Compressed Gas Safety Training

Emergencies Dealing with gas leaks General: Assess the likely effects of the gas leakage and the affected area. This will determine the subsequent emergency action taken and the level of personnel protection needed. Leaking cylinder: Most leaks occur at the valve fitted into the top of the cylinder. Leakage areas that may be involved are: Valve outlet connection: Leakage here is frequently due to dirt in the connection, or damaged connections or washers where required. Such leaks are easily rectified. Valve stem (i.e., around valve operating spindle): Leakage from valves fitted with an adjustable gland can easily be cured by gently tightening the gland nut while the valve is partially open. A quarter turn is normally sufficient (maximum torque: 50 ft-lbs). All gland nuts have "right-hand" threads. Some gland nuts are backed with a lock-nut (which must be loosened before gland nut adjustment and tightened afterwards). Joint between cylinder valve and cylinder: Leakage here is extremely rare and where it does occur, is normally identified and rectified by the cylinder filler. No attempt should be made to tighten a cylinder valve into a full cylinder. Such cylinders must be set aside for the attention of the supplier. Valve closure: Leakage from a cylinder valve that will not readily shut off can usually be reduced by careful application of a greater closing torque (using a wrench or other means of greater leverage). All defective cylinders should be clearly labeled before being returned to the supplier. Leaking gas control equipment/pipelines, etc: Isolate the gas supply. Before attempting to repair leaking equipment, ensure that the pressure has been released and the equipment purged to remove all hazardous gases.