Kumasi, Sept. 27, GNA - The Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC), in collaboration with the state-run oil marketer, Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), has embarked on a nationwide exercise to refurbish gas cylinders in the country to ensure user safety.

Nana Wiafe Ababio, Chief Executive of GCMC, said his company was much concerned about frequent reports of domestic and industrial gas explosions, which had resulted in fatalities.

He was speaking to journalists in Kumasi after inspecting damages caused by the explosion at an Engas filing station at Asokwa. About 150 people were injured while nearby vehicles and houses were destroyed in the explosion, which occurred on Friday 21, September. Nana Ababio attributed frequent domestic gas explosion to faulty and malfunctioning cylinders and called for a legislation to ban the importation of substandard gas cylinders into the country. He said he had submitted memoranda to the Ministry of Energy to facilitate the drafting of Legislative Instrument to back the ban. Nana Ababio explained that every cylinder should have the manufacturer's name, date of manufacture, capacity and the type of steel used in its production, but said most of the gas cylinders currently imported into the country did not have them. He said the GCMC had the capacity to produce quality cylinders to meet the country's demand, adding that the company currently produced 350 cylinders a day.

Nana Ababio stressed the need for adequate training for drivers who transported large volumes of gas and fuel to enable them handle the products properly. He called on the country's energy regulatory bodies to intensify their monitoring and supervision roles to ensure that operators adhered to safety standards.