Gases, such as acetylene and hydrogen, are extremely flammable or explosive, and some gases may be toxic. In addition to these health hazards, cylinders are commonly pressurized up to 2,200 pounds per square inch!
Workplaces often use a wide variety of compressed gases for a broad spectrum of purposes. Yet these fascinating materials all have one thing in common – if stored improperly, they can be deadly. Storage hazards may include injury from falling cylinders, exposure to toxic gases, asphyxiation, frozen body tissues, fire or explosion.
Every year fires occur throughout industry which could have been prevented had employees used a hot work permitting process. This includes effective hot work procedures, training, communications among employees, inspections and periodically auditing the process to ensure compliance and safety.