Chemical risks from petroleum products due to the proliferation of service stations in Kinshasa: a governance and safety compliance assessment

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates why regulatory safety standards for service stations in Kinshasa are systematically violated despite the existence of a clear legal framework. It reframes non-compliance not as a knowledge gap but as a governance and enforcement failure, and assesses the managerial implications for regulatory authorities.

Literature Review: Prior Congolese studies (Ntongama et al., 2025; Benza, 2018) documented environmental and health risks from service stations but did not analyse the enforcement mechanisms that permit non-compliance to persist. International research on regulatory governance indicates that inspection effectiveness depends on unannounced visits, proportionate sanctions, and organisational independence from regulated entities.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from 40 operational service stations across four Kinshasa municipalities (Masina, Kalamu, Lemba, Ngaliema) using structured questionnaires, direct observation grids, and physical distance measurements. Compliance was assessed against Decree No. 16/010 (100 m from residential buildings, 500 m between stations). Statistical tests included Pearson correlation, chi-square, ANOVA, linear regression, and Cramér's V (α = 0.05).

Findings: Seventy percent of stations violated the 100 m legal distance. Individual safety (PPE use) averaged 54%, and facility safety averaged 57.5%, with no significant variation across municipalities (χ² = 5.60, p = 0.132; F = 2.45, p = 0.081). Proximity strongly correlated with fire risk (r = 0.89, p = 0.011). Crowd management was the strongest predictor of reduced fire risk (β = −0.72, p = 0.004, R² = 0.52). All managers reported regular state inspections, yet non-compliance persisted.

Originality: This is the first study to treat service station non-compliance in Kinshasa as a governance problem, providing quantitative evidence that inspections are ineffective and identifying crowd management as an under-leveraged managerial intervention. It advances a control-failure framework applicable to other regulated sectors in weak-institution environments.

Research Limitations: The sample covers 46% of registered stations in four of 24 municipalities. Chemical analyses of air, soil, and groundwater were not performed. Inspection and incident data are declarative.

Theoretical/Practical/Social Implications: The findings support a regulatory governance perspective in which compliance depends not on rule existence but on inspection credibility. Practically, the study proposes priority managerial actions: unannounced inspections, sanctions proportional to turnover, mandatory crowd management protocols, and inspector training. Socially, it documents an avoidable risk to densely populated urban communities.

Keywords: regulatory governance, safety compliance, service stations, risk management, Kinshasa, CBRN risks, statistical analysis.

Received Date: August 17, 2026

Accepted Date: September 09, 2026

Published Date: October 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/992