BOSTON -- Beginning January 1, hold-open clips--those notches on the gasoline nozzle that keep the gas flowing without squeezing the trigger--will be allowed on self-serve gas pumps in the Bay State for the first time, thanks to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Safety, reported WGBH.
State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said two concerns had driven the state's cautious approach to the clips. One was the potential for dangerous, messy gas spills in the event of malfunction. The other was the fear that drivers would turn on the pump, get back in their car, get a static charge and then unwittingly spark a fire when they once again touched the nozzle, said the report.
Massachusetts is the only state in America where hold-open clips are banned, the report said, outlawed since the state approved self-service gas pumps in the 1970s.
But Coan said that advances in pump technology, and decades of data from the other 49 states that allow hold-open clips, have convinced the Fire Safety Department that it is time to lift the ban.
"The [fire safety department] board unanimously felt that this was the right thing to do, and join the other 49 states in allowing the clips," Coan told the news outlet.
The move is part of a larger, comprehensive overhaul of the state fire code.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.