Human Reliability in Petroleum Storage Facilities: A mixed Method Analysis of Critical Failures and Systemic Risks in Cameroon.

Abstract

Introduction: Human errors in the storage facilities of petroleum products pose a major threat to the safety of facilities, people and the environment, especially in developing countries where technical and regularly resources are limited.

Objectives: This study analyzes the critical factors of human reliability in Cameroonian oil depots by combining CREAM (Cognitive Reliability an Error Analysis Method) and FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method).

Methods: The data, collected at two Cameroonian oil depots between 2021 and 2023, includes interviews with 35 operators, observation of 20 loading procedures, and analysis of 47 incidents reports.

Results: The results reveal not only higher error rates than those in industrialized countries (38% of misdiagnoses compared to 15% in France), but also specific risk loops, such as the correlation between spare parts shortages and high-risk technical improvisations (OR = 3.2, p < 0.01).

Conclusions: On the theoretical level, this study enriches the literature on human reliability by integrating variables that are often ignored: corruption, informality of procedures, thus offering a more holistic framework for analysis. In practice, it provides Cameroonian and African decision-makers with priority levers for action, such as the deployment of low-cost IoT sensors.