Bomart Staff January 22, 2020SON Destroys 5,000 Substandard LPG Cylinders
In a bid to curb the spate of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder explosions that have rocked homes in Nigeria recently, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) will collaborate with gas plant owners to re-certify gas cylinders.
The exercise is to ensure that a cylinder is not used beyond its expiration date.
This is coming as the Agency destroyed over 5,000 substandard LPG cylinders at the organisation’s warehouse in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. The destroyed cylinders which were in sizes of 50kg, 12.5kg, 6kg and 3kg and had branded names such as Anadolugaz, Royaltek, Setro, Repsol and Safic, included brand new and used products.
Speaking to newsmen during the exercise, the Director General of SON, Osita Aboloma Esq. disclosed that the substandard cylinders were seized at different times during during the first quarter of 2019.
Represented by Engr. Obiora Manafa, Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, Aboloma said that some of the brand new cylinders failed the agency’s mandatory test while others were not manufactured to the specifications in the Nigeria Industrial Standard NIS 69:2013 for LPG Steel Cylinders.
According to him the used LPG cylinders are contraband as they are not allowed to be imported from outside Nigeria, while brand new products must only be imported with due authorisation from SON after necessary application and procedures.
He described the seized products as threats to safety of lives and properties of Nigerians and a drain on the economy having been paid for in hard earned foreign exchange.
Giving an insight into the re-qualification exercise, Manafa said the only way it can work is to give plant owners the power to seize expired cylinders brought by customers to be refilled.
“If any consumer takes a cylinder to a filling plant to refill and the plant owner checks the cylinder and it is due for requalification, the plant owners should be given powers to seize the cylinder. These are some of the things we are working with other stakeholders in the industry to address,” he said.
On the method of destruction, he stated, “We are cutting them for recycling by steel plants because we cannot burn them,”.
Also speaking during the destruction, SON Group Head, LPG, Engr. Nwaoma Olujie explained that the seized brand new 12.5kg cylinders were produced out of specification as camping gas which poses grave danger to users given the volume of LPG that will be exposed to direct heat during usage.
According to her, the maximum size of an LPG cylinder allowed for use as camping gas is 6.25kg. “It is a time bomb” She said.
The SON Director General advised importers of LPG cylinders to always follow the procedures set up by SON for the importation of the product into the country and disclosed that the perpetrators of the substandard and life endangering cylinders are already facing prosecution.
He also urged Nigerians to purchase only cylinders with SON registration marks, avoid buying camping gas cylinders order than those specified as such by the standard in order to safeguard their homes from avoidable fire incidents from substandard cylinders.
Source: Marine&Petroleum Nigeria
