In the past few days since the Colonial Pipeline closure, some people have saved gasoline in the worst ways ever. From filling water bottles to plastic bags to children’s sand buckets, consumers have been seen unsafely trying to stock up on gasoline. Experts at Scepter® encourage people to stop filling unsafe items with fuel and to invest in rugged, safe fuel containers.
“Safety should always be the highest priority when handling gasoline or other fuels,” says Dan Marshall, vice president of marketing and business development with Scepter. “You simply cannot safely fill up and transport open containers of fuel. Buckets, milk jugs and other household items are not meant to handle fuel.
Respecting Fuel Safety
As a panic reaction to saving fuel at the gas pumps, some people have been shown filling everything from two-liter soda bottles to watering cans this week.
“We’re deeply dedicated to fuel safety,” says Marshall, whose company initiated Fuel Safety Month in July of 2020. “There are extremely bad results that can happen when people don’t understand and respect fuel safety. One of our highest priorities is to educate consumers on fuel safety.
“Quite simply, it’s not worth the risk to yourself or others around you to try and save gasoline in anything other than an approved fuel container built especially for that purpose.”
Marshall relates that using a dependable fuel container eliminates dangers during accidental spills. A dropped bucket, bag or other unreliable container with gasoline could cause an environmental, safety or potential fire situation. According to the durability standards of ASTM 852, there are specific requirements that fuel containers must meet which help avoid these dangers during an accidental drop.
The rugged SmartControl containers are Made in America and designed to substantially exceed ASTM and U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) minimum standards. Each product includes child safety locks and a flame mitigation device for added protection. And, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the products are made of integrated barrier layers to keep dangerous fumes from leaking or igniting.
One-, two- and five-gallon SmartControl fuel containers feature a unique push spout for fast pours without spills. With a single motion, the user simply presses the lever up to unlock the child safety feature with the palm of the hand, and then squeezes the large button. The first squeeze is done when upright to vent the container. Then, the nozzle gets placed over the tank. A second squeeze allows users to pour just the right amount of fuel.