Massy reassures gas cylinder safety not an issue, blames inferior fittings

A recent gas cylinder fire has left 55-year-old Basmati Ganpat and her husband, 58-year-old Manu “Paul” Sukhu, hospitalized, but Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Massy Gas Products, Augustus Harris, has said the primary issue is not with Massy’s gas cylinders, but rather with the use of inferior-quality regulatory fittings, which are not recommended by Massy.

Harris told Guyana Times during an interview that there has never been an explosion with any of Massy’s Gas Products.
“First thing I would like to say very clearly is that there have been no gas cylinder explosions…(however) there have been reports in the media that suggest it’s been gasoline explosions.”
According to Harris, an exploding gas cylinder is ruptured. There is a clear distinction that can be seen in these explosions, he contends.
“(In regard to) the Foulis incident and all of these other incidents, if you look at the pictures and the videos, you would recognize that the cylinders are intact. It’s important for us to make that distinction,” he declared.
Told that in all of these incidents involving issues with gas tanks and fires, Massy Gas Products have been the subject; no other gas supplier has been mentioned,
Harris responded that this is due to the in-depth popularity of the gas product. The reality, he said, is that Massy Gas Products has the biggest share of the gas market in Guyana.
“Consequently, if an incident happens, it’s highly likely (that Massy Gas Products would be mentioned), because of the percentage of the market it holds,” Harris explained.
He said several factors have been identified in regard to the issues of gas tank fires.
“There have been several factors that we have recognized contributing to these incidents. One, there have been cases where individuals have been using faulty regulators. Two, there have been cases where the hoses being used are not the prescribed or recommended hoses. Three, there are also instances where individuals have inadvertently left their stove knobs in the ‘on’ position,” he detailed.
He pointed out that none of the regulators provided by Massy has been recorded as causing any damage.
“The cylinders that we work with, the regulators that we provide, and the hoses and regulators are very much compatible with our cylinders. We do not see a challenge of compatibility,” he declared.
A detailed example in regard to which regulator should be used and how to correctly use it was given by Senior Production Manager Ryan Basdeo.
“First, what we want to do is take off the green seal. Secondly, we want to check the rubber and make sure it’s not cracked in any way. With the regulator in the ‘off’ position, we pull the ring back, place it on the valve, push down the ring, and then we can turn on the gas,” Basdeo explained.
Harris has said it is quite important to note the in-depth series of processes Massy undergoes in the quality assessment, using a series of machines, both manually and automatically.
“We have a machine that checks for leaks around the neck of the cylinder. So, if it leaks beyond the 1.5 grams per hour threshold, it will be rejected. On top of that, we have a manual check. We have been doing this for the last 30 years. This is where we observe any spraying out of water. We pressure up these cylinders over twice the cylinder pressure, which is about 480 psi. By then you might be able to observe the bulging of the cylinder,” he explained.
He also pointed out that there is a specific way persons can determine whether a cylinder is fit for service. “How we determine whether a cylinder is fit for service is by what we call the requalification process. Whilst inspection is going on, if a cylinder is found to be outside of the requalification period, then that is pulled from service. It’s taken to the Cylinder Maintenance Department. At the Cylinder Maintenance Department, they will take that cylinder, remove its valve, and take it through the process of pressure testing, which we call proof testing. In that test, we take the cylinder pressure up to 5,000 psi,” he detailed.
Massy estimates that there currently are some 300,000 gas cylinders in homes across Guyana.
Massy is, nevertheless, sympathising with persons affected by the fires, and is currently campaigning for the use of proper regulators.