Abstract

Petroleum products are very flammable and can ignite at extremely low temperatures if exposed to an open flame source or not handled appropriately. Individuals who handle petroleum products in the petroleum industry and fuelling stations are known as "petrol station attendants". The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among petrol station attendants working in a filling station owned by independent petroleum marketers in Sapele metropolis of Delta state from November 2022 to January 2023. The assessment was done with an adapted instrument for data collection, a 12-item questionnaire titled "Chemistry of Petroleum Products: Assessment of Fuel Attendants Knowledge around Sapele Metropolis". Most petrol attendants within Sapele metropolis fell within the age range of 18-35 years, predominantly 22-28 years being the highest with a respondent of 16 constituting 39% representation. There were more females working within Sapele as petrol attendants with 26 females out of 41 respondents representing 63% of the total sample population. About 51.21% of respondents did science or chemistry-related courses but their skills were limited, 58.53% of petrol attendants which was the highest proportion per qualification had Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) qualification, and those with a higher degree (National Diploma and Bachelor of Science) had a combined total of 14 respondents (34.1%), 48.78% of respondents which was below average were given chemistry and safety training of petroleum product by their employers, about 80.48% of respondents had managed to learn either by convention or practice safety techniques and were using safety protocol when handling petroleum product. 87.80%  knew nothing about chemistry quality control tests such as octane rating, flash point, pour point, and smoke point. The percentage of science oriented graduate who work as petrol attendant in Sapele metropolis is very low. Hence, the study recommends science expertise with regards to chemistry knowledge in relation to safety practices among fuel attendants.

Key words: Petrol station attendant, chemistry, petroleum products, educational qualification.