James Thompson

Safety & Environmental Consultant to the Downstream Petroleum Industry

• Joined the London County Council in 1961
• Trained as a Petroleum Inspector for London in their Public Control Department

Technical education and qualifications

• Sir John Cass College – Petroleum Technology 1966
• Hammersmith College of Building- CTC Building 1966 -1969
• Fire Engineering qualifications passed graduate exams (1975) then corporate exams (1976) becoming a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (M.I.Fire.E)
• Elected a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI) formerly the Institute of Petroleum (F.Inst. Pet) in 1988
• Elected a Fellow of the Association for Petroleum & Explosives Administration in 1986 (F.APEA)

I took early retirement in 1999 after 38 years as a regulator for Flammable fuels in London, first as a district inspector, then a senior inspector then for the last 14 years as Principal Petroleum Inspector for the London Fire Brigade the largest petroleum authority in Europe. I was responsible for the policy and regulating the safe keeping of fuel in Greater London which at its peak had 4000 filling stations registered. I had 31 petroleum inspectors working to me during this period.

I have specialised in petroleum standards, construction, legal enforcement, equipment approval and new design of Petrol Filling Stations for well over 40 years.

I have served on British Standards Institute committees for petroleum related matters, currently Chairman of BSI PVE (393) committee.

I am currently chairman of European Standards committee (CEN TC 393) dealing with equipment for service stations, which has produced 23 European standards relating to filling stations.

I also chair CEN TC 265 WG8 on underground and above ground storage tanks.

I sit as a European contributor to the Underwriter Laboratory standards for fuel tanks and fuel lines in the USA.

As chairman of the technical committee of the APEA I led in the publication of the Associations “Guidance on Design Construction Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioningof Filling Stations” known as the Blue Book.

I was Editor the APEA Technical Journal “The Bulletin” for 23 years

I served on HSE committees for Safety and contributed to HSE guidance produced in relation to Petrol Stations HS (G) 41 and also HS (G) 146 on risk assessment of filling stations.

Presented papers on safety and environmental protection for petrol filling stations in all of Europe, Australia, USA, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Mongolia, Moscow, Bahrain, Oman etc

I have been an expert witness in this specialised area on two occasions.

Provides training in the field of construction and inspection of petrol filling stations.

Undertakes safety and Environmental audits of fuel storage installations and investigation of leaks, fires and explosions

January 2015