‘Vital to make safety a culture’
MIRI: It is crucial that society make safety a culture to prevent accidents from happening.
Besides, practising such habit is particularly useful when it comes to handling petroleum products at home and at the workplace.
State deputy director and head of enforcement of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Abdul Hafidz A Rahim gave this advice in a press conference yesterday.
Earlier, he gave a talk to about 120 dealers and petrol station proprietors at the statelevel petroleum products safety seminar here.
Organised by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, the seminar sought to create better awareness of safety, best practices and consumer education in handling, storing and sale of petroleum products.
He said the government had been actively promoting the safety culture through campaigns and guidelines, but the onus is on the public to comply with and observe the rules and regulations.
The measures, he pointed out, include switching off car engines, handphones and not touching the car when refuelling at petrol stations to prevent discharge of static electricity from the body.
“Currently, most people switch off their car engines otherwise the counter clerk will stop the pump but we need people to switch off their handphones like they do in aeroplanes,” he said.
He advised operators to remind their clients of the importance of observing safety measures in petrol stations.
He said petrol stations have been given instructions to immediately shut down the pump to a refuelling car if the car owner is seen not observing safety regulations.
Pointing to a recent incident in Kelantan where a seven-yearold boy was badly hurt when playing with a lighter while his mother was refuelling, he reminded that it is imperative for the public to be alert to any potential danger from unexpected sources.
“Sometimes, it is the knowledge of how to respond accordingly that matters when it comes to leakage such as LPG at home, where one must calmly open all windows and doors to let the leaked gas escape and shut of the gas supply,” he said.
On another matter, Abdul Hafidz said so far the ministry had not received any complaints of people engrossed in Pokemon Go becoming a safety hazard at petrol stations but advised the public to be careful.
On the seminar, he said participants were briefed on online application or renewal of permits for petroleum products from the ministry as regulated by Petroleum Act 1974 and Price Control Act 1991.
Fire and Rescue Department and Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC) also presented working papers at the one- day seminar.
Currently, most people switch off their car engines otherwise the counter clerk will stop the pump but we need people to switch off their handphones like they do in aeroplanes. Abdul Hafidz A. Rahim, State deputy director and head of enforcement of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism