“OMCs must be conscious of human safety at their operational areas and filling stations and not engage in any activity that may jeopardize the lives of their customers, staff, and property.

“Our aim is not just to open up petroleum filling stations and make money, but to ensure that whoever is at our stations will be comfortable and safe during the transaction of business,” Mr Tizard Ansah, AOMC Risk Management Officer, said this during a tour of some filling stations at the weekend.

The tour formed part of the 6th AOMC Safety Week Celebrations to educate and remind downstream petroleum industry players of the paramount need to maintain and upscale safety precautions at their operational stations.
The tour was also aimed at re-enforcing that OMCs were conscious of human safety at their operational areas and filling stations and would therefore not engage in any work that would jeopardize the lives of their customers or property.

The tour formed part of AOMC’s 2023 Annual Safety Week, which was on the theme, “your first mistake could be your last.”
It sought to serve as a reminder to players in the industry that contrary to the widely accepted norm of encouraging mistakes as a part of learning procedure, in some instances, our lives could depend on the very first one.

Mr. Ansah said the AOMC had over the years used international standards for their members and would not renege on that since human lives hinged on their maximum safety measures, especially at the pumps.

The AOMC Risk Management Officer said all their stations had complied with international standards by constructing water hydrants, procuring giant and effective fire extinguishers, and training their staff in all sectors of their operations to meet their emergencies.

He called on stakeholders such as the Tanker Drivers’ Association to hold periodic training programmes for their members to professionally handle the issues at their discharging points throughout the country.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, AOMC Industry Coordinator, stressed the need to maintain safety at all filling stations, saying that while many people will like to immediately forget accidents because of the indelible print they left on them and their family members, there is a need to consciously and constantly educate the public to avert the devastation some explosions caused.

He said the association would continue to collaborate with the government to enforce safety at all filling stations.

He noted that some of the measures included; regular supervision, and consistent training programmes for attendants, owners, and other stakeholders in the oil and gas value chain.

Mr. Agyemang-Duah said the annual safety week celebration forms part of measures to educate the members and other stakeholders on safety measures and other programmes that could enhance their activities.