Safety Protocols
Part of Petroleum and Tar
Comprehensive safety protocols for handling, storing, and working with petroleum products.
Why This Matters
Petroleum products have killed and injured more people through accidents than through any deliberate act in human history. The early petroleum industry was extraordinarily dangerous — refinery explosions, storage tank fires, poisoning from vapor exposure, and severe burns were routine events. The safety practices we take for granted today were written in the blood of workers who learned the hard way what happens when petroleum is handled carelessly.
In a rebuilding society without fire departments, hospitals, ambulance services, or burn units, a single petroleum accident can be catastrophic. A severe burn that would be treatable in a modern hospital may be fatal without IV fluids and sterile dressings. An explosion that would be contained by modern infrastructure can destroy an entire workshop and injure everyone nearby. Prevention is not merely preferable — it is a survival imperative.
These protocols cover the full lifecycle of petroleum handling: from collection and transport through processing, storage, and end use. Following them rigorously will prevent the vast majority of accidents. Skipping them to save time or effort is the most common path to disaster.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Modern PPE may not be available, but effective protection can be improvised:
Eye Protection
Petroleum splashes can cause severe eye damage, and hot tar causes permanent blindness on contact.
- Improvised goggles: Carved wood or leather frames with thin slits or mesh openings. Even a narrow slit reduces the chance of direct splash contact.
- Face shields: A flat piece of mica, thin-shaved horn, or even woven grass held in front of the face on a frame.
- Minimum standard: Never heat tar or handle volatile petroleum without some form of eye cover.
Hand and Arm Protection
- Heavy leather gloves: Essential for handling hot tar and pitch. Cloth gloves are inadequate — hot tar soaks through fabric instantly.
- Long sleeves: Tightly woven, heavy fabric. Tuck into gloves.
- Barrier cream: Rendered tallow rubbed into exposed skin creates a partial barrier against petroleum contact and makes cleanup easier.
Respiratory Protection
- Wet cloth mask: For short exposure to petroleum vapors, a damp cloth over nose and mouth reduces inhalation.
- Upwind positioning: The most effective respiratory protection is simply working upwind of vapor sources.
- Ventilation: Work outdoors or in thoroughly ventilated spaces. Petroleum vapors are heavier than air and accumulate in low areas.
Storage Protocols
Container Requirements
| Product | Container Material | Sealing | Fill Level | Storage Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | Metal or glass only | Airtight | 85-90% max | Separate building, 30m from flame |
| Kerosene | Metal, glass, or glazed ceramic | Tight-fitting lid | 90% max | Separate area, 15m from flame |
| Lubricating oil | Metal, glass, or ceramic | Covered | 95% | General storage, away from heat |
| Tar/pitch (solid) | Any — even open bins | Optional | Any | General storage |
| Crude petroleum | Metal or stone-lined pit | Covered | 90% | Separate area, 15m from flame |
Storage Facility Design
- Separate petroleum storage from living quarters. Minimum 15 meters for kerosene and heavier products; minimum 30 meters for gasoline and crude petroleum.
- No ignition sources: No candles, oil lamps, cooking fires, forge fires, or smoking within the storage area. Ever. No exceptions.
- Ventilation: Storage buildings must have openings at both floor level and roof level to prevent vapor accumulation. Petroleum vapors are heavier than air and pool at floor level.
- Containment: Store containers on a surface with a raised lip or berm that would contain the full volume of the largest container if it ruptures. This prevents spills from spreading.
- Labeling: Every container must be clearly and permanently labeled with its contents. Use different container shapes or colors for different products when possible.
- Inventory: Maintain a written record of what is stored, how much, and when it was received. This ensures accountability and helps identify leaks or losses.
Quantity Limits
Store only what you need for the near term. Large petroleum stockpiles are large hazards.
- Household: Maximum 20 liters of kerosene, 5 liters of gasoline
- Workshop: Maximum 100 liters of mixed products
- Community storage: As needed, but in separate containers of no more than 200 liters each, with adequate separation between containers
Transport Protocols
Carrying Petroleum
- Use containers with secure, leak-proof closures. Never transport petroleum in open vessels.
- Avoid jolting and impact. Carry slowly and steadily. A dropped container of gasoline that ruptures creates an immediate vapor hazard.
- Keep away from heat and sparks during transport. Do not transport petroleum in the same cart as a forge, lamp, or any heat source.
- Two-person carry for large containers. Dropping a heavy container of petroleum because one person could not manage it is entirely preventable.
Transfer and Pouring
- Ground all metal containers before pouring. Touch a wire connecting the container to a metal stake in damp earth. Static discharge ignites gasoline vapor.
- Pour slowly. Fast pouring creates turbulence that generates static and sprays droplets.
- Use a funnel. This prevents spills and directs flow. Metal funnels are preferable; connect them to the receiving container with wire for static grounding.
- Never pour volatile products near flame. If you need petroleum near a fire (for example, fueling a lamp), bring the lamp to the petroleum storage area, fuel it there while extinguished, and then carry the fueled lamp to where it is needed.
