LPG explosions account for 33% of burns victims in Ghana

Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, Director, Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, has indicated that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) explosions account for 33% of all burns cases reported in the country every year.

He said out of the 300 burns cases recorded yearly, LPG explosion accounts for 44% of the mortality rate, a situation he describes as worrying since most of the accidents were preventable.

Dr Ampomah, who was speaking at the launch of the National Petroleum Authority’s (NPA) consumer week celebration in Accra, on the theme ‘LPG: A friend and not an enemy,’ said it was important for stakeholders to preach preventive measures because no amount of plastic surgery could restore a burnt victim to his or her normal self.

“Some people’s lives have been changed, others have been traumatised and some have also become suicidal due to burns.”

He noted that for a burn victim to be treated effectively and efficiently it will require GH?26,000, an amount he said was not affordable to many, adding that the National Health Insurance only provides GH?950 for the treatment of a burn victim.

Touching on the current location of some fuel stations, Dr Ampomah said the rate at which fuel stations are springing up in highly populated areas was alarming and risky. “These fuel stations are all disasters waiting to happen,” he added.

Dr Ampomah further indicated that the lack of a world-class facility in the entire country was worrying since the inadequacy of the current facility results in some deaths that could have been prevented.

He therefore called on corporate entities and all stakeholders to help support the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre to be able to work efficiently.

Mr Moses Asaga, the Chief Executive of the NPA, said the consumer week was observed in the month of November every year to educate the public on the safe use of petroleum products and increase the public’s knowledge on their rights and responsibilities.

He said the objective of this year’s celebration was drawn from the series of explosions involving LPG cylinders and LPG-related fires in parts of the country. He added that the NPA was concerned about the incidents, hence their focus on safety to intensify public education on the safe use and handling of LPG.

He indicated that there was the need for all to observe the safety rules when dealing with LPG from bulk storage haulage, retailing and domestic handling to ensure that the incidents were reduced to the barest minimum.

He noted that even though the Authority has technical inspectors that constantly inspect facilities in the petroleum product chain, there were no inspectors at people’s homes to see if consumers were doing the right thing.

Mr Asaga said the week will be use to inform and educate the public on the safe use of LPG.

For his part, John Gyinapor, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, indicated that LPG was cleaner for our environment and still remained the cheaper fuel for domestic use.

“It is in this light that government is embarking on the Rural LPG Promotion Programme to distribute free LPG cylinders and stoves to rural dwellers to aid them embrace the use of LPG, thereby reducing their dependence on wood fuels and preserving the forest,” he said.

He said so far government has distributed 14,500 cylinders, stoves and accessories to households in the Northern, Upper East, Central and Brong Ahafo regions, adding that government was looking forward to distributing 50,000 this year.

He added that with those households joining the population of LPG users, it had become imperative to intensify the safe use of LPG to make rural households safer and healthier.

He commended the NPA for the initiative to promote safe use of LPG.