Publications

The document gives guidance to the operator who is executing the pre-fill inspection of acetylene cylinders. It gives examples of possible defects found during this inspection.

This publication is intended to give the requirements for filling individual cylinders, bundles and battery vehicles containing different porous materials and different solvents. The publication is intended to supplement the existing standards by clarification of their safety philosophy and the method of implementation. It demonstrates the effects of the essential parameters, such as maximum acetylene content, necessary solvent content, acetylene/solvent ratio, acetylene filling tolerance, solvent filling tolerance, free volume in the cylinder, porosity of filler material. The previous publication of this document covered the theoretical aspects of permissible charge. In this new version the scope has been extended to include operational aspects for filling.

In the gases industry, accidents can and unfortunately do occur at all stages of manufacturing and handling such as production, cylinder filling and handling, maintenance and distribution. Accidents also occur during the transportation of gases or while performing activities at customer sites, such as installation of equipment and maintenance of installed equipment. Health and safety tTraining helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become competent in those aspects of their routine and non-routine work. Companies should include learnings from accidents and near misses into training material to help prevent re-occurrence. Competence of staff is a key part of safe operation, and it contributes to an engaged work team and effective safety culture. EU Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work stipulates in its Article 12 that “The employer shall ensure that each worker receives adequate Safety & Health training”. While regulations offer general guidelines, they do not provide specific guidelines as to the content of training for every industry. This publication shares the experience of the European industrial and medical gases member companies, in training their employees, particularly in the hazards unique to our industry.