A team of officers from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is in the Central Region visiting selected communities as part of a nationwide door-to-door LPG safety campaign.

The team, from the Corporate Affairs Division, visited several eateries in the Mankessim, Komenda and Cape Coast areas, where vendors were educated on the appropriate use of LPG cylinders at their business centres and homes.

The sensitisation exercise is part of a policy programme by the Authority to ensure the recent spate of LPG-related accidents, including explosions and fire outbreaks in the parts of the country, are not repeated.

Akosua Theresa, a resident of Mankessim, commended officers for the exercise and appealed for the exercise to be extended beyond ‘chop bars’ and restaurants.

“I have some family members who suffered from previous fire incidents due to gas leakages from poorly connected tubes,” she said.

Her sentiments were reiterated by Augustin Dadzie – a resident at Komenda, a fishing village near Elmina.

During an initial visit to Pempamsie Hotel in Cape Coast last year, the officers discovered that cylinders were not only exposed to the sun but the valves had become weak and needed to be replaced.

However, the situation at the moment is very much improved as management of the hotel have not only addressed the problem but also provided roofs to shield cylinders from the baking sun.