New safety check guidelines introduced for domestic LPG consumers

OMCs launch new safety check system for cooking gas connections, free for consumers, focusing on 8 key points.

Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have recently launched a new safety check system for domestic cooking gas connections. Delivery boys have been asked to check for eight points and tick them off on a mobile app provided to them. According to sources, the check is to be conducted at every consumer household for free.

Besides checking the condition of the orange Suraksha hose, the delivery boys have to see if the stove is located on a platform above the cylinder, the cylinder is kept upright, and the regulator in use is of the respective OMC. They also have to inform the consumer about the 1906 emergency helpline. If the Suraksha hose is damaged or needs replacement, it can be done so during the safety check, an OMC source said.

Distributors said they had been asked to conduct this check for a period of six months. “We do not know if this safety check is replacing the annual mandatory safety checks, for which consumers had to pay. In many cases, consumers were unhappy with the annual checks. There were issues of people being cheated by people posing as company representatives. There are many police cases that remain unsolved since the scamsters are yet to be caught. That system was cumbersome,” a distributor said.

Another distributor said delivery persons were unhappy with the additional work. “If all eight points are not ticked properly, the booking is cancelled. We have to make a rebooking.”

A delivery boy is south Chennai said in most cases, he just ticked the boxes to keep the system happy. “Customers call us when there is a leak,” he said.

An oil industry expert said that at most times, leaks occur if the O-ring inside the cylinder gets damaged. “At least 90% of the calls are for leaks. The regulators introduced a few years ago end up damaging the O ring since there is not enough gap between the mouth of the regulator and the ring. The old regulators, though heavy, moved more comfortably. The new regulators have plastic parts, and the cylinder has brass mouths,” he said.