The list of things I resent grows ever longer by the day it seems. The latest is the idiotic, mandatory, no-spill, safety gas-can nozzle.
After being lobbied heavily, where bribes almost certainly played a role, by the Portable Fuel Container Manufacturers Association, compassionate conservative George W. Bush ordered that OSHA mandate these stupid no-spill and no venting gas cans be the only gas cans sold. Quite an economic windfall for the container makers, wouldn't you say?
These stupid things barely work, if they work at all, and I usually end up taking the whole nozzle off and pouring the gas with a funnel into the motor.
Regular reader Kevin says he usually just fills up empty 1gal milk cartons while giving the finger to the alarmed gas station attendant, since that's been added to the list of things made illegal for the benefit of political donors.
You can't convince me that morons all over the US were dousing themselves with gas to the point that a government solution was necessary.
I know where an Army/Navy surplus store is nearby....I'll bet they have those old metal jerry cans from WWII......now that's a gas can I can use.
3 comments:
Your point is well taken, Ed. No safety features will prevent stupidity. The very first fire I responded to way back in 1978 was a guy who had set his house on fire by washing his oily clothes with gasoline. He had almost certainly done it before; I remember my naive astonishment.
Bill, as a fire-fighter, you probably saw a fair number of gas fires caused by careless handling of the old-style gas containers by kids in basements near pilot lights or whatever, and I get that danger, but is that such a national menace that OSHA must mandate container design?
I mean safety was the reason they used, but I'm sure it had more to do with political graft than need.
How did the guy set his house on fire? I mean oil and gas don't automatically make fire. He had to do his wash very near an ignition source, no?
My point was that no gas can would have kept that guy safe. The ignition source was the hot water heater's pilot light in the room, if I recall. Maybe the burner came on.
I think the no vent rule is probably to limit the flow rate, but I'm guessing.
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