Uncontrolled Release of Liquid Propane at Service Station

Location: Penticton

Regulated industry sector: Gas - Propane System

Incident overview

After filling a propane cylinder at a service station, the attendant placed the filling nozzle on top of propane piping in order to hand the cylinder to the customer. The nozzle dropped. The impact with the ground reopened the control valve and resulted in an uncontrolled release of liquid propane. The dispenser did not have the required excess flow valve to stop or slow the flow of propane. The attendant was able to shut off the propane flow to the dispenser, and the propane eventually dissipated before coming into contact with any source of ignition.