THE FOCUS on safety is more urgently required for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sector than in service stations, according to the chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) energy committee, Nick Shorthose.
The PSOJ energy chief also stated that "clear standards" for the energy industry are required and pressed for a clampdown on illegal LPG operators.
"The energy committee will work with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Bureau of Standards to develop a new consistent set of standards across the island," he told The Gleaner last Friday.
"Safety is critical in the petroleum industry but our concern is more on the LPG side," he said.
"In the last two years we are not aware of any fire at any service station, but within three months this year there were three accidents with LPG," he said. "LPG is potentially much more serious than gasolene.
"The safety focus is much more urgently required on LPG," he said.
Earlier this month, Minister of Mining and Energy, Anthony Hylton, revealed that all 10 LPG refilling stations tested fell short of safety standards in an audit report conducted by the Petroleum Safety Inspectorate Division (PSID) of the Ministry. Ninety-six per cent of service stations tested fell short of the audit standards overall, with shortcomings ranging from poor training, lack of signage and absence of water tanks.
In May, nine people were injured in an explosion at a fast food outlet in Liguanea that occurred while a PETCOM truck was pumping LPG into new 100-gallon cylinders at the outlet. Four months later, the results of a report commissioned to investigate that incident have yet to be made public despite the appearance of the PSID service station report. Two other explosions in Portmore and St. Thomas which left a student dead and a house destroyed, created widespread concern that LPG was hazardous. The focus was partially placed on illegal LPG operators.
"They are a direct threat to public safety," Shorthose remarked. "The way in which they operate, they either underfill or overfill. If they underfill, the consumer is being cheated and if they overfill, the vessels are under much more pressure and can result in serious public danger."
Meanwhile, Shell has sought to separate itself from public fears surrounding liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) urging customers that the gas "must be used safely."
"Shell Gas is reassuring customers that LPG is clean, economical and convenient, but it must be used safely," the company warned customers in a statement issued last week.
Speaking to The Gleaner last Friday, Western Caribbean general manager for Shell, Mario Vulinovich, said that the industry was now seeking clarification on the nationwide service station audit.
"We're fully behind the Government on this initiative," he said. "The next step is to now, with the Government, develop a uniform set of standards that we agree within the industry."
"The industry and Government are very concerned," he said.
