Petroleum Act 1926 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to amend the Petroleum Acts, 1871 and 1879. |
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| Citation | 16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 25 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 4 August 1926 |
| Commencement | 4 August 1926 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Repealed by | Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 |
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Status: Repealed
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The Petroleum Act 1926 was a law passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its main goal was to update and improve older laws from 1871 and 1879 about how petroleum (like petrol or gasoline) was handled. This Act helped make rules safer as more people started using cars and other machines that ran on petrol.
Contents
Why We Needed the 1926 Petroleum Act
Back in the 1920s, the main laws about storing and using petroleum were quite old. They were from 1871 and 1879. A lot had changed since then! More and more people were buying cars, motorboats, and even early aircraft. All these machines used a lot of petrol.
Because of this increase in petrol use, there were more accidents. For example, in 1913, the London Fire Brigade dealt with 50 cases of petrol spills and 23 fires or explosions involving petrol. By 1920, these numbers had jumped to 77 spills and 146 fires.
It became clear that the old laws weren't enough to keep people safe. The government also wanted to include other flammable liquids and gases under these safety rules. The Petroleum Act 1926 was created to fix these problems and make things safer.
What the 1926 Act Did
The Petroleum Act 1926 became law on 4 August 1926. It brought in several important changes to make handling petroleum safer.
Key Rules from the Act
The new rules in the Act included:
- Clear Safety Rules: If a place had a licence to store petroleum, all the safety rules for that licence had to be clearly displayed. This made sure everyone working there knew the rules. Breaking these rules was against the law.
- Reporting Accidents: If a fire or explosion involving petroleum caused someone to get hurt or die, the owner of the place had to tell the Home Office (a government department). This helped track accidents and improve safety.
- Safe Transport: The government was given the power to create rules for how petroleum was carried on roads. This helped prevent accidents during transport.
- Licence Fees: The Act updated the fees people had to pay to get licences for storing petroleum.
- Broader Coverage: The Act made sure that not just dealers, but anyone who kept petroleum for their business or industry, had to follow the rules.
- Improved Testing: The way petroleum was tested for its "flash point" (the temperature at which it can catch fire) was made clearer and more accurate. Testing equipment also had to be checked regularly.
- Inspector Powers: Government inspectors were allowed to enter places where petroleum was stored or suspected to be stored. This helped them check if safety rules were being followed.
- Working Together: The Act stated that it should be read and understood alongside the older Petroleum Acts of 1871 and 1879. This meant all these laws worked together.
- Testing Methods: The Act included detailed instructions on how to properly test the flash point of petroleum.
What Happened After the Act
After the 1926 Act, new rules were made to include mixtures of petroleum with other substances. This meant that even liquids that were only partly petroleum had to follow the safety guidelines if they could easily catch fire.
The Petroleum Act 1926 was an important step, but it didn't last long on its own. Just two years later, in 1928, a new, bigger law called the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 was passed. This new Act combined all the rules from the 1926 Act and the older ones into one comprehensive law.
The 1928 Act was the main law for a long time, dealing with licences, labels, transport, and accident reporting. It was finally replaced on 1 October 2014 by even newer rules called The Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014, which are part of modern health and safety laws.
See also
- Petroleum Act
