NIG LP Gas

LPG Safety Guidelines

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or cooking gas is increasingly becoming an important and beneficial fuel.

Relative to other sources of energy, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is more energy efficient, affordable, readily available, handy and versatile.

LPG has been adopted in millions of households in Nigeria, and in commercial operations such as bakeries, eateries, iron rod smelting, panel beating workshops and hotels.

However, in spite of the clear advantage it has over other fuels, its combustibility makes it a dangerous source of energy, unless handled safely.

These safety measures and guidelines for different applications and sectors listed below must be strictly adhered to for the safe and smooth usage of LPG.

LPG Retailers

▶ Never purchase low quality or expired cylinders. Buy your cylinders from credible suppliers that sell certified cylinders and gas components.

▶ During the transfer of gas from one cylinder to the other, ensure that no naked fire, source of ignition, spark and electromagnetic radiation (from phones and some other electronic devices is within a five meter radius of your position.

▶ Desist from dragging or rolling your cylinder on the on the floor when moving it from one place to the other and do not hit it against a hard surface.

▶ Do not refill old, expired and corroded cylinders to their full capacity, if you must refill them. For example, fill only a maximum of 2kg in a corroded 6kg cylinder.

▶ Ensure that fire extinguisher (powder) and CO2 in good working condition are always available at your outlet.

▶ Change your cylinder valve when it expires or when it starts leaking.

▶ Ensure your cylinder is kept in a vertical position.

▶ Always confirm that the O rubber ring in the valve of the cylinder you are refilling is intact before and after the process.

▶ Inspect your LPG transfer hose regularly for cracks and constantly check your clips for tightness

▶ Use a piece of cloth or towel to cover the valve of your cylinder when venting gas vapor. This limits the amount of vapor that escapes into the atmosphere and reduces the concentration of the combustible mixture of gas and air.

▶ Do not fill your working cylinder beyond its capacity. For example, do not fill 60kg in a 50kg capacity cylinder, because it weakens the valve and can result in an explosion, most especially when the cylinder has expired and is weak and the ambient temperature increases rapidly.

▶ Make sure that the room where you store and use the LPG cylinder is well ventilated because keeping a cylinder where there is no ventilation makes the cylinder damp and eventually results into its corrosion.

Home Users

▶ Do not use any cylinder or LPG appliance that does not meet Standards Organization of Nigeria(SON) safety standards, which is identifiable by their LOGO imprinted on it. Cooking with low quality cylinders could lead to leakage of its valves or fatal explosions when it fails under the pressure of the gas.

▶ Make sure that you get your home appliances maintained and serviced regularly.

▶ Inspect your LPG hose regularly for cracks and check your clips often to ascertain their tightness.

▶ Ensure that your cylinder is kept in an upright position, in a well-ventilated room.

▶ Do not keep your cylinder in a cabinet or enclosure.

▶ Desist from placing other fuels or combustible materials close to your LPG cylinder.

▶ Do not keep inflammable materials in the kitchen.

▶ Ensure that your cylinder is far from sources ignition, heat and radiation.

▶ When using gas cookers that do not have auto-ignition, you must first light the matchstick before turning on the knob.

▶ Do not keep electrical gadgets close to your gas cylinder. Any malfunction could spark a fire when there is any leakage.

▶ Always ensure that your gas cooker knob is turned off after cooking to prevent the escape of gas into the atmosphere.

▶ If there is a leakage, the first thing to do is to know the source of the leakage. If it’s from the body of the cylinder, provided there is no naked fire or possible source of ignition in the area, get the cylinder out of the house as quickly as possible. The next step is to open all doors and windows in the house to reduce the concentration of gas indoors.

▶ If there is suspected leakage, it is best to first turn off the gas regulator before inspecting the hose, clips and gas cooker.

▶ Install an audible smoke detector in your home.

▶ Turn off all electrical appliances and devices whenever you perceive or suspect gas leakage.

▶ Ensure to put the safety cap on the cylinder before and after refilling your gas cylinder.

▶ Ensure that fire extinguisher (powder) and CO2 in good working condition are always available in your home.

▶ Always confirm that the O rubber ring in your cylinder valve is intact.

