The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has urged the public to regularly check the cylinder rubber seals (washers) in the valves and the connecting hoses to see if they are worn out or damaged.
The hoses serve as the gas distribution line between the cylinder and the cooker.
The Consumer Services Manager of NPA, Eunice Budu Nyarko, asked the public not to repair damaged hoses and rubber seals by themselves.
Rather she urged them to take the cylinders to the nearest LPG dealers for a safety check and replacement of the worn out hoses and seals.
Additionally, hoses should be secured with proper hose clips.
She made the call at LPG awareness and sensitization campaign durbars in the Upper West, Savannah, Bono East, Bono and Ahafo regions.
The NPA team from the Corporate Affairs and Gas Directorates conducted the sensitization campaign through one-on-one engagements with traders, market women, drivers, durbars and radio interviews.
The LPG awareness and sensitization campaign conducted in collaboration with Lyme Haus Solutions and the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service (GNFRS) aims to create awareness among consumers on the need to switch from firewood and charcoal to LPG usage.
Mrs. Nyarko urged the public to keep Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders outside the kitchen to prevent explosion and resultant injury, death and property damage.
She said the cylinders should be placed on wooden platforms with roofs to prevent the cylinder foot ring from getting rusted or damaged from direct sunlight, rain and tampering.
For his part, the NPA Communications Manager, Mohammed Abdul-Kudus, who welcomed the people on behalf of the NPA Chief Executive, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, noted that in Europe and America the people use gas for all their domestic activities but they barely record accidents.
Therefore, he said, if people observed the LPG safety requirements, they would not experience any accidents.
Mr. Abdul-Kudus stressed that LPG was the most convenient, safe and fast fuel for cooking.
He said medical experts had indicated that heat and smoke from charcoal and firewood posed long term health complications, such as respiratory conditions.
The NPA Communications Manager, therefore, urged the people to switch from wood fuel to LPG to avoid the health challenges associated with the use of charcoal and firewood.
In his presentation in Sunyani, the NPA Bono Regional Manager, Kwadwo Odarno Appiah, cautioned motorists to switch off the engines of their vehicles when buying fuel.
He also asked the public to desist from using mobile phones while at a fuel station to prevent explosions.
A safety officer with the Bono Regional office of the GNFRS, ADOII Emmanuel Kyeremeh, urged the public to keep fire extinguishers in their homes and vehicles to fight fires and also reach out to fire stations for assistance.