The AOMC Safety Operational Audit inspection, forms part of the Association’s 2023 Annual Safety Week (ASWEC), which is on the theme: “Your first mistake could be your last”.

Mr Tizard Ansah, the Head of Compliance at AOMC, told the Ghana News Agency during the tour of some facilities in Accra and Tema that the Association was ensuring that its members always adhered to employee safety, quality, and security protocols, in accordance with international best practices.

He explained that the Association would continue to encourage Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to persistently pursue excellence in Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental (HSSE) issues.

Mr Ansah said to achieve this, all OMCs were expected to conduct themselves responsibly, respecting established HSSE rules, regulations, and procedures in the efficient and effective execution of their jobs.

The Association also seeks to encourage members to abide by statutory, regulatory, and other requirements while continually improving HSSE performance.

Ms Susana Aba Eyiah, the Membership Development Officer, who was also part of the AOMC’s Safety Operational Audit inspection team, said the Association had upscaled the issue of safety and was pursuing a policy framework of no harm to life and property.

She said framework enjoined all OMCs to establish and maintain a healthy and safe workplace for their employees and other relevant interested parties, and protect personnel, property, information as well as reputation against security threats.

Ms Eyiah noted that the 6th AOMC Safety Week Celebrations would educate and remind downstream petroleum industry players and OMCs of the paramount need to maintain and upscale safety precautions at their operational stations.

Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, the AOMC Industry Coordinator, said through the celebrations, the Association intended to send a signal to the public and all operators in the downstream petroleum sector, to inculcate the habit of safety as a way of life.

Mr Agyeman-Duah said ensuring safety in the petroleum downstream had been a challenge, “but we are committed to ensuring standards in the industry and helping to train pump attendants with the appropriate skills”.

He emphasised that achieving incident-free operations within the industry, offices, and retail outlets was a shared responsibility that requires all hands-on deck.