The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has cautioned the public against placing LPG cylinders both empty and filled, near any naked fire or inflammable liquids.
The Authority noted that such an act had the potential of causing fire outbreaks which would result in loss of lives and property.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times during a public awareness and sensitisation exercise at Cape Coast, the Head of Consumer Services at the NPA, Mrs Eunice Budu Nyarko, explained that it was important for consumers of petroleum products such as LPG to be conscious of their safety.
The exercise, which was undertaken by a team from the national and regional offices of the NPA, saw the workers engaging traders, pedestrians, taxi and other commercial drivers as well as fuel retail outlets.
They sensitised the public to the mandate of the authority, responsibilities of consumers in the handling and usage of petroleum products, and what constitutes best practices for operators of filling stations in the downstream petroleum industry, among others.
The team visited Mankessim, Tantri Lorry Station, Kotokuraba Market and taxi station and Abura Market, among other areas.
Mrs Nyarko underscored the need for them to adhere to all safety protocols because the flouting of laid down regulations had the potential of igniting fire outbreaks at home and in the offices.
Some of the safety protocols, she said, included putting the regulators in an off position when the cylinder was not in use, ensuring adequate ventilation to all cylinders, and using the same regulators with that of the cylinder valve among others.
She appealed to the public to purchase fuel from appropriate filling stations since these stations were frequently monitored by the NPA and hence, the quality of their products could be guaranteed.
The Central Regional Manager of the NPA, David Owusu Kena, also said that the exercise was to educate and create the awareness among consumers of petroleum products, due to a number of complaints on dissatisfaction of the kind of service they got at the pumps.
He explained that the complaints range from under delivery to bad products which had a rippling effect on the consumer.
Mr Kena said though there were complaints from customers of under delivery of the fuel they purchase from a fuel retail outlet, a check at the fuel station proved otherwise.
“So far the station that we tested, their volumes with the 10 liter can, have no form of under delivery,” he said.
According to him, the NPA had been carrying out monthly checks as well as random checks to ensure that fuel retail outlets did not short-changed consumers through under delivery and sale of substandard petroleum products.
FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, CAPE COAST
