Risks from 'time bomb' business

(Baonghean) - Over 90% of gas stores in Nghe An do not have separate warehouse systems, but gas cylinders are stored right at the store.

Subjective when doing business with "time bombs"

Mr. Le Van Thieu's gas shop on Ham Nghi Street, Tan Nam Block, Hung Dung Ward (Vinh City) has been in business for nearly 11 years. His business location is a small yard of about 30 square meters, behind which is a house and located right in the middle of a crowded residential area. When we arrived with the inspection team of Fire Prevention and Fighting Department No. 1 (Nghe An Fire Prevention and Fighting Police), the shop had more than 20 gas cylinders with each cylinder weighing 12 - 13 kg. However, in reality, the facility is only qualified to trade no more than 70 kg of gas (about 4 - 5 cylinders).

Find out other conditions on fire prevention and fighting, the facility does not meet the business conditions. For example, the facility is equipped with fire extinguishers but they are not complete and are not checked and maintained periodically. The owner of the facility has not supplemented and updated regularly the fire prevention and fighting work according to the regulations in Circular 66/TT - BCA of the Ministry of Public Security...

Tuan Hieu gas business store - No. 3, Tran Minh Tong Street, Hung Loc Commune (Vinh City) of Mr. Duong Xuan Tuan only meets the conditions for small-scale business (no more than 70 kg of gas) but the number of gas cylinders at the store when the Fire Prevention and Fighting Department inspected was over 30 cylinders (each cylinder weighs 12 - 13 kg).

During operation, the owner of the facility did not comply with regulations such as: placing gas cylinders too high; the store was equipped with fire extinguishers but they were all damaged and unusable. In addition, the store's fire prevention and control management records were incomplete, and fire insurance had not been purchased...

In particular, according to regulations, all petrol and oil stores must ensure safety requirements for construction design, such as: having separate booths, having backup exits, not being allowed to store together with other flammable materials... but at Tuan Hieu store, only the yard is used for business.

Gasoline and oil business establishments in Hung Dung ward (Vinh city) have not yet ensured physical facilities. Photo: My Ha

According to regulations, gas trading is a conditional business due to the dangerous nature of the product. In order to be eligible for business, the establishment must ensure minimum requirements on fire prevention and fighting, construction design, and business entities (according to Vietnamese Standards - TCVN 2622: 1995).

Decree 79/2014/ND-CP dated July 31, 2014 of the Government also stipulates that all gas stores with a total gas storage capacity of 70 kg or more are establishments that are in the list of establishments with fire and explosion risks and must have their fire prevention and fighting design approved. To “circumvent the law”, establishments only apply for small-scale business licenses, but when they start operating, they often exceed the regulations.

Strengthen management

To ensure the safety of gas businesses, in March, Fire Prevention and Fighting Department No. 1 inspected and re-inspected 117 petrol and gas businesses in Vinh City. Thereby, 4 businesses were fined with a total of 5,500,000 VND.

Major Tran Nam Giang - Head of the Inspection Team, Fire Police Department No. 1 said: Although propaganda work has been strengthened, the awareness of some business owners about fire prevention and fighting is still limited. Therefore, there is still a situation: the fire prevention and fighting management records of some establishments are not guaranteed, are just coping; Many establishments have inadequate on-site fire fighting equipment, have not been inspected, preserved, periodically maintained and replaced when broken.

According to statistics compiled by the Department of Industry and Trade, by the end of 2016, the whole province had 845 gas retail stores that had been granted business eligibility certificates, of which 132 gas stores were located in petrol stations.

More than half of the stores (54.7%) are concentrated in rural areas. Most of the gas stores are located in residential areas, without separate warehouses, and sell gas along with many other products. Most are located in densely populated areas with many people passing by, not ensuring safe distances. Over 90% of the stores do not have separate warehouse systems, but gas cylinders are stored right at the store.

The quality of labor at the stores is still low, the number of officers and employees who have not been trained in gas business and practical fire prevention training is still high. Illegal gas decanting and brand fraud still occur in the area, causing difficulties in management, inspection and control for relevant authorities.

My Ha