I read on page 38 of the glossy and expensive "Motorsports Now" that is paid for from our competition licence fee that we are going to have to carry a "Spill Kit".
I quote:-
1.3.24 A medium sized spill kit must be available at the start of each section. Exceptionally for Sporting and Car Trials where sections are adjacent to one another a single medium sized spill kit must be deployed.
9.8.3 All vehicles should carry a small spill kit complying with J5.20.13. mandatory for Classic Reliability Trials from 1st Jan 2012
End Quote
OK will a roll of toilet paper in a supermarket bag do? Not on your life. I can see this costing yet more money.
Looking in the present Blue Book on page 157 I see:-
5.20.13 It is strongly recommended that for all competitors participating in single venue competitions to have available at their paddock base and for multivenue competitions to carry within their vehicles a self contained spill kit capable of effectively absorbing minor spillages of up to 1.5 litres of all vehicle fluids - oils, fuels, coolants, battery acid. Used spill kits are to be disposed off in accordance with local or national guidelines.
So what they are proposing is to make that recommendation mandatory.
Interesting that when you look at the MSA Trials Committee Document from their meeting on 17 March when they drafted the above. Then refer to their consultation document, it doesn't contain anything about this spill kit business.
Anyway the closing date for consultation is 20 August.
Why not go to your local wood yard for a good quantity of sawdust or wood shavings, bag it up and put it in another container to be able to put the contaminated stuff in using a small shovel that is part of the kit. Cheap and easy to make. Would that do the job for the MSA? That is what I have suggested we do at Fell Side Auto Club.
ReplyDeleteA small quantity of cat litter, maybe?
ReplyDeleteIs the spillage of fluids a big problem then?
I fear the MSA will specify something that meets with this standard, that standard and some other standard and will cost £££.....
ReplyDeleteThis was discussed at length at the May ACTC Council Meeting. Apparently kits cost between £8 and £15, but I'll let Simon or Stuart expand on what was discussed.
ReplyDeleteTry absorbantsonline.com for small to large kits. £8 seems a bit low.
ReplyDeleteNo need to buy yet won't be required until 1/1/11 surely we can make our own up, old boiler suit, pair of goggles, disposable gloves, some cat litter and an old ice cream container should do the trick the msa get enough money out of us trialers ..........
ReplyDeleteI take it these spill kits will have to conform to some kind of directive/regs. If it is similar to all the spill regs in factories now you will have to have a spill kit for each type of liquid. Fuel disposal would be different for oil, coolant, wash fluid etc.
ReplyDeleteSingle use (car?) kits are available from about £8 upwards. Medium size kits are available for anything up to £100 plus and come in wheelie bins.
Getting spill kits is the easy bit, wait until you have to dispose of contaminated materials. It can be an expensive nightmare, assuming it would not be classified as domestic waste, and therefore could not be disposed of down the local recycling centre.
Nothing like a bit of doom and gloom is there?
PS all the factories that I work in have pristine spill kits everywhere because they are never used, because of the expense of them. Nothing wrong with a few rags, disposed off in the correct "contaminated waste bin" of course.
This WILL be discussed further at both MSA Trials committee on Wednesday, and at ACTC in September. I did in fact warn you all to look at the MSA website in my column in the June Restart but I don't suppose anyone did. Have a look at http://spillstore.co.uk/product_detail.asp?category=Oil Only Spill Kits&product=Mini Single Use Spill Kit (Oil)
ReplyDeleteThis is be the product that I'm am most likely to recommend. Prices start at £8.95, it is compact, well packaged to prevent it getting damaged, and it has the words "spill kit" on it in big friendly letters so that any rambler that stumbles upon it can see instantly that we are a caring sport.
Try that URL again:-
ReplyDeletehttp://spillstore.co.uk/product_detail.asp?category=Oil Only Spill Kits&product=Mini Single Use Spill Kit (Oil)
Copy the whole thing
So, my sawdust idea that works a treat for me in the garage is a non starter then? A rigid 'sausage ' shaped thing or a blanket is not much use on rough ground once the oil is down hence the use of dust, shavings, granules etc. What exactly defines a small and medium kit, what kind of absorbent has to be used, what signage on the packaging and how is a quantity of fuel or oil in various guises expected to be absorbed from the usual terrain of a classic trials section? I presume all will become crystal clear after the MSA and ACTC meetings?
ReplyDeleteSimon, I also have to say that if we actually advertise the possibility of oil spills (how often does it actually happen and cause problems) to Ramblers they are hardly likely to see us as a caring sport, more likely to see one more reason to put another nail into our coffin.
ReplyDeleteSince this discussion started as a result of Michael Leete reading his copy of motorsports now! I would suggest you all read it all, and you will see that this is not just more beaurocracy for us, but that there are similar rules being introduced for all forms of off-highway events. Autotests; M2.6 & 16.7.1; Cross-country P57.5.3 &1.7.1-4; Rallying 10.1.4 etc etc...
ReplyDeleteGood point - Michael
ReplyDeleteGOOD NEWS!
ReplyDeleteAs a result of hard work by your delegates, the Spill Kit rules for clubs are off for at least 12 months whilst the MSA defines exactly what is required. The requirement for competitors remains IN, but that was not going to start until 2012 anyway, and if the requirement is not clearly defined by the time of the next Trials Committee meeting that too will be postoned.
You may all buy me beer at the next event.......
Don't be modest Simon - two beers at least. The ACTC and the sport are in safe hands.
ReplyDeleteCould I suggest you buy a 15 litre spill kit from Greenside on line for £13.27 plus VAT. This contains 12 absorbent pads, so 2 pads should suffice and a large plastic zip sealed sandwich bag. You will have sufficient pads for 6 kits . So with your mates that's less than £3.00 per kit
ReplyDeleteI hope he's got his spill kit
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI do hope he had his spill kit (thanks Claire)
I see from the latest issue of Comic Cuts that they are imposing the Spill Kits on trials from !st January 2010. Competitors have to carry a small one and organisers provide a medium one at each section. Autotests have to have one from 1st january 2011.
ReplyDeleteNo evidence of defining a spill kit so you may yet be able to use a toilet roll in a Tesco bag.