SON Seizes 40ft Container Stocked with Substandard LPG Cylinders

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has seized a 40 feet container stocked with substandard LPG cylinders worth over N38 million.

The Director General, SON, Osita Aboloma, who disclosed this in a statement, explained that the cylinders failed to meet the safety requirement and as such, poses threat to human lives and property in the country.

He stated the need to adhere strictly to standards when dealing in LPG gas cylinders cannot be over flogged. The Director General warned that it was dangerous to use cylinders of higher capacities like 12.5 kg and above as camping gas where burners are fitted on top of the cylinders. According to the SON boss represented by the Director, Compliance, SON, Engr. Obiora Manafa, cylinders above 6.25 kg capacities like 12.5 kg shall be fitted with 27mm valves (fitted with safety relief device) and piped to a burner via a hose and a regulator.

“Having a cooking pot on top of cylinder as high as 12.5 kg stands the risk of tilting over. It is also highly dangerous to subject the high volume of LPG in a high volume capacity cylinder to heat from the cooker that is directly sitting on top of the cylinder,” he added.

He said only 3 kg, 5 kg and 6.25 kg cylinders are used for camping gas and fitted with camping valves, stressing that any cylinder above 6.25 kg used for camping shall be seized and destroyed. The Director General lamented that many avoidable LPG cylinder explosions across the country which had led to wanton loss of lives and properties.