Terry68:
unsafe act.

very very poor Safety awareness.

Hmmmm.....Tell them Terry, tell them.

Was it not the same fatgbems petroleum after opic Bustop that has ogun state fire service just by its side? Why did it take them th long before they arrive the scene?

#kilopayajebu

Finding solution to prevent reoccurrence should be our main objective even as an individual or government. From my own point of view not using PPE is not the main cause I believe the underground storage was not degas well enough and a gas tester should have been used to ascertain that there is a great reduction in the harmful gas level in the underground storage tank to acceptable level. Also there should be an outside observer who ensures that people inside are still active and call on them at regular intervals. Also the workers inside the storage tank should come out of the confined place at interval to inhaled fresh air because that can't be compared to using respirator . We actually don't know the competent level of the workers and their health condition because knowing that can also help. Regulatory bodies in Nigeria are more after paper work, documentation , after their pocket and they are too reactive. Enforcement and on the point spot risk assessment is the best, but the regulatory bodies are sometimes not helping matters because most of them are form of attacking companies than providing them appropriate recommendation and ways to prevent reoccurrence when incident happened.

It is unfortunate that ignorance still persists on work/job related has use this experience to learn one or two things about this. Root cause, asphyxiation in confined space. Contributory causes no JHA, no PTW, no use of appropriate PPEs, no adoption of appropriate safe work procedure, no Safety Culture, no implementation of HSE management system, ignorant/untrained staff. Remote Causes..in short who even told these guys to do this job?

While the country is rife with regulations regarding confined space e.g. MOSR 1997(Section 33), EGASPIN, 2002 (Part VII A Section 4.1), and other directives by the DPR, these avoidable deaths still occur. The risk of confined space entry is so high that even without a JHA/PTW you need not be told it is risky. All HSE Professionals are speaking here not because they have done a JHA on this specific task but due to training, courses and experience.

However, it does not remove the fact that there is need for proper safety administration and management system which should have recommended a strict JHA and Risk Assessment through the initiation of a work permit. Recall that a work permit has a JHA/RA aspect to it. Also, with proper safety culture and the implementation of a proper HSE Management system, all such jobs as Confined Space Entry are considered non routine and need proper care, planning and execution. Risk are identified and mitigation measures are put in place to either ELIMINATE CAUSE or REDUCE/ELIMINATE CONSEQUENCES.

Some confined spaces are fairly easy to identify, e.g. enclosures with limited openings like storage tanks; silos; reaction vessels; enclosed drains; sewers; wells; tunnels; pits; caissons; shafts.

Others may be less obvious, but can be equally dangerous, for example: chambers; vats; combustion chambers in furnaces; pipes; unventilated or poorly ventilated rooms; flues;hatches.

It is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of confined spaces. Some places may become confined spaces when work is carried out, or during their construction, fabrication or subsequent modification (OSHB, 2010).

The most important means of avoiding confined space problems is TO AVOID ENTERING CONFINED SPACES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Check if the work can be done another way to avoid entry. If it is unavoidable then a SAFE SYSTEM OF WORK is set in motion.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO

It is not just stating the problem and blaming the individuals. The thing is what have we learnt and how can we prevent this in future?

1. All workers in retail outlets especially the Manager and Supervisor must be trained to HSE Level 3. Refreshers should be done every 2 years.

2. All attendants and other staff (security men etc) should have basic safety training with emphasis on job hazards related to retail outlets including basic fire fighting. Refreshers must be done once every year.

3. All contractors must train their technical staff to HSE Level 3 as a minimum. Proof of this must be submitted in their proposals with the full names of staff to carry out the job and their current Trade and HSE Level 3 certificate attached.

4. There is a need to also develop the curriculum of HSE Levels 1, 2 and 3 so that it is uniform among all training schools in Nigeria.

5. All retail outlets should have an implementable HSE Management system which should include JHAs and Risk Assessments for routine and non routine tasks. These HSE management system should be audited by the DPR on an annual basis to ensure it is being implemented.

