Khaberni - Economic energy researcher Amer Al-Shoubaki questions how low-cost gas heaters, known commercially as “Shamousa Stove,” have entered the Jordanian markets, before being linked—according to official indicators and warnings—to incidents of suffocation and painful deaths during the current winter season.
Al-Shoubaki said that what happened cannot be dismissed as a mere accident or fate, and should extend to cover a serious file related to the safety of products sold in the markets generally, the quality of safety systems, and the role of subsequent supervision, especially when the product is widely used, low-priced, and used inside homes.
Al-Shoubaki explained that any gas heater must include a comprehensive safety system, featuring an automatic gas shut-off valve, an oxygen depletion sensor system, and components capable of withstanding pressure and heat without leakage. He added that the main technical suspicion in this type of heater focuses on the safety valve attached to the heater, which is directly fitted to the gas cylinder, and should shut off the gas flow immediately if any malfunction in combustion or gas pressure or when oxygen levels drop occurs.
Al-Shoubaki pointed out that passing a product through the Standards and Metrology Organization does not necessarily mean that everything sold in the market conforms to what was tested in the laboratory, suggesting that the sample subjected to the examination might be sound, while products later introduced in the market may have undergone changes in quality, supplier, or manufacturing, a scenario that is globally known in high-demand cheap products.
Al-Shoubaki clarified that the primary responsibility lies with the manufacturer and importer of parts and pieces, emphasizing that under no circumstances should the quality of safety components be reduced or altered after obtaining the license, considering this to constitute severe fraud that may lead to death and endanger lives.
At the same time, Al-Shoubaki emphasized the importance of subsequent supervisory roles, considering it the duty of the competent authorities, headed by the Standards and Metrology Institution, to examine random and periodic samples from the market, especially for the most used and least expensive products, especially at the beginning of peak seasons like winter.
In this context, Al-Shoubaki praised the Public Security’s action of stopping the circulation of this type of heaters and warning against their use, affirming that proactive handling of a recurrent pattern of incidents reflects high responsibility and prioritizes the safety of citizens over other considerations.
Al-Shoubaki sent a direct message to the citizens not to be swayed by low prices in heating devices, affirming that a cheap heater might turn into a cost beyond measure when it is coupled with the loss of lives, calling for strict adherence to safety guidelines, ensuring ventilation, and not operating heaters during sleep, in addition to providing devices that alarm for oxygen deficiency or high carbon monoxide levels in every home, noting that the prices of these devices are cheap globally and proposing to exempt them from taxes and customs due to their importance in safeguarding lives.
Al-Shoubaki concluded by saying that what happened should be a real turning point in dealing with the safety of products in general, and heaters in particular, adding that investigations should not only stop at withdrawing a product from the market but must continue to identify the fault, hold those responsible, and ensure that the tragedy does not recur with any other product.
