The President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Timothy Iwuagwu, has warned Nigerians against scooping spilt gasoline at accident scenes, saying a single spark might 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 gasoline 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 fireplace in Oluku, Benin City, Edo State, as residents scooped spilt gasoline.
Keep away from spills
Mr Iwuagwu stated individuals ought to keep away from gasoline spills and guarantee affected areas are cordoned off to maintain individuals from approaching.
“Keep away, keep away,” he stated, warning that individuals who rush to gather spilt petroleum merchandise usually underestimate the hazard.
“Scooping the material that has spilt is the most foolhardy of all decisions,” he stated.
He defined that gasoline vapour might 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 gasoline vapour might journey away from the leak level earlier than igniting and triggering a fireplace on the supply.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stated 411 individuals died in 2024 whereas scooping gasoline from crash websites, accounting for about 7.6 per cent of street deaths recorded that 12 months.
A separate research protecting January 2009 to October 2024 documented 169 tanker fireplace and explosion incidents that killed 1,613 individuals.
Poor tanker design
When he was requested about root causes of tanker accidents, Mr Iwuagwu pointed to the design and configuration of the automobiles.
He stated tankers needs to be constructed to forestall leaks, even after 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 cut back liquid motion contained in the tank, notably when the car travels on uneven roads.
He additionally recognized suspension methods, steering mechanisms and tyre strain as necessary security concerns, warning that uneven tyre strain might destabilise a loaded tanker.
Inadequate inspections
Mr Iwuagwu stated many tankers are imported and cleared by means of 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 totally 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 corporations 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 totally different designs and configurations getting into the nation and being deployed on its roads.
Mr Iwuagwu additionally faulted street security and car inspection officers, saying they usually focus extra on car paperwork than on the mechanical situation of the automobiles.
He recalled an encounter with a loaded truck close to Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the place he observed that the wheel nuts had been unfastened.
“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 as a substitute
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 choice however confused that they should be correctly maintained to forestall leaks and explosions.
He stated transporting petroleum merchandise by rail would assist preserve them away from street customers and communities uncovered to tanker accidents.
Aleto pipeline explosion
Residents of Aleto have referred to as for the substitute of the gasoline pipeline concerned in Thursday’s explosion, quite 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 group had notified the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) concerning 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 a long time 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.
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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 not less than 20 individuals had been injured and greater than 50 homes had been destroyed within the explosion. No deaths had been independently confirmed within the studies out there on the time.
A workforce 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 fireplace stay unclear. The police confirmed that eight individuals sustained burn accidents, whereas different studies stated 4 individuals had been feared lifeless.
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