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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: stewbow on July 04, 2007, 04:08:36 PM

Title: Small factory with Oxy acetylene bottles
Post by: stewbow on July 04, 2007, 04:08:36 PM

Hi
What is the requirement for the storage of Oxy acetylene Units and spare bottles. Do they have to be stored in cages when not being used, if so can the cages be inside or do they need to be outside?

TIA

Title: Small factory with Oxy acetylene bottles
Post by: kurnal on July 04, 2007, 10:41:23 PM

Theres lots of guidance on www.hse.gov.uk website

All cylinders need to be secured so they cant fall over. Those in storage should ideally be in cages outsde the building, segregated from other types of cylinders. Ideally pipe the supply into the building if you need to use the gas regularly in a particular part of the workplace.

Theres nothing to stop you having cylinders on a trolley in the workplace but through risk assessment these should be kept to the minimum necessary to do the job. In view of the risk wil oxy propane do the job instead?

Title: Small factory with Oxy acetylene bottles
Post by: messy on July 05, 2007, 09:35:24 AM

Further to the issue of risk assessing: Under Article 12 of FS(RRO), the RP must ensure the risk (of Acetylene) is "eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably practicable".

This is being interpreted by some enforcing authorities as the RP (in his/her FRA) must make a sound case for having acetylene and give evidence that other methods of providing a (safer) fuel gas have been considered.