SON seizes 40ft container laden with substandard LPG cylinders

Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has seized a 40-foot container loaded with substandard LPG cylinders valued at N38 million.

Osita Aboloma, the director general of SON, said the cylinders failed to meet the safety requirement and pose a threat to human lives and property in the country.

According to him, it is highly 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.

The SON boss, represented by Obiora Manafa, direc

tor, compliance, SON, said that 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,” Aboloma said.

He further explained that 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 DG lamented many avoidable LPG cylinder explosions across the country and attendant loss of lives and property.

He admonished those dealing in the LPG gas cylinder and accessories to abide strictly by the safety requirements in the relevant Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS), given the potential danger that the substandard cylinders can pose to lives and property.

He noted that efforts have been intensified to subject LPG cylinders to laboratory tests and analysis to confirm their conformity, stressing that if these cylinders fail critical safety parameters on construction, performance and markings they will be seized and destroyed.

He charged local and foreign investors to invest in LPG cylinder plants in the country. He said SON is working with relevant sister agencies to achieve five million metric tonnes of domestic, commercial and industrial LPG utilisation soon.

Aboloma further said SON is in the business to ensure that goods and services produced in the country meet global best standards, while also calling for both local and foreign investments into the sector to bring down importation of LPG cylinders to the barest minimum.