By Cecil MENSAH
The Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs), the umbrella body of oil marketing companies in the country, has appealed to its members to encourage the use of river sand for the laying of underground pipes as it helps in preventing leakages at filling stations.
According to the AOMCs, it is the best material for the construction of underground pipes for a filling station to ensure safety in the industry.
This revelation came to the fore in the briefing of journalists on tour of some selected filling stations and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dispensing centres in the Accra metropolis as part of the association’s recent safety week celebrations.
Tizard Ansah, Risk Manager at AOMCs, said the use of river sand in the construction of underground pipes prevents leakages because the sand has the capacity to absorb the leaked petrol and prevent it from further spilling.
He said the use of the river sand is a top notch safety technology that must be adhered to in the oil marketing downstream sector to avoid accidents.
The visit took reporters and officials of AOMCs to the Frimps Oil Filling Station on the Spintex Road; Strategic Energy Limited (SEL) behind the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA); the Goil Filling Station behind the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon; Allied Oil at La-Bawalashie; and finally to the premises of Lone Star Gas Company Limited at the Ritz Junction in Madina – all in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr. Ansah entreated all oil marketing companies in the petroleum downstream sector to adopt these measures to maintain standards and ensure safety in the industry.
He said it is not for nothing that buckets full of sand are kept at fuel pumps every time, stressing the material is kept there to be spread on petroleum products that accidentally leak at the pump.
He revealed that the association will liaise with the regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to ensure that fuel outlets of members of the association, who do not comply with safety standards, are closed down.
“If members in the industry flout rules of standards they must be dealt with as the leadership has begun a peer review exercise for members to uphold safety in the industry,” he maintained.
Advising those in the LPG marketing sector, he asked them to make sure they have running water for cooling gas tanks and have their concrete floors covered with wood to avoid sparks at the station.
He reminded them to always keep a bottle of soapy water nearby to be used for detecting leakages on cylinders that are brought for refill.
Writer’s e-mail: cecilm@businessdayghana.com
