Features
are:
1
Valve
CHTM Gas Handling Procedures
These
procedures are to be followed in all situations involving gas
cylinders at CHTM.
DO NOT handle
gas cylinders if you are not specifically authorized to do so.
These procedures are a complement to the section of the UNM Safety, Health and
Environmental Affairs Manual: General Safety, Pages 2.02-1 through 2.02-6, the
Compressed Gas Cylinder Program , Chapter 2 (General Safety), Section 2.02 for
general information and handlinginstructions.
Please also read the three links in Supplementary Information on Gas Handling
Can you recognize all the features and labels on a gas cylinder? Find out!
List
of Procedures
1. Gas Bottle Ordering
2. Gas Bottle Receiving
3. Transport and Installation of Full Gas Bottles
4. Transport
of Empty Gas Bottles
5. Returning
Gas Bottles
6. Connecting Hazardous Gases
Gas
Bottle Ordering
All orders must go through Beth
Fuchs (27844)!
1. The internal CHTM ordering form must be completely filled out. Please specify
if a particular supplier is
required, otherwise the gas will be ordered from one
of our two standard suppliers.
2. Give the form to Beth, who will place the order.
3. You will receive a confirmation copy of the order.
4. You will be called when your order arrives.
Gas
Bottle Receiving
Only qualified technical staff are to receive gas bottles.
1. Check if any bottles need to go back (empties, returns, etc). Beth keeps
a list of items needing to be
returned, and also check the ‘empty’ area
of the gas cylinder corral.
2. Inspect the cylinder:
Check for damage (i.e., dents, gouges, evidence of leakage
or cracks). If any damage is found, tag the
cylinder “out of service” and return it
to the manufacturer or distributor.
Compressed gas cylinders must be hydrostatically tested
every five years by the gas manufacturer or
distributor. Check the cylinder for the test date (usually
stamped on the neck of the cylinder).
3. Reject any cylinder manufactured prior to 1930.
4. Make sure the serial number from the bottle is written on the shipper’s
manifest.
5. Tag the cylinder with the a green vinyl tag, available from Beth’s
office. A second tag must be added if the
cylinder holds a flammable gas (red tag) or an oxidiser
(yellow tag). These are also available from Beth's
office.
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6. Using
a Sharpie marker, write on the tags:
- the supplier of the cylinder
- the end user in CHTM
- the date received
7. Chain the cylinder to the wall in the ‘full’ section of the corral.
Please note that no more than 3 cylinders can
be held by any one chain.
Transport
and Installation of Full Gas Bottles
1. A gas bottle cart specifically
designed for that purpose must be used to transport bottles. These are
green and have safety chains
2. Use the safety chains.
3. Make sure the cylinder cap is in place (Note:
the cylinder cap must be on the bottle whenever it's not in use)
4. Attach a yellow label, available in Beth’s office.
5. Remove the vinyl tags, clean them, and return them to Beth’s office,
along with the FULL section of the
yellow tag, on which you will have written:
- your name,
- the date
- the serial number from the bottle
- the location of use.
(For your later convenience, you may want to copy this
data, except for the date, onto the IN SERVICE and
EMPTY portions of the tag now.)
6. Connect the gas, unless it is hazardous (toxic, flammable or pyrophoric).
If it is hazardous, see ‘Connecting Hazardous
Gases’ below.
Transport of Empty
Gas Bottles
Use the same procedures as for transport of full cylinders above, except:
1. Give Beth the IN SERVICE portion of the tag on which you will have written:
- your name,
- the date
- the serial number from the bottle
- the location of use.
2. If the cylinder is NOT empty, cross out EMPTY on the remaining portion of
the tag, and indicate the actual
situation.
Returning Gas
Bottles
Only qualified technical staff, or a person they have directly authorized, are
to return gas bottles.
1. Check what bottles need to go back. Beth keeps a list of items needing to
be returned, and also check the
‘empty’ area of the gas cylinder corral.
2. Clip the yellow tag. Write on it the serial number of the cylinder (if not
already done), and the date on which
it is being shipped out. Give the tag to Beth.
3. Make certain the serial number is written on the shipping manifest of the
gas company.
Connecting
Hazardous Gas Bottles
To be written - please refer back later.
Supplementary Information on Gas Handling
The links below provide useful further safety awareness on gas handling - please take a few minutes to browse through them!
Respect the Power of Compressed Gas Cylinders
Compressed Gas Cylinders: the Physical Hazard
Standard Operating Procedures for the Use of Compressed Gases
Can you recognize all the features and labels on a gas cylinder?
|
Features
are: |
1 |
Valve |
| 1a | Valve handwheel | ||
| 1b | CGA (Compressed Gas Association) outlet connection | ||
| 1c | Pressure relief device | ||
| 2 | Valve
outlet cap |
||
| 3 | Cylinder collar | ||
| 4 | DOT (Dept of Transportation) specification (3AA) followed by service pressure (2265 psi) | ||
| 5 | Serial number | ||
| 6 | Manufacturers symbol | ||
| 7 | Test date(3/82), original tester's symbol (circled 2), hydrostatic retesting extension allowance (star) and permission to overpressurize by 10% | ||
| 8 | Cylinder cap |