The President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Timothy Iwuagwu, has warned Nigerians against scooping spilt gas at accident scenes, saying a single spark may set off a lethal explosion.
Mr Iwuagwu additionally blamed poor tanker design, insufficient inspections and weak enforcement of auto security requirements for a lot of of Nigeria’s lethal gas tanker accidents.
He spoke on Friday throughout an look on Arise News’ News Night, a day after a gasoline pipeline explosion in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
On Thursday, PREMIUM TIMES additionally reported {that a} petrol tanker caught hearth in Oluku, Benin City, Edo State, as residents scooped spilt gas.
Keep away from spills
Mr Iwuagwu stated folks ought to keep away from gas spills and guarantee affected areas are cordoned off to maintain folks from approaching.
“Keep away, keep away,” he stated, warning that individuals who rush to gather spilt petroleum merchandise typically underestimate the hazard.
“Scooping the material that has spilt is the most foolhardy of all decisions,” he stated.
He defined that gas vapour may ignite when it comes into contact with an ignition supply, even from a substantial distance.
“An explosion could occur from even an electrostatic source or a spark,” he stated.
He added that gas vapour may journey away from the leak level earlier than igniting and triggering a hearth on the supply.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stated 411 folks died in 2024 whereas scooping gas from crash websites, accounting for about 7.6 per cent of highway deaths recorded that yr.
A separate research overlaying January 2009 to October 2024 documented 169 tanker hearth and explosion incidents that killed 1,613 folks.
Poor tanker design
When he was requested about root causes of tanker accidents, Mr Iwuagwu pointed to the design and configuration of the autos.
He stated tankers needs to be constructed to forestall leaks, even once they overturn.
“Not a drop of the liquid content is expected to leak out of that truck, by its very design and configuration,” he stated.
He defined that tankers ought to have inside baffles to scale back liquid motion contained in the tank, significantly when the car travels on uneven roads.
He additionally recognized suspension programs, steering mechanisms and tyre strain as necessary security issues, warning that uneven tyre strain may destabilise a loaded tanker.
Inadequate inspections
Mr Iwuagwu stated many tankers are imported and cleared by the nation’s ports with out ample scrutiny of their security options.
He stated security professionals had been hardly ever concerned within the inspection course of and referred to as for imported tankers to be completely examined and authorized earlier than they’re launched to be used.
“We hardly have the presence of safety professionals in such places,” he stated.
He additionally criticised some firms for resisting security inspections.
“A lot of companies are even reluctant to allow safety professionals to look into some of these conveyances,” he stated.
He stated Nigeria had didn’t adequately deal with the issue of tankers with completely different designs and configurations coming into the nation and being deployed on its roads.
Mr Iwuagwu additionally faulted highway security and car inspection officers, saying they typically focus extra on car paperwork than on the mechanical situation of the autos.
He recalled an encounter with a loaded truck close to Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the place he seen that the wheel nuts had been free.
“The wheel nuts were all slack and falling off,” he stated, including that he overtook the truck and compelled the motive force to cease.
Rail transport instead
Mr Iwuagwu referred to as for higher use of rail transport to maneuver petroleum merchandise, arguing it might cut back the dangers of transporting extremely flammable supplies on roads.
“The best way to move these things is by rail,” he stated.
He additionally recognized pipelines as an possibility however careworn that they have to be correctly maintained to forestall leaks and explosions.
He stated transporting petroleum merchandise by rail would assist preserve them away from highway customers and communities uncovered to tanker accidents.
Aleto pipeline explosion
Residents of Aleto have referred to as for the alternative of the gasoline pipeline concerned in Thursday’s explosion, somewhat than repairs restricted to the ruptured part.
They alleged that the pipeline had been leaking for about three weeks earlier than the explosion.
In a report by Arise News, the president of the Aleto Community Youths, whose title was not supplied, stated no consultant of the pipeline operator had arrived on the scene by noon on Friday.
“They need to do a proper rehabilitation,” he stated. “Remove all the pipes and replace them with another one, not to endanger our lives here.”
Another resident stated the neighborhood had notified the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) in regards to the leak, however that no substantial motion had been taken.
“They informed NNPC; they came and put caution tape. For over three weeks now, they did nothing,” the resident stated.
A security engineer additionally urged NNPC to examine its pipelines, noting that many had been laid many years in the past.
“Most of these pipelines were laid 30-40 years ago,” the engineer stated.
NNPC Limited confirmed the incident on Friday, saying the affected pipeline belonged to its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited.
READ ALSO: Sokoto disburses N143 million to victims of fire incidents
The firm stated it had remoted the affected part and activated its emergency response procedures. It added that investigations had been underway to determine the trigger and full extent of the incident.
Reports stated a minimum of 20 folks had been injured and greater than 50 homes had been destroyed within the explosion. No deaths had been independently confirmed within the reviews obtainable on the time.
A crew from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) was additionally on the scene and promised a joint investigation.
In Edo State, casualty figures following the Oluku tanker hearth stay unclear. The police confirmed that eight folks sustained burn accidents, whereas different reviews stated 4 folks had been feared lifeless.
Discover extra from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the newest posts despatched to your electronic mail.
