By Angela Ayimbire
Tema, Sept. 18, GNA – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to license Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Pump Attendants as part of a broader procedure to inject professionalism into the sector to reduce accidents.
The EPA has, therefore, rolled-out initial processes toward the licensing regime, which requires every LPG Attendant to go through “Environmental Safety and Best Practices Training (ESBPT),” under the tutelage of the agency.
Mr William Hayfron-Acquah, EPA Acting Director of Field Operations, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview after a training workshop for Gas Station Attendants in Bono East Region that the ESBPT syllabus was divided into phases.
He said the training would involve theoretical classroom and practical field training, leading to the award of an initial certificate of participation, after which the attendants would be monitored for adherence to best practices.
The attendants would again go through another theoretical classroom and practical field training at the end of which they would be licensed to operate as a Certified Professional LPG Pump Attendant.
Mr Hayfron-Acquah explained that enrolling on the first phase, which is classified as the Transitional Period, is voluntary, but after the period it would become mandatory for every attendant to acquire the Certified Professional LPG Pump Attendant license before employment.
He, therefore, appealed to LPG Owners and Dealers as well as Pump Attendants to enrol in the on-going EPA Environmental Safety and Best Practices Training, which seeks to raise awareness about the hazards of LPG and the preventive mechanisms available.
He said the training was also targeting Owners, Dealers, and Station Supervisors to ensure that “we adhere to international best practices in our operations in the country”.
He said EPA was collaborating with partners such as the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana LPG Operators Association (GLiPGOA), Department of Factories Inspectorate and the National Petroleum Authority, among others.
He explained that the need for certification followed a series of gas explosions and gas-related fire outbreaks, which had resulted in the loss of lives and properties and attributed to the lack of understanding and failure to observe simple safety protocols.
He said investigations into these incidents and accidents revealed some causes, the most critical and common one being that most of the workers along the supply chain did not have the requisite knowledge and skills required to work.
Mr Anthony Duah, EPA Bono East Regional Director, called on stakeholders in the LPG to enrol their attendants to participate in the training.
“Dealers and Owners must also participate in the training as it will help you protect your investment through the best-administered practices.”
The current series is targeted at pump attendants across the country.
Mr Samuel Out Larbi, Executive Director, Solution Solve, an LPG Safety Expert, who was a resource person at the training explained that like all forms of energy, LP gas is potentially hazardous if mishandled or misused.
He advised owners and dealers to take advantage of the expertise within the LP gas industry to ensure an informed and uniform approach to good safety practices.
He noted that controlling risks guarantee the health and safety of people and safeguards property and the environment, “the danger is always present. Only the risk is reduced by behaviour.
“LPG is potentially hazardous from production until it has been used. So, every uncontrolled release is a hazardous activity and should receive urgent attention. Thus, even the smallest gas leak can be detected and should receive appropriate and immediate attention.”
He said the hazard associated with LPG can occur during transportation, delivery or consumption of the gas; to manage the hazard one must first begin to understand the product and the application of all the controls and safety procedures put in place.
GNA