Retraceable Grounding

Rubber tires makes for static electricity. Find a better contractor.

www.loadtec.co.uk

Perhaps you meant "retractable" and not "retraceable".

In any case, yes, the trucks must be bonded to the same bonding system that the delivery system (pumps and piping) are bonded to.

This is often done by the use of retractable bonding jumpers with secure and approved clamps that connect to the trucks. These jumpers are housed in spring tensioned reels that allow the jumpers to rewind on to the reel when not needed so that the jumpers do not lie all over the ground and get damaged.

Why? Because the flow of the product in the delivery piping can cause a static charge to build-up to the point where the potential difference can cause all sorts of electrostatic discharge.

Bonding the whole system together provides a path for that static buil-up to be sucked off before the levels get to the point that a discharge is possible.

The bottom line... the contractor needs to meet the requirements of its customer.

If static discharge could make the condensate go bang then the trucks need to be properly earthed. Relying on metal pumps and hoses is not going to be enough.

If in doubt (or the contractor won't accept this) then consult your local hazardous area inspector for some site specific advice they will have to follow.

Get a better contractor.

Where I live, fuel delivery trucks, airplanes etc, ALL are grounded before hoses are connected. No exception. Static discharge ignited fumes are nasty.

Wrong. If the truck is carrying any sort of store static charge, which it certainly will have, the truck needs to be earth before any off loading/loading occurs. Even if the tanks are earthed.

If the tanks are earthed and the filling hose is earthed, then on contact to the filling nozzle the hose will earth the truck. But, it is always a standard safety procedure to earth the truck before any loading off loading takes place.

Static charges build up to high voltages and a simple spark could ignite any gases present in the air that may combust. It only takes 7kV static charge to cause a spark.