues, done it plenty of times. Most servos have ventilation systems that vent the fumes up into the air rather than keep them lingering around the station. They're easy to spot if you know what to look for, or just ask the attendant. That said, I'm sure lighting a lighter and running around screaming 'jihad' would be enough to cause a fuss.

[jaydee]

Crikey, the instant I clicked on that link for the ABC my computer crashed, anyone else?

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by jaydee

Crikey, the instant I clicked on that link for the ABC my computer crashed, anyone else?

nup all good here

[pottery beige]

last little bit of Dr Karl says it all..

The phone companies post warnings about using phones in petrol stations for two reasons. First, mobile phones are not designed with “Intrinsic Safety” to make them able to operate safely in truly hazardous inflammable vapour situations, and second, fear of legal liability, despite all the evidence showing that mobile phones don't cause fires in petrol stations.

you messing with oil, gas or coal. intrinsically safe is a big deal

[NickosBF2XRT]

HAHAHAHA, cant believe you told him to walk away. Thats whats causing so much problems in this world, people speaking up about something they know nothing about. I dont mean offense tho, I just thought it was funny, having a go over nothing.

[DanielXR8]

Its a bit like those folks who if they visit the corner store, park the car, lock it and enter the store to pick up some milk.

However if they are doing the same at a service station, they park the car over tanks holding several thousand litres of flammable fuel, leave the ignition and engine on and walk away with the car unlocked to get some milk.

I just can't fathom it.

[Mechan1k]

Have seen a servo operater remotely shut all the pumps down and let the guy over the PA know about it ... in front of the a very busy servo. The outrage from everyone trying to fill up with a now shut down pump made him get off the phone quick smart.

[Itsme]

There is a reason for signs that say no to mobile phone use contrary to what people think here.
Some one will pay the penalty one day when something goes wrong....

[Jeddak]

Originally Posted by sideways82

you can put a cigarette out in petrol

gotta get it past the fumes first though!!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by martyal44

Ok so I pull into a Shell in Newcastle today and I park next to the shop so I grab the pump and pull it over the back of the boot to reach the left side
filler (Falcon) and away I go.

i think the other guy should have had a go at you. why would you pull up to a bowser on the opposite side to your filler?

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by Jeddak

gotta get it past the fumes first though!!

just tried it.. no burns on me..

[xisled]

Maybe servos should stop using pay wave on the eftpos machine, also some servos even use wireless terminals and have wireless Internet, those signals are similar yet no one says 1 thing about it.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by xisled

Maybe servos should stop using pay wave on the eftpos machine, also some servos even use wireless terminals and have wireless Internet, those signals are similar yet no one says 1 thing about it.

intrinsically safe..... ???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_safety

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by prydey

i think the other guy should have had a go at you. why would you pull up to a bowser on the opposite side to your filler?

I hate that. And usually I watch this same person reposition their car TWICE closer to the bowser. Meanwhile the car that that was waiting has already filled & about to drive out.

Originally Posted by xisled

Maybe servos should stop using pay wave on the eftpos machine, also some servos even use wireless terminals and have wireless Internet, those signals are similar yet no one says 1 thing about it.

Yeah, because those signals are RIGHT next to the pumps arent they? No. They are a good 20++ meters away through concrete walls & thick glass panes and have a limited range anyway. And the pay-at-pumps are wired in & not actually operating at the time of filling. Hmmmmmm.......

The whole no-phone-while-filling is precautionary. Yes you can smoke while filling or even drop it in the fuel & not ignite, but what do you use to ignite the cigarette? That's right a naked flame. It stops people from not thinking and lighting up while fueling. Pure prevention. The phone issue used to be a big problem back in the day, but as time goes on the risk decreases. In either case are you prepared to take the risk? I wouldn't &Damn well don't want to find out the hard way that I shouldn't have taken that call.

[Chrisosicko]

It's a bit like not using mobile phones on a plane, it's better to be safe than sorry. The question is "Will anything go wrong?" Answer, most likely not, but on that extremely rare chance it does, the outcome will be catastrophic. And I can tell you right now I wouldn't want to be the one responsible. So I believe telling the man off is a reasonable thing to.

[cs123]

So, has a mobile phone ever set off a petrol station fire? No, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, who looked at 243 petrol station fires worldwide, happening in the 11 years between 1993 and 2004. And no, according to the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, and no, according the Robert Renkes, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, who said, “We have not found a cell phone responsible for any fire since the beginning of mankind” . And finally no, according to the popular Mythbusters TV show, which tried mightily to make a mobile phone explode a chamber full of petrol vapour, and failed.

You may as well start yelling at the guy for picking his nose.

Better yet, yell at them if they are wearing nylon trackie daks.

[Night]

Seems a lot of people think they are to busy to put their phones down for couple of minutes, you'd think psychiatrists would be making a killing trying to convince people that it's ok to not to have physical contact with your phone 24/7. the world won't end!

[Brazen]

Starting your car would be less safe in a servo, that's why I push mine out on to the road before starting the ignition.

[gassed250]

theres more chance of blowing up from static in your cloths, i think the no mobile thing is due to people not paying attention to what they're doing

[xr gr8]

Seems like everything else is today's world of "I don't give a big brown crap" attitude.
Regardless of what we all "reckon" is safe or not all fuel stations clearly stipulate no use of mobile phones!....it's a simple request....I'm with the op here....my guess is the peanut who was on his phone would be the first one to sue if someone else caused an issue affecting him at the said fuel station. Yet he knows he shouldn't be on the phone while pumping fuel as 1/ the servo requires it and 2/ it may harm others around him....just another example of todays caring considerate society, dead set nobba if you ask me

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by xr gr8

Seems like everything else is today's world of "I don't give a big brown crap" attitude.
Regardless of what we all "reckon" is safe or not all fuel stations clearly stipulate no use of mobile phones!....it's a simple request....I'm with the op here....my guess is the peanut who was on his phone would be the first one to sue if someone else caused an issue affecting him at the said fuel station. Yet he knows he shouldn't be on the phone while pumping fuel as 1/ the servo requires it and 2/ it may harm others around him....just another example of todays caring considerate society, dead set nobba if you ask me

No one is condoning using a phone it's just funny hearing someone having a go at someone else at a servo over it as there is very little science or evidence suggesting it has ever caused injury or damage. But yes that van guy was a ****** and should play it safe.

Hmm do I now smell a Monash Uni study funded by the VIC govt suggesting that the VIC govt should install safety cameras that fine people for using their phone?

The fact my car's exhaust runs at 650 degrees C and is only a couple of feet from the fuel hose is a concern.

[trentski]

There was big explosion at a paint factory overseas a few years back. The only thing they could trace it to was someone at the plant receiving a phone call. Mat eo fmine works at an Australian branch and they have strict no phones at work rules because of it.

[xr gr8]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I think it is the opposite, nowadays everyone is self-righteous and is offended by everyone's else's action. No one is condoning using a phone it's just funny hearing someone having a go at someone else at a servo over it as there is very little science or evidence suggesting it has ever caused injury or damage.

The fact my car's exhaust runs at 650 degrees C and is only a couple of feet from the fuel hose is a concern.

.....yes ,but while your at the servo filling up its a stipulation that you don't use your phone...people just don't care....until something goes wrong!