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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Technical Advice => Topic started by: jokar on December 19, 2008, 09:21:14 PM

Title: COSHH for CO2
Post by: jokar on December 19, 2008, 09:21:14 PM

Does anyone have a COSHH assessment for a Carbon Dioxide fire extinguisher that I culd have a copy of?  It is for a member of my family undertaking a college course and he has been asked to provide one.

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: Davo on December 19, 2008, 09:34:30 PM

Jokar

Sorry, no, as there is no requirement for one under H & S
A safety data sheet might be obtained but I would doubt it


davo

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: jokar on December 19, 2008, 09:46:11 PM

I thought that may be the case and have never heard of it before but it is going to be a requirement that he provides one.  It is the second year of a refrigeration and air conditioning course and part of this is to provide evidence of the work he does.  In one scenario he is brazing and has an extinguisher nearby which he happened to state was CO2 and low and behold we have a COSHH requirement from the tutor.

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: kurnal on December 19, 2008, 11:14:27 PM

found this on google "msds CO2"

http://www.kiddecanada.com-utcfs-ws-463-Assets-Carbon Dioxide MSDS.pdf

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: AnthonyB on December 20, 2008, 04:40:36 PM

Plenty of web sites have CHIP (UK) or MSDS (US) data sheets for CO2 extinguishing media & either will do.

Try the US Amerex site http://www.amerex-fire.com/

Most people don't have a clue about how COSHH works (including some H&S people) and think that one of these data sheets is a COSHH assessment, which of course is twaddle. It's just a data sheet under the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002 that gives you some information to help you prepare the 8 stage COSHH Risk Assessment.

See http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.pdf

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: jokar on December 20, 2008, 05:57:38 PM

Thanks to all who have contibuted.

Title: Re: COSHH for CO2
Post by: fireftrm on December 20, 2008, 06:09:25 PM

Exactly right. COSHH Regs do not encompass items such as a CO2 fire extinguisher!