How Safe is Propane?
US Propane Usage
| Type of Propane Customer | Usage |
|---|---|
| Residential Propane Customers | 14,300,000 |
| Commercial Propane Customers | 1,040,000 |
| Industrial Propane Customers | 240,000 |
| Propane Forklift Customers | 456,000 |
| Agricultural Propane Customers | 81,000 |
| Fleet Propane Customers | 660,000 |
| LPG Standby Generator Customers | 110,000 |
| Household Heating With Propane | 6,880,000 |
| Propane Grill Users | 47,000,000 |
Propane Fire Statistics
One of the most common misconceptions about propane is that it causes and is responsible for the bulk of fires in the United States. However, according the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), propane is not the leading cause of fires.
In fact, propane does not even make the list as a source of residential structural fires in the U.S. Some of the factors on this list s major causes include the following:
- cooking equipment
- heating equipment
- intentionally set fires
- candles
- smoking materials
Propane Safety Statistics
Accidents do occur with and around propane. However, in reality, LP Gas usage statistics in combination with accident statistics show that propane is a safe fuel. The following statistics are from the NFPA between 2000 and 2004 listing LP Gas as the first material ignited in home structure fires. Simply put, propane (LP Gas) was the fuel that “started” the fire. In 2001, 9.4 million homes used LP Gas.
| 2000-2004 LP Gas Home Structure Fires Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Average Annual Home Structure Fires | 1,390 |
| Average Annual Civilian Fire Deaths | 23 |
| Average Annual Civilian Fire Injuries | 193 |
With the numbers from the NFPA, we will calculate the real value of those who claim propane is a dangerous fuel. The following are just a few:
- 0.000148 residential structures burned every time LP Gas was the first material ignited
- 0.0000025 people died in every accident of LP Gas being the first material ignited
- 0.000021 people were injured in every incident where LP Gas was the first material ignited
The occurances of propane fires, injuries and deaths are so very rare for the total number of residential structures using propane. Using these same statistics, look at propane safety from another perspective:
- 1 in 6,762 homes experienced a fire
- 1 in 48,704 people were injured
- 1 in 408,695 people were killed
These are just the basics statistics of propane safety to answer the common question, “How safe is propane?” Contact us with the link below for more information or to schedule your next propane installation with us!
