The Buncefield Standards Task Group has published its final comprehensive four-part report, following which its work is to be continued by a new group - The Petrochemical Process Safety Leadership Group.

The Task Group was established in the aftermath of the explosions and fire at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Buncefield terminal in December 2005. Buncefield supplied 5% of the UK’s road transport fuel and the disaster left fuel supplies stretched.

A preliminary report revealed the cause of the explosions as a faulty fuel gauge, and inadequacies were found at five similar storage sites during inspections carried out in the wake of the December disaster.

The final report sets out the minimum standards of control expected of all establishments storing large volumes of petroleum products capable of giving rise to the formation of a large flammable vapour cloud in the event of a product escape.

To see a copy of the report go to [http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/buncefield/final.htm].