Death and The Tanker Boy

He's got the same size hands


As Peter Akpatason

He put his fingers in the imprints

And worked on a Petrol Tanker

He could have been a NUPENG President

Never got the chance to go that far

His life was STOLEN

Now we'll never, never, know!

These re-coined words of Kelly Rowland came to my mind when I heard a firsthand narrative of how a young man (a driver's assistant or motor boy in local parlance) died in a tanker of Petrol.

Sometime in early June, Mrs. Ruth Oghenetega a business woman in the West minister area, which is within Ibafon (the area where a lot of tankers load petroleum products) sought me out to tell me this story and pleaded that we include it in our newsletter.

According to her, “this is not the first time I have witnessed such an incident, something needs to be done about this urgently. I believe with adequate training incidences like this can be averted; all he needed to be alive was a companion. I was drawn to the scene when I heard the driver wailing. The driver and his motor-boy were about to load products from a popular tank farm in Ibafon. They were on a queue, so they decided to add some fuel to their engine, the boy was told to get some fuel from their almost empty tanker, so he opened the lid of the tank and jumped into the belly of the tank to scoop some fuel. Unbeknownst to him a heavy wind was brewing, on impact with the lid of the tank, the lid fell shut and he couldn't open it”

Our imagination can fill in the gap of what went on.

“Meanwhile the driver thought the boy had strayed and was waiting for him, it was after a long wait that it dawned on him to check within the belly of the tanker, lo and behold he met a dead boy, very dead!”

Apparently the boy died of 'aspiration'. Aspiration is the entry of liquid into the lungs following swallowing and subsequent vomiting. Fuel is classified as 'Harmful by ingestion' owing to this aspiration hazard i.e. the risk of chemical pneumonitis, and not because of its acute toxicity i.e. poisoning properties. Fuel is also classified as a skin irritant, due to its potential to cause dermatitis. The presence of up to 5% benzene means that fuel is classified as Carcinogenic.

Under COSHH 1999 a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is required for all jobs carried out involving fuel. This may involve emergency procedures (spillages or accidental ingestion), protective clothing to prevent skin contact and precautions to control exposure by inhalation.

General Safety

Where fuel might be used an assessment needs to be carried out on the risks involved to ensure that adequate control measures are taken. Leaflets giving advice on fuel safety should be made available, covering safe storage, carriage and use.

Addressing the Situation

Recently Total Nigeria Plc unveiled plans to build a state-of-the-art training centre for petroleum tanker drivers in their bid to instill road safety culture in Nigerian drivers; I hope that safety measures will also be a key subject in the proposed centre.

Other marketers of petroleum products should also take a keen interest in ensuring that their employees are well educated about the hazards of the job.

If you take a look at the critical elements in petroleum products transportation, that is, the drivers, products and the trucks, you will see that the insurance scheme can cover the tanker, product, but usually does not cover life. However, a life lost can never be regained.