LPG cylinder health warnings, fines in Paddy’s Law push
The death of a Pt Lincoln teenager could lead to new laws which would see fines up to $50,000 levied for selling LPG gas cylinders without health warnings.
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A ban on the sale of LPG in gas cylinders without warning labels of injury or death in South Australia is being proposed under national-first laws named after Port Lincoln teenager Paddy Ryan.
Paddy, 16, died of heart failure minutes after inhaling LPG gas from a 9kg BBQ gas bottle at a house party in February.
SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros proposed Paddy’s Law in State Parliament today. The Bill would ban the sale of LPG bottles in SA unless the cylinder in which the gas is sold, supplied, or transferred has an appropriate label warning inhalation may cause injury or death. Fines of up to $50,000 will apply.
The Sunday Mail reported Paddy’s father Adrian Ryan had resorted to handing out self-made warning labels after four months of lobbying relevant authorities for mandatory warning labels like those on household aerosol cans.
There are currently no laws in Australia mandating the warning of injury or death on LPG gas cylinders due to inhalation. They do carry “highly flammable” warning stickers under work safety rules.
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Ms Bonaros said these laws should have been introduced years ago and could raise crucial awareness of the dangers of inhaling LPG every time a gas bottle is sold or refilled.
“While it is obviously too late for Paddy, hopefully the warning labels will save other lives and other families from having to go through the pain and hurt that Paddy’s family lives with.” Mr Ryan said his son made an error of judgment without the facts at the time: “I do not believe Paddy would not have done what he did that night if he had known the significant dangers he was placing himself in by inhaling from that BBQ gas bottle.”