Fuel safety - A shared responsibility

Lately, we have all been witnesses to horrifying spectacles of victims of explosions involving petroleum products in some fuel stations and domestic places in different parts of the country.

These accidents leave many of us wondering what is happening to regulations on safety standards by those who have the duty of enforcing them.

We all recall the recent fuel explosions at Atomic Junction, La Trade Fair Centre and Tulip Inn Hotel, all in the Greater Accra Region and Takoradi in the Western Region. According to the regulatory authorities, investigations conducted so far indicate the explosions were as a result of failure to adhere to strict discharge protocols. These explosions usually occur as a result of significant gas release from a Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) that are stationed at the gas refilling plant to discharge product at the station.

With hindsight, one can say most petroleum-related accidents occur as a result of lack of adequate awareness of the risk of handling and usage of petroleum products.

According to media reports, this has resulted in a reported case of at least eight major gas explosions across the country since 2014, leading to almost 30 lives lost.

Also, statistics from the Reconstructive Surgery and Burns Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital indicate that burns caused by petroleum products increased from 11 per cent in 2006 to as high as 30 per cent in 2011 and 35 per cent of all burns cases in 2016.

The role of the regulator

To avert such incidents, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) periodically inspects all facilities of petroleum service providers, including fuel and gas retail outlets in the country to ensure prescribed standards are maintained.

The inspection exercises are usually conducted with robust checklists which have stringent health, safety and environmental management standards to guide operators. The authority applies punitive sanctions to operators who fail to meet the minimum prescribed standards.

Also, in order to ensure that the public understands the potential risks and dangers inherent in the handling and use of petroleum products, the NPA embarks on a number of safety campaigns including but not limited to LPG safety animation shown on various TV stations, sensitisation tour to Landing Beach Sites along the coastal areas in Ghana, door-to-door sensitisation of households and local food joints (chop bar) operators nationwide on the safe handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
At such sensitisation fora, consumers of petroleum products are educated on the need to take precautionary measures in handling petroleum products.

Responsibility of the service provider

There are safety guidelines for all petroleum service providers operating in the country. Even though the NPA has the mandate to inspect, it is the responsibility of a service provider who has been licensed by the NPA to ensure that the facility is run safely. The safety precautions include but not limited to the following:

• Smoking and other naked flames must not be allowed throughout the loading/offloading operation.

• All electrical gadgets are not allowed in the operation zones of the facility except those electrical gadgets specially designed for that purpose.

• Transfer hoses must be visually examined for cracks, wear or any other damage.

• Couplings and seals should be similarly examined to ensure compatibility. Couplings must be intact throughout the transfer of gas.

• On no account should any overloading be allowed. If the BRV/receiving tank is inadvertently overloaded, technical and supervisory assistance must be obtained by the operatives involved to resolve the situation.

Responsibility of the consumer

Households are apathetic towards the use of petroleum products, especially LPG, notwithstanding the dangers involved in the poor handling of such products.

LPG safety tips

Domestic accidents normally result from the misuse and mishandling of gas. Take for example, when we go to our homes and kitchens, how many times have we not seen people put stones on the head of LPG cylinders that leak? The cost of replacing a faulty regulator on a cylinder is certainly insignificant compared to the cost to life and property if an accident occurs from this leaking cylinder.

Safety measures such as ensuring adequate ventilation to the gas cylinder, lighting the match before turning on the gas, always putting gas cylinder regulators off when not in use, being familiar with the smell of leaking gas and making sure one does not use cylinders that are more than 10 years old, among other measures, could help to prevent or mitigate fire incidents.

Fuel station safety tips

Static electricity-related incidents at retail outlets are very unusual, but the potential for them to happen appears to be the highest during dry harmattan conditions. In rare circumstances, these incidents have resulted in a brief flash fire occurring at the fill point which has the potential to spread if not promptly put out.

Consumers can take steps to minimise these and other potential fuelling hazards by following safe refuelling procedures all year round.

When refueling, motorists should turn off their vehicle engines. Put your vehicle in park mode and set the emergency brake. Disable or turn off any auxiliary sources of ignition, mobile telephones or pilot lights.

Premix fuel station safety tips

Fishermen should also desist from taking naked lamps or candles to points where they collect premix fuel. Outboard motors should not be left running near naked flames or premix fuel storage facilities, including canoes and boats. Do not smoke, light matches or lighters while refuelling at the pump or when using gasoline anywhere else.

Fuel tanker

Very often when a fuel tanker is involved in an accident, we see men, women and children with jerry cans and all sorts of other receptacles rushing to the accident scene to collect fuel to re-sell, instead of staying at least 500 metres away from the accident site.

Please avoid petroleum product accident sites. Motorists who buy fuel collected from accident sites must also refrain from that practice. It can even damage your engine.

Conclusion

To conclude, the tragedies related to the lack of precautions in handling petroleum products ought to teach us the consequences of an inadequate understanding of the risks and that is why we must always strive to abide by its rules of use to forestall unpleasant consequences.

— The writer is a Communication Officer with the Public Relations and Consumer Service Department of the National Petroleum Authority. Email: bowusu@npa.gov.gh