The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has vowed to sanction patrol marketers who fail to observe safety regulations in the South East.
The South East Regional Coordinator of NMDPRA, Stanley Ngene who made this known during a meeting with petroleum products and transportation stakeholders in Enugu on Thursday said that the authority will henceforth ensure that the purpose for which the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act by the Federal Government is achieved
He said: “The NMDPRA has planned to recommence the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) technical audits; of which the outcome will be used in liaison with other Directorates, in the issuance of various licenses. The HSE technical audit will evaluate the adequacy of the HSE requirements competency and training of staff engaged by the operators.
“This will no longer be business as usual. It is now safety first, the NMDPRA would ensure that the aspirations of the Federal Government by passing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is achieved.
“The law has provided in clear terms that in the case of negligence by any operator, such operator would be sanctioned accordingly.
“Although, our aim is not to sanction the operators but to ensure that operations are run in a safe manner to protect people, assets and the environment is the reason for today’s engagement.
“The HSE needs to be a front burner to attract the growth of the business, reduction of insurance premiums and protection of the public and for us to achieve the following, we must reawaken the safety consciousness in our operations.
Ngene said that NMDPRA will always want to engage operators to attune them of the need to fully comply with relevant health and environment laws and regulations as stipulated in the PIA and to forestall the dangers posed by unwholesome practices and noncompliance to statutory safety provisions.
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