The Scale of the Challenge
A mid-size construction site running 5–10 pieces of diesel plant will consume several hundred litres of diesel per day. Each machine needs fuelling once or multiple times daily, typically requiring an operative to locate a bowser, manage connections and verify the fuel has been transferred safely. Multiply this across a fleet and a working year, and the labour time consumed by fuelling alone is substantial.
Add to this the compliance requirements for fuel storage (PPG26 bunding), the manual handling risks of jerry can fuelling, and the risk of fuel spills in environmentally sensitive locations, and it becomes clear that fuel management deserves more systematic attention than it typically receives on site.
Fuel Storage Regulations: PPG26 and COSHH
The Environment Agency's Pollution Prevention Guideline 26 (PPG26) — "Understanding your environmental responsibilities when storing oil" — sets out requirements for fuel storage on construction sites. Key requirements include:
- Fuel tanks above 200 litres must be placed within a bund capable of holding 110% of the tank's capacity
- Bunds must be impermeable and have no drainage outlets
- Tanks must be positioned where spills cannot run off into drains, watercourses or the ground
- Fill points must be supervised and checked valves/taps secured when not in use
COSHH also applies to fuel handling — diesel is a hazardous substance and appropriate PPE (gloves, eye protection) should be worn during fuelling operations.
The MW Equipment FuelBag is a fully bunded 2,000L diesel bowser designed to meet PPG26 requirements. The bund is integral to the design — not an afterthought. Learn more about the FuelBag →
Fuelling Plant on Site: The Operational Problem
Traditional site fuel bowsers are towed units designed for road use. Getting them to the machine that needs fuelling requires either a tow vehicle (which may not be available when needed), a firm road surface (which may not exist on a demolition or groundworks site), or a bowser lorry visit (which is expensive and inflexible).
On a demolition or groundworks site with waterlogged access, rough terrain, or working areas inaccessible to wheeled vehicles, getting fuel to the plant becomes a significant logistical challenge — often resolved by jerry can fuelling, which is the highest-risk manual method available.
The Excavator-Compatible Bowser: A Different Approach
The MW Equipment FuelBag takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of being towed to the plant, the FuelBag is lifted and repositioned by the site excavator — the machine already on site, already capable of navigating rough and waterlogged terrain. The 60mm lifting pin engages with the excavator bucket directly, requiring no chains and no second operative.
The time saved per excavator per day using this method — faster approach, faster connection, less manual handling — is typically 15–25 minutes per machine. With 10 excavators, that's 2.5–4 hours of operator time recovered per day.
Calculating Your Fuelling Labour Cost
A simple calculation: time saved per machine × number of machines ÷ 60 = daily hours saved. Daily hours × labour rate = daily saving. Daily saving × working days = annual saving. At £24/hour with 10 machines saving 20 minutes each, the annual saving is £20,000 from a £8,895 product. Payback in under 6 months.
Use our FuelBag ROI Calculator to calculate the saving for your specific fleet and operation.
Environmental Considerations
Fuel spills on construction sites cause soil and groundwater contamination with long-term consequences and significant remediation costs. The bunded design of the FuelBag means a split fuel line, damaged hose or operator error does not result in a direct release to ground — the bund catches it. This is both a regulatory requirement and a practical risk reduction.