The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is currently reviewing the requalification exercise for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders in the country.

Disclosing this in Lagos, the Director-General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, said a review has become necessary in view of the dangers associated with the use of LPG cylinders.

Apart from enhancing safety of lives and property, the SON DG noted that revalidation of cylinders would boost the LPG business in the country. He pointed out that part of SON’s statutory mandate is to protect lives and property by ensuring that appropriate standards are maintained. The exercise, according to him, would also eliminate sub-standard cylinders from circulation and the scrapping of old ones.

“We have been meeting with key sectors of the economy and the operators in the LPG sector especially for industrial safety by ensuring that imported LPG cylinders and those produced in Nigeria, meet the requirements of NIS 69: 2006,” Odumodu said.

The SON Director-General decried the current situation where cylinders imported or produced in Nigeria are sold to users, without any programme for requalification. Declaring this no longer acceptable, he said SON would soon flag up a campaign to remove old cylinders from circulation. He disclosed that cylinders above 15 years, which is the agreed period for their revalidation, would be affected.

Challenging stakeholders in the industry to join hands with SON to promote safety, Odumodu said the organisation would ensure that henceforth all importers of LPG cylinders have a defined programme for their maintenance. According to him, one of the requalification conditions is that expiry dates shall be embossed on all cylinders, noting that the exercise was a core of the organisation’s campaign of zero tolerance to substandard products in the country.

News Express learnt that a Technical Committee comprising members from all sectors would soon meet to develop a framework for the workability of the scheme.

•Photo shows SON DG, Odumodu.