Because safety is a primary requirement of the petroleum industry, the sector has developed self-regulatory schemes, in certain cases approved by the Health and Safety Executive, to ensure that industry workers, including and in particular contractors, meet the minimum standards required.

One of these schemes is the Forecourt Contractor Safety Passport, which was introduced in 2000 by the petroleum retail sector to improve contractors' awareness of Health and Safety rules for working at service stations. Under the scheme, oil companies require contract workers to undergo a two-day training course before they can carry out work on their petrol forecourts.

The training course covers seven key areas in plain, everyday language.

Day 1 of the course introduces delegates to generic Health and Safety regulations and asks key questions such as "what is a hazard?" and "what do we mean by risk?"

Day 2, entitled "Working Safely on a Petrol Forecourt", deals with the practical issues of identifying hazards on the forecourt, from the dangers of working at heights or in excavations in a highly volatile environment, to the risks inherent in the delivery of petroleum products and to working in a public place.

During the course, tests are carried out to check that delegates have understood and assimilated the issues raised. The successful candidates then receive a credit card-sized "Safety Passport", which will enable them to get authorisation from participating companies to work on their forecourts.  The passport is valid for a period of three years from date of issue.

If you are a contractor wishing to enrol for the course and gain a Forecourt Contractor Safety Passport, contact your local training provider as detailed in the training providers list.

If you are a training provider wishing to deliver the course, complete the Training Provider Application Form and forward as detailed. 

For any further information, contact: enquiries@safetypassport.co.uk at the Safety Pass Alliance - tel: 01788 540061.