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Fuel hazards Satish Nakched, Suva

We have in recent times seen an increase of motor vehicles on our roads and with the reduction of duty the influx of the automobile will continue for some time despite the pandemic threat. Accordingly, there has been an increase of new service stations built to cater for the demand of petrol and there are many on the planning stage. This will lead to more job creation and be more convenient for the motorist.

In Fiji there are few large organisations that import and provide fuel for their distributors and retailed through the service stations.

The fuel importers I believe have stringent OHS policies in their yard and they very well care for their staff and the visitors on site.

The short site safety induction programme is a must for anyone new on the premise and this is done purely to eliminate any potential hazard.

The use of the approved personal protection equipment such as the reflector vest, safety boots, safety glasses and others are compulsory that demonstrate the very high level of the duty of care the employer has.

Their employees regularly attend legislated courses and are part of the world’s best practice organisation. The layout of their premises are well laid out, marked and labelled accordingly to eliminate any hazards and risks.

However, this is generally not the case at the outsourced distributor level which are the service stations.

Some attendants are poorly equipped without proper PPEs and are exposed to petrol fumes throughout the shift. Service stations store and handle large amounts of hazardous chemicals and present unique hazards, due to the flammability of their products.

No adherence to the use of protective nose masks and hand gloves could result in the inhalation of toxic petroleum products over the permissible exposure limit which can be adverse to the health of the employee.

Wearing of non-steel toe footwear and without a reflector vest in close proximity to moving vehicles just increases the likelihood of an accident.

I believe all the oil companies in the country must extend their duty of care to their distributors and must adhere to the OHS laws that states the employers shall promote and protect the health and safety at work of all workers by providing and maintaining a plant and system of work that are safe and without risk to health.

Ensure safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use or handling, storage and transport of plant and toxic substances.

The service station operators must manage and maintain sites according to the work health and safety legislation and relevant standards.

It is a basic human right that the employer must provide its workers with.

This proactive approach in risk elimination must be implemented within the frame work of our legislation to protect the unsuspecting workers.