Equipment Refueling and Static
29 CFR 1926.152 · This talk in Spanish
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Why it matters
Gasoline vapors can be lit by small sparks, including static sparks. Refueling fires happen at the overlap of vapor, hurry, and a hot engine: cans filled in truck beds on plastic liners, engines fueled running, nozzles jammed open with a glove. OSHA flammable liquid rules require bonding when fuel moves between containers, engines off while fueling, and no smoking or open flames in fueling areas. Today: grounding, bonding, and the few seconds that prevent the fireball.
Hazards
- ⚠ Static discharge igniting vapors while filling cans and tanks
- ⚠ Filling containers on plastic bed liners that isolate them from ground
- ⚠ Refueling hot or running engines and generators
- ⚠ Vapors pooling around low fill points on still days
- ⚠ Spills on hot exhaust components
- ⚠ Smoking and phone-fiddling at the fuel point
Controls and safe practices
- ✓ Fill cans ON THE GROUND, never in a truck bed or trunk; keep the nozzle in contact with the can for bonding.
- ✓ Shut engines off and let hot equipment cool before fueling; generators especially.
- ✓ Use approved safety cans, and touch metal to metal before you pour: nozzle to tank, can to filler.
- ✓ No smoking or open flame in the fueling area, and post no smoking signs, per 1926.152.
- ✓ Fuel slowly to reduce splash and vapor; wipe spills and let them flash off before starting.
- ✓ Extinguisher within reach at fuel storage and fueling operations.
- ✓ Fuel outside enclosures, upwind of ignition sources, with the exhaust in mind.
What the OSHA standard says
Exact words from the official text, with a link to each paragraph.
“Transfer of Category 1, 2, or 3 flammable liquids from one container to another shall be done only when containers are electrically interconnected (bonded).”
“There shall be no smoking or open flames in the areas used for fueling, servicing fuel systems for internal combustion engines, receiving or dispensing of flammable liquids.”
“The motors of all equipment being fueled shall be shut off during the fueling operation.”
“Approved safety cans or Department of Transportation approved containers shall be used for the handling and use of flammable liquids in quantities of 5 gallons or less”
“Each service or fueling area shall be provided with at least one fire extinguisher having a rating of not less than 20-B:C located so that an extinguisher will be within 75 feet of each pump, dispenser, underground fill pipe opening, and lubrication or service area.”
Site check before the talk
Walk the site and tick each line. Each line comes from the text quoted above.
- ☐Bond containers together, metal to metal, before pouring fuel from one to another. (29 CFR 1926.152(e)(2))
- ☐No smoking or open flame anywhere fuel is dispensed. (29 CFR 1926.152(g)(8))
- ☐Shut the engine off before you fuel any equipment. (29 CFR 1926.152(g)(10))
- ☐Carry 5 gallons or less of fuel only in approved safety cans or DOT approved containers. (29 CFR 1926.152(a)(1))
- ☐A 20-B:C or better extinguisher is within 75 feet of every fueling point. (29 CFR 1926.152(g)(11))
Quotes checked word for word against the official eCFR text on October 5, 2026. This is a summary for a crew talk, not legal advice; the full official text governs. How we check
Crew discussion questions
- Where do we actually fill cans: ground or truck bed?
- Which equipment gets fueled hot around here, honestly?
- Where does fueling happen relative to heaters and hot work?
- Is the extinguisher at the fuel point charged and reachable?
Applicable OSHA standards
29 CFR 1926.152
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