The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised Nigerians to be safety conscious in using gas cylinders, in view of the recent gas explosions in some parts of the country.
The Director-General of the organisation, Osita Aboloma, gave the warning in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Aboloma therefore urged Nigerians to patronise only SON certified Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and other standard cylinders with requisite markings to safeguard their homes, offices and surroundings from avoidable fire due to substandard cylinders.
A gas explosion occurred at a business area in Sabon Tasha within Kaduna metropolis on January 4, killing some people.
He warned importers of cylinders to adhere strictly to the SON procedures, while placing order for the product, classified as life-endangering.
He emphasised the need for consumers to look out for embossed markings on all imported LPG cylinders as specified in the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) 69:2013.
According to him, such markings include manufacturer’s brand name, country of origin, test pressure, tare weight and SON product registration number with prefix FA and year of manufacture.
Aboloma advised users to also look out for SON Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme logo and number on certified, locally manufactured cylinders in addition to the markings specified for the imported products.
He said that the specified life span of LPG cylinders in Nigeria is 15 years during which the cylinders must be recertified twice, after every five years.
He disclosed that SON had put in place a rigorous procedure for the certification of imported and locally manufactured LPG cylinders for use in Nigeria to guarantee the safety and durability of products.
The SON boss admonished users of cylinders to ensure proper handling of products while in transit and during use, and also adhere to necessary safety precautions.
Aboloma also warned gas dispensing plants to ensure due certification of their vessels as provided by the SON Act.
He said that SON officers in the 42 state offices across the nation had been directed to inspect all LPG plants to ensure strict compliance.
“This will ensure the certification or re-certification of all installed vessels as the case may be,” he said.
He said that the full weight of the law shall be brought to bear on any plant and owner that failed to comply with the mandatory requirement of the SON Act.
He commiserated with the families of the victims of the Kaduna explosion, saying that the incident could have been avoided, if all necessary precautions were adhered to by the plant owners.