▶ Never use naked fire or sources of ignition to check for gas leakage; rather use soapy water to test for leakages which is confirmed by bubbling at the point of leakage.

▶ Change your cylinder valve when it expires or when it starts leaking.

▶ Cylinders filled with gas should not be kept for long periods of time.

LPG Transporters

▶ Protective valve caps and covers must be fixed on cylinders in transit when necessary before transporting.

▶ Never place filled gas cylinders horizontally during transit. Ensure they are positioned vertically.

▶ If you suspect leakage, apply soapy water on cylinder valve ports and joints. If there’s bubbling on a particular spot, there is a gas leakage. Isolate the leaking cylinder and try to minimize the leakage till you get it to a safe place to empty its contents or vent the vapor.

▶ Do not let gas cylinders project beyond the sides or end of a vehicle when transporting.

▶ Use only vehicles that are convenient and built for carrying gas.

▶ When loading and offloading, exercise caution in the handling of loaded gas cylinders and don’t slam them on hard surfaces.

▶ The driver transporting must not over-speed and must drive with caution.

▶ Ensure your vehicle is always equipped with the appropriate sizes of fire extinguishers(powder) and CO2.

Industrial and Hospitality Industry Users

▶ Ensure that fire extinguisher (powder) and CO2 in good working condition are always available

▶ Check and inspect the cylinder valve on a regular basis to ascertain its condition. If you notice the valve is leaking, replace it without hesitation.

▶ Ensure that the valves of the cylinders that are not in use are properly closed.

▶ If you detect any leakage form the cylinder body or valve, fix the safety cap and take the cylinder to an open area where you can safely transfer its gas content to another cylinder or release it into the atmosphere.

▶ Ensure that cylinders are always in kept in an upright position.

▶ Install an audible smoke detector around your working and storage spaces.

▶ Ensure that the cylinders are checked for leakage from the valve and O ring rubber prior to connection.

▶ Electrical appliances and battery operated instruments should not be placed in the same space where gas cylinders are stored.

▶ Ensure that very visible ‘no smoking and no naked flame’ signs are strategically placed in the area where cylinders are being stored.

Industrial and Hospitality Industry Users

LPG Skid and Standard Plant

▶ Replace the tank liquid and vapor valves every 5-7 years.

▶ Ensure that fire extinguisher (powder) and CO2 in good working condition are always available at your plant.

▶ Ensure that vehicles and motor bikes with their engines running don’t come close to the filling gantry and the bulktail/bridger when gas is being offloaded.

▶ Place ‘no smoking, no naked fire and no cell phone’ signs at strategic points around the plant.

▶ Ensure that the tank, pump and filling gantry valves are properly locked after the close of business.

▶ Revamp the plant’s pipework after 7-10 years.

▶ Do not fill your tank beyond 95% of its volume, especially in hot weather.

▶ Ensure that your water dripping system mounted over your LPG storage tanks is functional and put to use especially in hot weather.

▶ Repaint your LPG storage tank and pipework once in three years to prevent corrosion.

LPG Tanker {Bridgers and Bulktails}

▶ Offload only when there is sunrise and before sunset, do not offload in the dark. Do not offload during heavy rains, thunderstorms or lightning.

▶ Ensure the bulktails and bridgers are not filled beyond their capacity.

▶ Ensure to weigh the LPG tanker on the weighbridge and record properly before loading it.

▶ Ensure spark arrestor is fixed to the bulktail/bridger exhaust pipe.

▶ Preparatory to offloading, the bulktail/bridger should be put on hard stand and its hand brakes applied while wheel chokes must be placed on all the wheels of the truck.

▶ Keep all exit gates of the plant yard open and free during the offloading process.

▶ Offload only when trained and competent hands are around. The truck driver should be present during offloading.

▶ Ensure that both the liquid and vapor balancing hoses are connected to the tanker.

▶ Check the roto gauge of storage tanks, and the bulktail/bridger. Monitor the volume, temperature and pressure of LPG tanker and storage tanks during offloading.

▶ Release the air/vapor in the storage tank via the hose.

▶ Ensure your vehicle is always equipped with the appropriate sizes of fire extinguishers(powder) and CO2.

▶ Ensure that all valves of the tanker and the hose filling ports are properly closed after the offloading process.