2.24 Explain the potential dangers of electrostatic charges, eg when fuelling aircraft and tankers

Electrostatic charges can sometimes be dangerous. For example, when fuelling a car.

The problem
The tube that the fuel runs through is rubber. This is an insulator. The fuel rubs against the rubber, creating friction so the fuel is charged. The static build-up can cause a spark - the car is made of metal, and the electrons have nowhere to go, so they try to 'jump' onto the metal, which creates a spark. When fuelling, you'll often notice that a strong smell and a tiny bit of gas comes out. This is highly flammable. When there is a spark, this gas will catch fire and could harm the person(s) near it. In a more extreme case, it might even cause the car to explode :( 

The solution
Earthing the excess charge - this means having a metal rod that carries the excess electrons down to the earth to the charge is no longer a hazard :) Note that this must be done before fuelling starts. 

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