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NPA cautions petroleum users against safety complacency

Public Relations Officer for the National Petroleum Authority, Yaro Kasambata noted that statistics obtained from the Burns Unit at Korle-Bu portrays a disturbing trend where 32 percent of all burns recorded are petroleum products related since 2011.

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The weeklong activity also focuses on fishing communities and their safe handling of premix fuels.

At a media briefing in Takoradi ahead of the launch of the event slated for July 19 at Axim, the Public Relations Officer for the National Petroleum Authority, Yaro Kasambata noted that statistics obtained from the Burns Unit at Korle-Bu portrays a disturbing trend where 32 percent of all burns recorded are petroleum products related since 2011.

“It has been increasing by the years. We need to understand what it is that we are doing so wrong such that we are recording these cases…. In the case of consumers using LPG, Petrol, premix and other products, are they in a hurry to go somewhere that they overlook the safety precautions? Are we becoming so comfortable with fuel that we are complacent to misapply the [safety] rules? It is for this reason we are sensitizing all petroleum products users on the 19th of July at Axim to apply the safety rules at all times,” he said.

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According to Mr. Kasambata, the theme for the NPA week: “Petroleum Products are safe, use them safely” is also to dispel public notion that petroleum products are becoming a threat and no longer safe whenever there is an accident involving petroleum products.

“The users need to be safety conscious. 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? It cost some few cedis to replace the faulty part of it but we do put a blind eye to it until whenever, but when there is accident, it becomes tragedic”.

On fishing communities and premix fuel, Mr. Kasambata recalled some premix related accidents in the Volta Region and Axim in the Western Region where families were burnt beyond recognition when he warned fishermen to “stop assuming that premix is a lesser quality flammable fuel and that they jeopardize themselves and their loved ones and the environment. You go to the Landing Beaches, you see people using premix fuels and they are on the phone or someone is smoking nearby.”

He concluded that “we need to be safety conscious, and as a prelude to the launch, the NPA team is moving to fishing communities such as Shama in the Shama District, Sekondi and as many fishing communities as we can. We will also have meetings with the GPRTU and all to sensitize petroleum product users that “petroleum products are safe, use them safely”.

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