Compressed gases in cylinders are classed as dangerous goods and therefore must be stored correctly to avoid injuries and workplace accidents. Many gases may be toxic, corrosive, flammable or explosive and present a serious risk of injury to workers. In this blog we are talking about staff training — because it’s not good enough to just have compliant gas bottle trolleys, personal protective equipment and gas cylinder stores. To maximise safety and compliance, your staff need to know how to properly store gas, every time.
Hazards Associated with Gas Cylinders
The hazards of gas cylinders are two-fold: first, the gas cylinder itself presents a range of hazards, and the dangerous goods inside the vessel also have their own specific hazards.
Gas cylinders are heavy, awkward in shape and often hard to carry. They’re heavy and their long slim design means they are vulnerable to being knocked or falling over. They’re also difficult to carry and can cause manual handling injuries like sprains and fractures.
In many circumstances, the gases they contain are volatile (toxic, corrosive, flammable or self-reactive), so they can’t be shaken, or they could start decomposing and reacting dangerously.
What Happens When a Gas Cylinder Falls Over?
Gas cylinders may be punctured — or cylinder valves may break off at the neck — if gas cylinders fall over or suffer impact damage. If this occurs, the compressed gas within the cylinder will rapidly release. This may result in the gas cylinder spinning wildly, or even launching into the air like a torpedo.
Heavy gas cylinders can become airborne if they are impacted or fall over, causing serious damage to people and property.
If the gas released is toxic or corrosive, workers can be killed or critically injured from exposure. Flammable gases can ignite from static electricity generated by the uncontrolled gas discharge.
Store Gas Cylinders Safely
Because there are so many hazards associated with gas cylinders, there are strict requirements for storing gas.
According to the Australian Standard AS 4332 - The storage and handling of gases in cylinders, gas bottles must be stored upright, inside a secure cage or locked storage, and individually restrained with safety straps or chains.
When storing gas, cylinder valves must be closed, attachments (ie. welding torches) removed, and valve caps in place.
The cylinders must also be sorted and segregated within the stores according to hazard class, and incompatible gases (plus other dangerous goods) must be kept at least 3 metres apart.
At the same time, empty cylinders need to be separated from full cylinders. These empty gas containers also require labelling and gas storage of their own – still segregated by the hazard class of the gas cylinder.
The Storemasta Premium Range provides configurable Class 2 Gas storage. SOPs should be created and training provided so staff understand what to store, how to store and what hazards are associated with the gases onsite.
Mandatory Training Requirements
Apart from detailing how to actually store the cylinders, AS4332-2004 - The storage and handling of gases in cylinders has a number of mandatory requirements for training staff. These include:
Hazard Awareness
All personnel who handle gas cylinders (including unloading them or returning to cylinders stores) must be fully conversant with the chemical properties of the specific gases being used and stored. They must be familiar with the safety data sheet (SDS) issued by the supplier and know where to access the documents onsite.
Safety Regulations
To achieve gas cylinder compliance, staff need to know the requirements under the law and the prescribed safe handling procedures.
This includes:
- Storing gas cylinders upright
- Restraining individual gas bottles and cylinders
- Ensuring gas valves are closed, with caps in place
- Securing the gas storage facility to prevent unauthorised entry
Safe Handling Methods
Staff and contractors need to know specific manual handling procedures for heavy cylinders and how to correctly use mechanical lifting devices and gas bottle trolleys. They should be given specific training on what to do if they drop a cylinder, encounter a damaged valve, or cylinder without a label.
Safety Rules of the Site
Anyone visiting the site needs to know the hazards associated with the gases in cylinders likely to be encountered on the premises. It’s essential that staff and contractors know the safety rules of the site, including restrictions on movement, access and prohibited activities. It would include ensuring that potential ignition sources (especially static electricity that can be generated from personal electronics) is not taken near gas cylinder storage.
The Australian Standard AS 4332 lists the requirements for gas storage, including how to maintain and use the store.
Emergency Response
Personnel working with gas bottles or gas cylinders need to know how to respond to an emergency. This may include incidents such as gas leaks, explosions or fires.
Gas bottle emergency response training will include immediate first aid measures and the location of first aid equipment or safety showers. The training should include evacuation procedures and regular drills.
Personal Protective Equipment
Providing staff and contractors with personal protective equipment is useless if they don’t know where it is or how to use it. The Australian Standard specifies that all personnel handling or storing gas cylinders must know the correct use of personal protective equipment — as well as its care and maintenance.
Gas Cylinder Retraining
Relevant personnel must be re-trained regularly to ensure they maintain sufficient safety knowledge and competency.
Additionally, gas cylinder training should occur whenever:
- Work methods or tasks have changed
- New safety measures are implemented, such as new gas storage
- Additional gases are introduced to the site
- Staff have spent a significant time away from their usual duties
- Procedures aren’t being properly followed
Gas Storage Area Tips
If you handle and store gas cylinders at your site and need more information about how to create a safe workplace and comply with AS 4332 - The storage and handling of gases in cylinders we strongly encourage you to download our free eBook Gas Cylinder Storage: compliance and safety requirements. Download and read it now.
