Did you know that all cooking gas cylinders are disinfected four times at bottling plants? This commenced after restrictions for COVID-19 were put in place.
Oil marketing companies disinfect the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders when they are loaded onto trucks that carry them to distributors.
“We have instructed distributors too to disinfect cylinders before delivery and most of them are following that since our consumers are our priority,” said an industry source who added that they would continue the practice even after the pandemic crisis ends. About 80,000 refilled LPG cylinders are sent out of bottling plants daily that supply to Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts that have around 60 lakh LPG consumers.
A city-based distributor said that many of them had purchased spraying equipment and spray the disinfectant before the cylinders were loaded onto smaller vehicles for delivery to customers, he said.
Norms not followed
However, consumers have been complaining that most delivery boys don't wear masks or gloves and other protective gear.
Lakshmi Srinivasan, a home-maker, said that delivery boys could perhaps ensure use of hand sanitisers before entering homes. “Consumers should ensure their own safety by asking the boys to wash their hands after entering their homes,” she said.
S. Paul Barnabas, president, Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection Federation, said oil marketing companies should ensure that boys wear protective gear and frequently sanitise their hands. “The cylinders should be disinfected just before delivery to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he added.