Do your staff know how to safely handle gas cylinders to mitigate the risks of ruptured cylinders, ignition, gas leaks and human harm? This post highlights some key considerations when training staff to handle gas cylinders correctly. We’ll outline some training methods to assist with gas cylinder safety, as well as the training required to meet the requirements of the Australian Standard.
REMEMBER: The WHS Regulations explain that supervision, information, training and instruction are required under regulation 39 for workplaces that are using, handling, generating or storing a hazardous chemical.
Handling refers to the physical tasks associated with the use and storage of Class 2 gas cylinders.
In a workplace, there may be many reasons that staff are required to handle gas bottles including moving the items into storage, refilling gas bottles, swapping out empty gas cylinders and connecting bottles.
When gas cylinders are being used, stored or moved throughout the workplace, it can lead to hazardous situations if proper gas bottle handling procedures aren’t being followed. Physical hazards (ie. manual lifting injuries) and chemical hazards (ie. asphyxiation from leaking toxic gases) can occur if there aren’t the correct handling procedures and training in place.
Gas bottle handling must be done in a way that ensures health and safety for your people and wider community.
There are strict requirements in Australia for the safe handling of gas cylinders. The Australian Standard AS 4332 - The storage and handling of gases in cylinders outlines a number of minimum requirements to reduce the risk of injuries, deaths and workplace accidents.
To fully comply with the Standard and ensure safe gas bottle handling, your workplace may need safety equipment to control risk.
Some examples of equipment to improve safety with gas handling may include:
However, your gas cylinder storge and handling equipment is only effective if staff are trained on how to use it properly.
Training for staff is essential to ensure health and safety onsite. However, workplaces that are carrying dangerous goods, such as gas bottles and cylinders, must implement a range of WHS training courses so staff can safely work with these hazardous chemicals.
Safety training usually begins with induction training where personnel learn the safety rules of the site. This training will include an introduction to the safety risks and hazards they are likely to encounter while working there.
Preliminary inductions are often delivered online before a worker or contractor starts their initial duties — and a more comprehensive induction delivered when they arrive onsite.
Induction training for gas cylinder handling may include:
Safety inductions are not considered a complete training program in themselves. Therefore, they should be followed up with comprehensive one-on-one training that includes job skills and work methods.
After their safety induction, new staff and contractors should be familiar with the site layout and the gas cylinders they will be handling. Now is the time to give them specific training to handle the cylinders correctly.
Depending on the worksite, this gas bottle handling training might include:
Effective job skills training involves a combination of auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning where procedures would be explained as well as demonstrated. The student then performs the tasks under the supervision of the instructor who can then continue the training until the student is competent.
IMPORTANT: Safety training must consist of more than a set of written procedures handed to an employee for them to sign. Staff must be supervised handling gas cylinders correctly and consistently.
Staff who handle gas cylinders and other dangerous goods require adequate supervision to ensure they are correctly following procedures and adhering to safe work methods.
When staff aren’t following gas cylinder handling procedures, it puts their lives in danger and jeopardises the safety of the entire worksite.
When staff aren’t following the correct gas bottle handling procedures, it may be an indication that:
Very often these incidences of incorrect performance indicate a weakness in the work process that needs to be improved.
IMPORTANT: The standard requires that staff must be retrained whenever they have demonstrated substandard performance in safety procedures.
Emergency response training is usually conducted annually and involves an evacuation drill. When you handle and store gas cylinders onsite you will need to conduct a risk assessment to analyse the types of dangerous events that could occur and then incorporate that into your emergency procedures and response training.
This would need to include gas bottle emergency response training for incidents including:
TIP: You can build gas cylinder safety awareness with your staff through regular gas bottle tool box talks and workplace safety forums.
If your workplace handles and stores gas cylinders why not download our free eBook Gas Cylinder Storage: Compliance and safety requirements. The easy-to-read eBook outlines the requirements of AS 4332 - The storage and handling of gases in cylinders uses real-world examples and case studies to make gas bottle safety relevant for your team. Get your copy today and raise gas bottle safety awareness in your workplace.