Lagos to begin audit, set safety standards to prevent gas explosions

In response to incessant gas explosions and fires in the state and other parts of the country, Lagos State Safety Commission, in conjunction with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, yesterday, said that the state government had begun training and sensitisation of all marketers and distributors of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), industrial and medical gases in the state.

Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, disclosed this after a meeting of regulators and stakeholders in the sector to deliberate on possible solutions held in Alausa, Ikeja.

Among the stakeholders at the meeting were Nigerian Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (MALPGAM) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR).

According to the director-general, explosions may occur when gases are adulterated, cylinders mishandled or when industrial and cooking gases are used close to sources of ignition.

Other causes, he said, were proliferation of gas retail outlets and improper training of operators and users on safe handling of gas.

Besides the training, Mojola said safety audit of all gas distribution outfits would be conducted, adding that the safety audit will identify all hazards and unsafe practices that give rise to risks and incidents in the sector.

Lending his voice to the discourse, Director, Oil and Gas Operations at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Sesan Odukoya, emphasised the need to streamline regulatory activities of all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.