6. Positive Intervention System should be introduced like ''stop work order'', ''red card'', etc for staff in retail outlets to be able to intervene prevent the execution of any unsafe activities.

7. At the end of the year, an HSEMR/AHSEMR report should be written and sent to the DPR as required by law stating all accidents, incidents, HSE Management key performance indicators (leading and lagging) etc.

8. ALL jobs considered EXTRA HIGH RISK should get an approval from the DPR on materials, methods and HSE before they are executed.

9. Agencies like DPR need to improve on surveillance and enforcement to ensure that they really make these facilities comply.

10. The DPR may wish to assign their HSE Personnel in their Zones to handle filling stations within areas just like it is done in depots or just like banks assign account officers. Retail outlets should be grouped based on areas they are located and HSE Officers assigned to routinely engage and ensure they are HSE compliant.

11. Any contractor handling a routine and non routine job must go through 3 layers of risk assessment. The first is their Level 1 (internal risk assessment) done by their company alone. The Level 2 will be that of the company who owns the facility. While Level 3 will be both companies coming together to review the analysed risks and proffer mitigation measures.

12. HSE regulations as contained in EGASPIN and MOSR should be updated, improved, elaborated and made specific to petrol stations operations.

NO MATTER THE STRESS it cannot be costlier than the life of any individual!

These are some of our recommendations.

Reference

-Mineral Oil Safety Regulations (1997) Ministry/Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria
-Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (2002) Ministry/Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria
-Safe work in Confined Space (2010) Occupational Safety and Health Branch Labour Department, Hong Kong.

THE RISK ONE TAKES TO SURVIVE ,DIS IS SURELY THE HANDY WORK OF POVERTY ,EVEN WITH ALL THE SAFELY EQUIPMENT WHY WOULD A HUMAN AGREE TO ENTER A FUEL TANK FOR CLEANING WITHOUT PURGING IT , POVERTY DAMPEN D BRAIN TO TAKE KNOWN RISK

princey83:
They must have died from the inhalation of H2S, Hydrogen Sulfide.

You are right

Confine space Safety. Wonder if there was even a Permit to work, cos all d potential hazards, precautionary measures, arrangement in case of an emergency are suppose to b covered in the permit to work. Well, RIP to the dead.

chimkaire:
Do you know them Ion get the 'gentleness' of their souls, pardon me

It doesn't matter whether or not I know them, I just paid my condolence.

northvietnam:
Called you by 7am and you came by what time

Very shameful, maybe they came by 4pm

R.I.P 2 d Dead

sameniceguy:
Thanks for this bro. It might not actually be Hydrogen sulphide in this case. It could be Carbon monoxide and deprived O2. As H2S is not that present in Nigerian formation unless from caked products in the tank.

Bos. H2s is not a geographical thing. It can be present anywhere and at anytime as long as what causes it are present. For a storage tank like the pic shows, I can bet you it was H2s gas.

chipet67:
Very shameful, maybe they came by 4pm

Thats my beloved country for you.

Some days back i passed through DSS office at the Villa Abuja. Guess what, they were using a Gen set to power the office.

They said no Nepa light inside the villa, the one they use came from a Generated power source..

modelmike7:
So sad. RIP hardworking men.

What do you mean by hardworking men?? Endangering their lives to carelessness is hardworking ??

Safety first!

At most get sact for safety and precauticve mind than this carelessness and dead!

The man that ran to rescue, with what did he wants to rescue with ...hands

Lesson for everyone, when you hear a call for help you think twice before its too late it could be electric shock or fire disaster always remember 'safety first'


Enough said!

These people need to know the requirements for confined space entry...even without the fumes from petrol, they would have still died inside that place.

We should all remember thst the number one priority in any rescue is the rescuer! If the rescuer gets into trouble they cannot help the victim and by becoming a victim themselves have merely increased the problems for others.

AKMoney1:



Everybody get gentle soul na, abi why you wicked like this?

My question is clear enough

chimkaire:

My question is clear enough