Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) says recent inspections show that over 40 percent of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dealers are not complying with safety standards, risking the safety of people managing the facilities. Mera consumer affairs and public relations manager Fitina Khonje highlighted this on Thursday in Lilongwe during a stakeholders’ meeting with gas dealers to enlighten them on the safety measures. She said Mera’s inspections in October and November found that although the number of LPG dealers is rising, 45 percent of 56 inspected facilities lacked signage such as displayed emergency procedures, fire-fighting equipment or first-aid training.
Said Khonje: “This means that in the event of eventuality, workers or those that are managing the facilities may not know what to do. “Secondly, it also means that probably they are also not managing their own usage of gas well because the signage of those kind of systems are also able to tell the user at any particular time.” She said Mera has intensified efforts to ensure full compliance with safety standards, increasing awareness among operators and that in the coming months, they will conduct another inspection before taking action on non-compliance In his remarks, Latiel Mwale of Madalitso Food Plant in Lumbadzi, Dowa described the meeting as crucial, saying that gas to be used well to achieve the required output. “We are using gas to produce vitamin such as porridge which we supply to the whole country, especially to people who have HIV and Aids as well as malnourished children,” he said. This was a third engagement after holding similar meetings in Blantyre and Mzuzu.
