Petrol Station Shop

[housebasher]

I am employed as a electrical service engineer by a company that services Industrial ovens, hot counters and Catering equipment.
occasionally I do repair equipment in Petrol station Shops.
Last week I was kicked of site by a Station Manager for not having a SPA Card.
My company claims he was misinformed and I don't need one ?
What is the Forums opinion, am I required to do the course, before legally working ?
Remember I am doing repair work in the retail shop, not related to the pumps, storage, or wiring installation.
On occasions I have been expected to connect up new ovens or counters if there are hard wired in. Is this acceptable ?
I have my 17th edition and 2391, but not all my other colleges do.

 

[ericmark]

In the old days near every site one went to work on would need to do an induction and train new workers to the site as to what was the procedure to comply with HSE rules. This was very time consuming and the passport system was introduced by may firms so that they did not need to conduct these inductions and their method statements and risk assessments were re-written to account for the basic training assumed to have been given to card holders. Once this has been done then the site has to of course insure all workers on the site receive this basic training. So as to if you need it or not will depend on the companies health and safety policy which will line up with the method statements and risk assessment.

So you may need one card for one site and a completely different card for another site this is not a hard and fast rule.

So basic answer if site management says you need card then you need card it's their call and the way they have selected to comply with HSE rules in ensuring staff and suitably trained.

The problem with the array of cards is there is so many but that's your employers problem not yours.

 

[Grizzly]

Surely these requirements should have been agreed between your employer and the company that runs/owns the petrol station, when the service contract was being drawn up, before you even set foot on the forecourt.

The fact that it seems to have come as a surprise to various people indicates that certain people in both companies haven't been doing their jobs properly.

 

[wingcoax]

Before i changed jobs i did the passport to safety course but still had to do the site induction courses by the customer. In fact i ended up with several cards for different sites for the same customer. As advised, find out what the agreement was between your boss and the customer.

 

[Lectrician]

Surely these requirements should have been agreed between your employer and the company that runs/owns the petrol station, when the service contract was being drawn up, before you even set foot on the forecourt.

The fact that it seems to have come as a surprise to various people indicates that certain people in both companies haven't been doing their jobs properly.

Harsh.

It sounds like this guy travels around fixing and maintaining catering equipment used in cafes, pubs and shops. He has turned up to fix or repair an item in the shop of a petrol station, and has likely not had contact with the owner ever before.

It is surprising what you can do on petrol station sites when you look at the zoning, even on the forcourt! in the shop you would be fine working. The owner sounds like a prick.

 

[JohnW2]

The fact that it seems to have come as a surprise to various people indicates that certain people in both companies haven't been doing their jobs properly.

Harsh. ... It sounds like this guy travels around fixing and maintaining catering equipment used in cafes, pubs and shops. He has turned up to fix or repair an item in the shop of a petrol station, and has likely not had contact with the owner ever before.

I don't really think it is harsh - no-one has pointed even the tiniest of fingers at the OP. As has been said/implied, if the manager of the petrol station had requirements (even if silly/unnecessary requirements) in terms of "who could do what" in the station's shop, he should surely have indicated that to the OP's employer at the time of asking for the work to be done?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Lectrician]

Exactly. It sounds like the petrol station owner who has not made his requirments clear. The OPs boss is not at fault here IMO, so I thought the comment harsh.

 

[333rocky333]

The PFS passports a relatively new thing and tesco etc are stipulating you have it.
We were only advised two months ago we needed it, despite having EX training certificates

Although your in the shop your still exposed to hazards crossing the forecourt to your van and we often see contractors similar to yourself using ther mobiles and strutting round usually with them still in there pockets within zones, or with cordless tools, etc.

Tesco etc are more interested in selling beans than petrol and proberly turn a blind eye, but venture into BP etc and you could expose your company to serious trouble.

The pfs passport is mainly for contractors like yourselfs who work out of zones but still within the PFS.
Venturing into working in zones and near pumps is a different matter and you should require more than a two day safety course
I would have thought the Pfs owners would have advised your boss of this beforehand