Posted By AlanB A friend of mine has recently purchased a disused service station which he is going to re-open. The station has 4 fuel pumps, one of which is diesel, two unleaded petrol and one LRP. All fuel is stored in underground tanks. The station also has a small garage. This garage will be used for car MOT and minor repairs. There is a shop in the station building, which will be used to sell drinks and snacks. There will be one forecourt attendant, who will initially be filling the vehicles himself. He will also be running the shop. There will be one person in the garage doing the MOT. I am not up to speed with the requirements of service stations, but have compiled some information for him, but would like some further info please.. What safety, health and environment legislation applies and what must he have in place before opening the station for business? I have identified a number of major hazards he must address, but would like some additional comments relating to general service station hazards please. The friend is also not the best when it comes to the paperwork side of his business, and despite my warnings to the contrary, he would prefer not to get too bogged down with a management system, documented risk assessments etc. Since there are less than 5 employees, he wants to get away from documenting risk assessments, but I think he needs to document due to the potential risks associated with that type of business. I believe that I have most of the information that he requires, but since I am not a consultant and have no previous experience in this type of business, all comments would be much appreciated. Thanks Alan

Posted By peter gotch Alan Lots of guidance including HSE books on Motor Vehicle Repair, Tyre and Exhaust Fitting + stuff on the HELA part of the HSE website eg at http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/m_s.htm#65 Has your friend thought about the lone worker implications of trying to run a shop and serve fuel simultaneously inclusive of till security + licensing requirements + environnmental implications eg in event of spillage from underground tank. Sounds a pretty risk business undertaking to move into. Petrol stations that close rarely reopen - trying to compete with modern supermarket etc installations, built to current design standards. I wish them luck. Regards, Peter

Posted By Tyler An environmental risk assessment will be required. Geology, hydrogeology, flood potrential of the site, location of the site to residential properties, historical use of the site and surrounding area. Then you will need to look at the age of the underground tanks, any existing underground leakage/spillage meaning existing pollution to tyhe ground (bore hole sampling etc) Then you will need to consider the health and safety of contractors who are employed to set up and commision the site and so on. It is not something I would suggest a sole trader invest in especially if he doesn't like paperwork and has no prior knowledge in the industry. Contact the Institute of Petroleum (and other industry bodies) for more info. Im with Dave, why did the other one close?

Posted By AlanB Thanks for your replies. Actually, this person is a friend of a friend, whom I don't really know, but He has purchased this station at a very reasonable price. My thoughts are the same as all those offered on this thread. The station closed due to competition, and has not been in business for over 2 years. From what I gather, there is some work on the building itself, but no major problems with the filling station part. But then again, I am not certain if a full survey has been carried out. I have no previous experience with service stations on a professional basis, and this is one of the reasons why I agreed to collate some data for him - so that I can learn about it myself. I think he is venturing into this with his eyes somewhat closed, and has not really considered the extent of what he has to do. I have only been informed of him doing this today, so I am still in the process of gathering information for him. So again, thank you for the comments, and any more comments and suggestions would be great! Alan