Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is piloting its LPG cylinder recirculation model policy which is aimed at addressing safety issues in Obuasi and Oforikrom in July.
This means that LPG consumers in the two towns in the West African country, will no longer carry cylinders to go and refill them. Instead, consumers would go to designated LPG redistribution stations with their empty cylinders to exchange for an already filled cylinder.
The purpose of the cylinder recirculation model is to ensure safe delivery of LPG and curb explosions at gas stations.
Cabinet gave approval on October 12, 2017, for the implementation of cylinder recirculation model policy following explosions at the Mansco Gas Station at Atomic Junction, in Accra.
Speaking at the launch of Health Safety Security and Environment (HSSE) Manual for the Energy Sector, Dr. Amin Adam noted that after the piloting, government would then roll out the policy in other parts of the country.
“I’m happy to inform you that we will start a pilot of this in July in Obuasi and Oforikrom, with a view to scaling up nationwide by the end of year. By this, customers of LPG will no longer have to hold cylinders that they have difficulty in even managing in their homes.
“They have to now use cylinder that is managed by people who are trained to do so. In other words, you have to go to the cylinder exchange point, where there will be filled cylinders to take and go and use. Bring an empty cylinder and take a filled cylinder. So what it means is that, there will no longer be cylinder discharged at the exchange point, nor will you have a cylinder bought by you from the seller who is not able to train you on how to use the cylinder. “This is all aimed at ensuring the safety of our people; safety of our environment; safety of the patrons of our services,” he explained.
Call for safety
Dr Amin Adam who expressed serious concerns about gas explosions which has ended the lives many, especially customers charged petroleum downstream, operators especially fuel stations to ensure safety of the stations and their customers.
He told them to bear in mind that if they fail to with safety protocols and their business gets burnt they stand the chance of losing customers and their investment.
“Those who come to patronize our services must be protected by us. In the marketing parlance, they will say that “your customer is the king.”
“So, if the customer is the king, and the customer is not protected, and the customer is so exposed to danger, and the customer decides to make decides to make appropriate choices, your business is in danger.
“And I tell you, many customers are becoming so aware to avoid services or service providers that do not provide safety measures to protect them. Of all the explosions that we have experienced so far, either from petrol stations or LPG stations, patrons of the services, customers, more customers have died than the workers that are providing the services. More customers have suffered serious injuries than the workers themselves. Because you go and most of the stations have just one or two workers so even if there are explosions, the workers are only two people, but you would have seen tens of people coming for the services. And for the others, even though there are not coming for the services, they may be passing by, and yet all of them are exposed to the danger, just because of the negligence of one business person.
“We should never, under any circumstances, put profiteering over the safety of our customers,” he concluded.
