Road tanker drivers must be educated to attach the grounding clamp and system to the designated earth point on the road tanker as soon as they leave the cab and before they start any other operation or product transfer (do not attach hoses, lower legs, etc).
After the product transfer and all other activities have been completed the driver can remove the earthing clamp and put it back on the earthing system stowage point before driving off.
Occasionally this simple process of removing and stowing the clamp and cable by the driver fails to be completed and the road tanker is driven off taking the grounding clamp, spiral cable/cable reel with it, causing extensive and expensive damage.
This type of incident also prevents any further use of this safety equipment until repaired. Newson Gale have a new assembly to help mitigate this situation.
The BAC Break Away Connector fits in line with the grounding clamp and cable. If the road tanker is driven off prematurely, the grounding clamp and the male half of the Break Away Connector (BAC) assembly separates from the remaining cable thus mitigating further damage to the installation.
This means that only the clamp and BAC assembly need to be replaced to enable the grounding equipment to be up and running again quickly. The Break Away Connector will fit existing Earth-Rite grounding systems fitted with quick connectors. The Break Away Connector will not separate during normal operation but will separate if a drive off occurs mitigating damage to other system components.
Caution when using the BAC: Please be aware that if the road tanker is driven off – with the clamp and cable still attached – and the BAC assembly separates, the remaining end of the straight cable can fly back towards the point of where it is installed (although this happens anyway without the BAC fitted). This could be a health and safety hazard and needs to be fully understood and assessed by the user before purchase/installation.
For more information visit www.newson-gale.co.uk