Processing Safety
Distillation Operations
- Dedicated operator: At least one person whose sole responsibility is watching the still. This person does not perform other tasks simultaneously.
- Pre-operation checklist: Before every distillation run, verify:
- Retort is no more than 2/3 full
- All joints are sealed
- Vapor path is unobstructed
- Condenser is charged with cold water
- Collection vessels are positioned and stable
- Firefighting sand is within arm’s reach
- All personnel are accounted for and briefed
- During operation: Monitor continuously for:
- Vapor leaks (smell, visible condensation at joints)
- Condenser cooling adequacy (output pipe should not be hot)
- Collection vessel levels (swap before overflow)
- Fire or unusual heating patterns
- Emergency shutdown: If anything goes wrong — vapor leak, condenser failure, uncontrolled heating — bank the fire immediately by closing all air vents and covering with earth. Do not try to remove the retort from the fire.
Hot Tar and Pitch Work
- Heat indirectly: Use a double-boiler setup (tar vessel inside a larger vessel of oil or sand) or an enclosed firebox beneath. Direct flame on tar vessels risks ignition.
- Never overfill: Hot tar expands and froths. Fill cooking and transport vessels half full at most.
- Carry carefully: Hot tar in buckets should be carried slowly, at arm’s length from the body, using both hands or a carrying pole.
- Have a lid ready: A tight-fitting metal lid can smother a tar fire instantly. Every tar-heating station needs a lid that fits the vessel.
Emergency Response
Spill Response
Small spill (less than 5 liters):
- Stop the source immediately
- Cover the spill with dry sand or earth — do not wash with water
- If volatile (gasoline, light naphtha): evacuate the area, eliminate all ignition sources, and ventilate before approaching
- Scoop up contaminated sand and dispose of it in a safe location away from water sources and structures
Large spill:
- Evacuate personnel upwind
- Eliminate all ignition sources in the area
- Build a sand or earth berm to prevent spread toward structures or water
- Allow volatile products to evaporate before cleanup (approach from upwind)
- For heavy products (crude, tar), contain with earth berms and scoop up
Fire Response
| Fire Size | Action |
|---|---|
| Small (less than 1m diameter) | Smother with sand, earth, or close-fitting lid. Approach from upwind. |
| Medium (1-3m) | If you have enough sand and personnel, attempt to smother. Otherwise, evacuate. |
| Large (over 3m) | Do NOT attempt to fight. Evacuate everyone upwind and uphill. Protect adjacent structures by wetting them (water on buildings, not on the fire). |
Never Use Water on a Petroleum Fire
Water spreads burning petroleum by floating it and carrying it to new locations. Water on a hot tar fire causes explosive steam eruption that sprays burning tar in all directions. The only time to use water near a petroleum fire is to wet down adjacent structures to prevent fire spread.
Burn Treatment Protocol
- Cool immediately: Run cool (not ice-cold) clean water over the burn for at least 10 minutes. This is the single most important first-aid step.
- Do not remove adhered tar: If hot tar is stuck to the skin, cool it in place with water. Pulling it off tears skin and deepens the injury. Once cooled, it can be left in place or gently worked off with oil over the coming days.
- Cover loosely: Apply a clean, loosely wrapped cloth covering. Do not wrap tightly — burns swell.
- Do not apply: butter, oil, grease, honey, or other traditional remedies to fresh burns. These trap heat.
- Hydrate: Severe burns cause massive fluid loss. The victim needs to drink water continuously.
- Seek the best medical care available: Burns covering more than 10% of body surface or burns to face, hands, feet, or genitals are life-threatening without modern care. Prioritize infection prevention above all else.
Vapor Exposure
Symptoms of petroleum vapor overexposure: dizziness, headache, nausea, confusion, drowsiness.
- Move the person to fresh air immediately
- If unconscious, check breathing and position on their side
- Do NOT enter an enclosed space to rescue someone overcome by vapors unless you have a rope and someone else to pull you out — rescuers becoming second victims is the most common outcome
- Ventilate the space (open doors, break windows if needed) before entering
Training and Documentation
Minimum Training Requirements
Every person who enters a petroleum work area must know:
- What petroleum products are being handled and their hazards
- Location of firefighting sand and emergency equipment
- Evacuation routes and assembly points
- How to respond to a spill or fire
- How to treat a burn
- The buddy system — never work alone
Records to Maintain
- Incident log: Record every spill, fire, injury, and near-miss, no matter how minor. Review monthly for patterns.
- Inspection checklist: Weekly inspection of storage areas, equipment, and safety supplies.
- Training record: Track who has been trained and when.
Near-Miss Reporting
The most valuable safety information comes from events that almost caused an accident but did not. Encourage reporting of near-misses without blame or punishment. Every near-miss is a free lesson that prevents a future accident. A culture where people hide near-misses is a culture heading toward catastrophe.