Liquefied Petroleum Gas Stations Disaster Risk Preparedness Assessment of Port Harcourt City, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the risk management or preparedness measures in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stations in Port Harcourt metropolis. The sample size of this study comprised of 79 licensed Liquefied Petroleum Gas Stations located within the metropolis obtained from the regulatory agency. The data were collected, administered analyzed using Kobocollect App, Spearman Rank Correlation and percentages. The findings reveal that 96.2% of gas stations were stand-alone while 3.8% are with petrol stations, the storage tanks are cylindrical and were placed above-ground. Majority (88.61%) of the staff have been trained in safety and firefighting with 65.82% possessing automated Gas detector, 21.52% having mechanical gas detector, 8.68% having both mechanical and automated gas detectors while 5.06% have no leak detection devices. Also, 88.61% of gas stations have emergency plans, 3.8% have no emergency plans while on how often drills were conducted; 50.63% of respondents indicated that drills were conducted once, 22.78% twice and 3.8% thrice a year. Finally, it was found that 86.7% of the vulnerability to LPG station risk is determined by the type of station. There is therefore the need for regular assessment and monitoring of facilities by the regulatory agency to mitigate potential disasters due to LPG stations for sustainable development in the metropolis.