The Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC) has raised serious concerns about the safety of gas cylinders used in homes. The company revealed that many cylinders brought in for refurbishment under the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) are unsafe.
After inspection, officials found that about 30 percent of these cylinders were defective and could not be used again.
GCMC management warned that using damaged cylinders at home puts lives and property at risk. They explained that faulty cylinders can easily leak gas, which may lead to fires or even explosions.
Such incidents have caused severe damage in several communities in the past.
The Managing Director of GCMC, Abdul-Rahman Mankir, spoke to journalists about the issue. He stressed the need to expand the Cylinder Recirculation Model across the country.
He pointed out that the system currently operates in major cities like Accra, Kumasi, and Tema. He believes that extending it to other regions will greatly improve safety for households.
“Currently, it is being run in Accra, Kumasi, and Tema. And so if it is expanded to other regions, I mean it is going to help a lot, especially in terms of keeping our cylinders safe.
Very soon, we are going to partner with the NPA to do full-scale public education on the cylinder recirculation model.
“But one thing we have realised is that in some parts, even in Accra, some people don’t even know about the CRM and so when we do the full-scale public education, we are sure people are going to come on board.”
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) leads the Cylinder Recirculation Model to improve how people use LPG cylinders.
The system ensures that experts check, maintain, and replace cylinders when necessary. Under this model, consumers exchange empty cylinders for filled and certified ones at approved centres instead of refilling them at fuel stations.
