This publication applies to HYCO plants and provides design and safeguards requirements of utility and instrument gas systems. It identifies the potential hazards resulting from the connections between gases, instrument gases, and the process.

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.