The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have issued a safety notice after a number of reported fires on and around liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) powered forklift trucks and other similar vehicles that have occurred during starting.
Investigations have found that the fires are being caused by a build-up of deposits in fuel systems, in particular the vaporiser units of LPG powered vehicles.
The forklift trucks have been reported to not be starting due to sticking valves. These sticking valves are caused by deposits in vaporiser units, flow regulators and shut off valves. A build-up of these deposits can lead to sticking valves and the mixture supplied to the engine being too rich to be ignited.
When this occurs repeated starting attempts can result in the release of unburned LPG, which in extreme cases can be ignited, setting fire to the vehicle and surrounding materials.
The HSE's safety notice sets out the required action to take in relation to this risk, and sets out required actions:
For more information, see:
