LITTLE regard is being paid to safety at the majority of Jamaica’s gas stations, according to Mining and Energy Minister Anthony Hylton, who said the irregularities, if continued unchecked, could lead to major disasters.

The minister, in a speech prepared for yesterday’s annual general meeting of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association at the Alhambra Inn in Kingston, said a recent audit by the ministry’s Petroleum Safety Inspectorate Division, showed that more than 96 per cent of the gas stations surveyed paid scant regard to safety procedures.

According to the minister, of 174 service stations audited in eight parishes, 168 were practising improper safety procedures.

Among the findings were:

* lack of staff training in the use of fire extinguishers;

* absence of vapour proof lights on the loading bays;

* absence of safety signs;

* absence of fire alarms;

* leaking pump stations;

* missing shields for compressors; and the

* absence of water tanks, written safety procedures and emergency telephone numbers.

The audit, which was ordered by Hylton after eight persons were injured in a gas cylinder explosion at Juici Patties Liguanea restaurant in April, also revealed that unsafe procedures were being practised at liquefied petroleum gas, (LPG) filling stations, parking garages and marine facilities.

The minister noted, however, that the auditors could not investigate the illegal petroleum trade, which has resulted in 19 accidents over a three-year period, because of the difficulty in tracking the operations.

However, he told the gasolene retailers that following discussions with the appropriate ministries, the Ministry of National Security has implemented tough enforcement measures to curb illegal operations and the trade. The success of these actions, he said, should have a positive impact on the operations of JGRA members.

In March last year, an illegal gas station on Elspeth Avenue in Kingston went up in flames when 40 drums of illegal petrol exploded as someone burned rubbish on the premises. Three fire fighters were injured in that incident.

In January of the same year, five houses were gutted in Greenwich Town, also in Kingston, during an illegal gas loading operation in the area.

“While the ministry has been collaborating with the other agencies in launching a major public education programme, the time has now come to consolidate the fragmented rules and regulations and establish a co-ordinated approach to the safety issue by creating a central body to take the responsibility for petroleum sector safety regulations and compliance,” Hylton said.

He added: “While some issues facing the safety aspect have partially been addressed through the Petroleum Quality Control Act… safety should be the primary concern of everyone involved. Our lives are too important to operate the petroleum sector in less than safe and co-ordinated manner.”