Site Map of Manual
Lab Safety Manual
1st Page
Chapter 1
Emergency
Response
Chapter 2
General
Safety
Chapter 3
Chemical
Hygiene Plan
Chapter 4
Radiological
Safety
Chapter 5
Biological
Hygiene Plan
Chapter 6
Laser
Safety
Chapter 7
Administrative
Concerns
Chapter 8
Standard
& Special Operating Procedures
Chapter 9
Facility
Data
Appendicies
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
On-Campus Contact Information
1st Rule of Lab Safety
Haz-Waste No-No
|
Updated December
1999
General Safety
Section 2.4 - Compressed Gas Safety
Many
laboratory operations require the use of compressed gases for analytical or instrument
operations. Compressed gases present a unique hazard. Depending on the particular gas,
there is a potential for simultaneous exposure to both mechanical and chemical hazards.
Gases
may be combustible, explosive, corrosive, poisonous, inert, or a combination of hazards.
If the gas is flammable, flash points lower than room temperature compounded by high rates
of diffusion (which allow for fast permeation throughout the laboratory) present a danger
of fire or explosion. Additional hazards of reactivity and toxicity of the gas, as
well as asphyxiation, can be caused by high concentrations of even "harmless"
gases such as nitrogen.
Since
the gases are contained in heavy, highly pressurized metal containers, the large amount of
potential energy resulting from compression of the gas makes the cylinder a potential
rocket or fragmentation bomb.
In
summary, careful procedures are necessary for handling the various compressed gases, the
cylinders containing the compressed gases, regulators or valves used to control gas glow,
and the piping used to confine gases during flow.
A. Identification
The contents of any compressed gas cylinder shall be clearly
identified for easy, quick, and complete determination by any laboratory worker. Such
identification should be stenciled or stamped on the cylinder or a label, provided that it
cannot be removed from the cylinder. Commercially available three-part tag systems can be
very useful for identification and inventory. No compressed gas cylinder shall be accepted
for use that does not legibly identify its contents by name. Color coding is not a
reliable means of identification; cylinder colors vary with the supplier, and labels on
caps have little value as caps are interchangeable. If the labeling on a cylinder becomes
unclear or an attached tag is defaced to the point the contents cannot be identified, the
cylinder should be marked "contents unknown" and returned directly to the
manufacturer.
All gas lines leading from a compressed gas
supply should be clearly labeled to identify the gas, the laboratory served, and the
relevant emergency telephone numbers. The labels should be color coded to distinguish
hazardous gases (such as flammable, toxic, or corrosive substances) (e.g., a yellow
background and black letters). Signs should be conspicuously posted in areas where
flammable compressed gases are stored, identifying the substances and appropriate
precautions (e.g., HYDROGEN - FLAMMABLE GAS - NO SMOKING - NO OPEN FLAMES).
|
Handling & Use of Compressed Gas
