Cooking Gas: Devil Take the Last Mile!
Earlier today, I learnt that, in India, those handling coal, liquid fuel or cooking gas consumer serving outlet agency are not required to possess any formal safety, fire-fighting, dangerous goods handling or specific hazardous material competencies. 
 
I think we must be the only civilised country in the world where this is left wide open to the tender mercies of chance and happenstance, and some easily surmounted regulations about fire safety measures in place. At best, I am told, the staff is taught about fire extinguishers. What about the management and owners of the agency, I asked, and got blank looks.
 
Let us try to understand the issue at hand here by following the supply chain from start to finish, to the end consumer, in this case the retail consumer: the 'common man' or 'public' at the end of the chain, the one who keeps the oil business going.
 
Oil rig to refinery to pipeline or ship to railhead and storage depot and thence to the final movement by truck to the agency—this is the journey of cooking gas. Leave alone the driver of the truck, even senior oil company management cannot enter any of these technical areas if their certifications are not in order, and renewed regularly. I know for a fact as a seafarer that if I do not renew my various dangerous cargo endorsements every so often, usually five years or less, I cannot go anywhere near the oil business at sea or ashore. 
 
From there onwards to top end customers like defence, airlines, large corporates and the VVIPs, the same set of regulations pertaining to movement of dangerous goods prevails. Look at the sharp well-trained staff and the brilliant trucks at the airport the next time you board an airplane to get an idea of what it should be like. After all, the mark-up for the oil company or their dealers is the same whether for corporate or large customers or individuals.
 
Do you get anything even remotely close to that with your cooking gas delivery, whether piped or in cylinders? It's not as though the agencies are underpaid—I have yet to meet a downstream agency whose owners are not doing visibly well. 
 
For the rest of us in India, it is the last-mile delivery person who lands up, often paid on piece rate by the agency 'maalik'. By cycle, cycle-rickshaw, auto-rickshaw or even animal drawn carts. Think about it—ask the person who delivers cooking gas cylinders, if he has received any form of documented training. This is the person who we let into our homes or offices, to install and test something more dangerous than artillery ammunition, cooking gas. Heavier than air, so it will not just disperse either, if it leaks.
 
Various citizens charters  as well as an assortment of committees push the concept of trained technicians for delivery, installation and emergency services. But the fact is that if the owners or principals or senior staff members of the agencies tasked with the supply and safety are themselves not trained, then what are we talking about?
 
The day and age when even the Prime Ministers of India hankered for petrol pumps or gas agencies are long gone. Nor can the gas agencies dictate terms and conditions to us consumers. It is time we stood up for basic safety measures in this important aspect of our lives as consumers.
 
This is over and above the usual 'change regulator' and 'change pipe' and 'pay for insurance' games that are thrust upon us.
Comments
Meenal Mamdani
6 years ago
I am curious.
What kind of training do these workers, who basically carry the cylinder to the home and connect the full one and take away the empty one, need?
Veeresh Malik
Replied to Meenal Mamdani comment 6 years ago
Best is to ask them politely.
mittal_nagesh2002
6 years ago
Not entirely correct. Delivery men are well trained in their job. However they sometime look casual to the customer. They are constantly improving. By the way 70% accidents took place due to 'not changing the pipe' as pipe is the weakest link & often ignored.
Veeresh Malik
Replied to mittal_nagesh2002 comment 6 years ago
There is not a single structured programme to teach anything beyond cooking books for owners, principals, agency staff by the oil majors or PESO or any other organisation. Please don't try to mislead.
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