Assessment of Process Safety Management Practices in Petroleum Storage Depots in Northern Nigeria
This study assessed process safety management practices in petroleum storage depots in northern Nigeria. The study adopted cross-sectional research design with cluster sampling technique. The study used the questionnaire as its instrument for data collection. The study population was 1022 and sample size of 300 respondents was administered to the depot staff using the Taro Yamene formular. The findings revealed that the mean scores, questions related to risk mitigation (question 5) and technological advancement (question 7) received slightly higher average ratings (3.54 and 3.47, respectively), indicating a generally favorable perception in these areas. Conversely, questions on regulatory compliance (question 4) and safety culture (question 6) scored marginally lower (3.46 and 3.4), reflecting moderate agreement and potential areas for improvement. The weighted means, which consider the distribution of responses across different levels of agreement, reinforce this pattern by showing that perceptions of risk management and technology adoption are relatively stronger, whereas compliance and safety culture perceptions are weaker, highlighting where organizational focus should be directed for enhancement. The study has recommended that benchmarking against industry standards can help depots create tailored strategies, enhancing safety, compliance, and fostering a resilient operational environment.
Keywords: Depot, Management, Petroleum, Practice, Storage, Safety
