Diesel Leak at the Depot Before a Customer Run
At the company depot, you are assigned a diesel-powered closed van for a 15-minute trip to a customer. During pre-trip inspection you smell a strong diesel odor and find a wet line under the high-pressure fuel pump, dripping about one drop every two seconds onto the hot exhaust manifold area. The engine is still hot from the previous trip. The supervisor says, “Just top up the tank, the customer is waiting; we will fix it tonight.” The van carries a 2 kg dry-chemical extinguisher, but its gauge is in the red. There is no drip tray or absorbent material nearby. The trip would pass through a residential area and a school zone at 3:00 PM, with children walking home. The customer has threatened to charge the company for a missed delivery.
1. Assess the risk and decide whether the van can make the trip.
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The van must not make the trip. Diesel is dripping onto a hot exhaust area-an ignition source-at about one drop every two seconds, which is a continuous leak, not seepage. Topping up the tank adds fuel and may increase the leak. The extinguisher gauge is in the red, so the only immediate firefighting equipment is unserviceable. A fire in a residential/school zone at 3:00 PM could injure children and damage property. The missed-delivery charge is far smaller than the safety, legal, and reputational consequence.
2. What immediate controls and communication would you use?
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Switch off the engine, isolate the battery if practical, and prohibit smoking or hot work nearby. Tag the vehicle “DO NOT OPERATE” and place a drip tray or absorbent material if available; ventilate the area. Notify the supervisor with facts, not opinions: “Diesel dripping one drop per two seconds onto hot exhaust; extinguisher gauge red; vehicle unsafe to dispatch.” Recommend repair of the fuel line, extinguisher replacement, and use of another vehicle. Record the defect in the vehicle log and the communication in the dispatch record. If the supervisor insists, escalate to the safety officer and refuse to drive.
3. What would you write in the defect/incident report?
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Write factually: date, time, vehicle plate, depot location, description of the diesel odor and drip rate, proximity to the hot exhaust, extinguisher gauge condition, supervisor’s instruction, and the action taken-vehicle tagged out and not dispatched. Include corrective actions requested: repair/replace the high-pressure line, recharge or replace the extinguisher, inspect for fuel pooling, and brief dispatch on unsafe-dispatch pressure. Avoid blame and speculation. A clear report supports the common competencies of workplace communication and occupational safety, and protects you if the delay is questioned.