The Association of Oil Marketing Companies has launched its fifth annual safety week to educate and remind industry players to keep to their safety measures to make it congenial for their customers.
It was also the springboard for them to review their performance in the past two years in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Launching the week on the theme, “Re-enforcing positive behavior at workplace to achieve the greatest participation of safety in the era of COVID-19”, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy in a speech read of his behalf called on employers in the oil and gas industry to ensure constant safety at the pumps through transformational leadership.
This, he said they could do by repeating written and unwritten rules to subsequently make them part and parcel of their safety culture.
He commended the AOMC for constantly reminding their members of the standard practices adding that ensured incident-free activities now and in succeeding years.
Dr Prempeh called on the association to enact peer review mechanisms among members to eliminate practices that made them unpopular in the past.
“We will support to drive the energy sector and work with all of you to grow the AOMC agenda.”
Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, Industry coordinator for the AOMC said apart from safety at the pumps, the association would also educate members on contractor safety as that was often relegated to the background.
He said was important to talk about the outfits as that could also result in accidents if not properly done.
He gave the assurance that security safety would also be highlighted on as armed robberies at the pumps were increasing by the day.
Professor Alex Dodoo, CEO of Ghana Standards Authority, who chaired the function said safety was a shared responsibility and called on all to be on board.
He appealed to members of the AOMC to employ health and safety officers in their companies to minimize accidents and create job opportunities.
The launch was also attended by Mrs Esther Anku, Chief Inspector of National Petroleum Authority, Mr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director of Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana National Petroleum Authority, Ghana Standards Authority among other stakeholders.