Occupational Health and Safety in Fuel Stations: Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment

Fuel stations are fuel storage facilities located in urban and rural areas. The fuels sold at these stations have the potential to cause occupational diseases as well as fire and various accidents. In terms of occupational health and safety, the workload and risks that gas station employees are exposed to vary. Employees are not only limited to basic tasks such as refueling, sales and communication, but also undertake additional security and service responsibilities. In this study, considering a fuel station serving in Iğdır province, hazards that may affect employees and customers were identified and the risks that may occur as a result of these hazards were rated by matrix method. It was determined that the probability (i:3) and the result (c:5) are high (r:15) for the risk of fire and explosion that may be caused by leaks that may occur during refueling of vehicles. Among the preventive measures, it has been revealed that the risk value r:15 should be aimed at eliminating the sources that may cause or create sparks. It has been observed that the fact that employees do not have adequate training on the risks arising from the conditions of the execution of the work (r:10) and that they are not adequate about what to do in emergencies (r:10) are among the important risks for the enterprise. In addition, the study recommended that deficiencies related to the existing electrical system (r:10) and equipment, which pose a high risk, should be eliminated. It predicts that unsafe actions and conditions in the stations can be controlled by establishing and properly implementing occupational health and safety strategies in the workplace for employees.