SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR IRON & STEEL SECTOR
MINISTRY OF STEEL, STORAGE, HANDLING Doc. No: SG/01
GOVT. OF INDIA & USE OF GAS Rev no. : 00
CYLINDERS Effective Date : --
1. Objective
This guideline is meant for safe storage, handling and use of gas cylinders in the
steel industry for protection against various hazards such as Fire / Explosion / Gas
Leak / Bursting of Gas Cylinders/ hit by cylinders.
2. Scope
This guideline applies to all Works and project sites of Iron & Steel companies.
Medical gas cylinders are not covered in the scope of this guideline.
3. Procedure
3.1 Definitions
Cylinder: any closed metal container having a volume exceeding 500 ml but not
exceeding 1,000 litres intended for the storage and transport of compressed gas,
including any liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) container/ compressed natural gas
(CNG) cylinder fitted to a motor vehicle as its fuel tank but not including any other
such container fitted to a special transport or under-carriage and includes a
composite cylinder, however, the water capacity of cylinders used for storage of
CNG, nitrogen, compressed air, etc. may exceed 1,000 litres up to 2,500 litres
provided the diameter of such cylinder does not exceed 60 cm.
3.2 License Requirement as per Statutory Provisions:
i) No person shall fill any cylinder with compressed gas and no cylinder filled with
compressed gas shall be possessed by anyone except under and in accordance
with the conditions of a licence granted under these rules. The licensee shall be
responsible, for all operations connected with the filling and possession of
cylinders in the licensed premises.
ii) No license needed for possession in certain cases as per Rule-44 of Gas
Cylinder Rules, 2016.
a) Possession of any cylinder filled with a compressed gas by a carrier or other
person for the purpose of transport in accordance with the provisions of these
rules;
b) Possession of cylinders for own use and not meant for sale or trading filled with –
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· Any other flammable but non-toxic gas when the total number of cylinders
containing such gas does not exceed 25 or the total weight of gas does not
exceed 200 kg., whichever is less, at a time;
· Any non-flammable non-toxic gas when the total number of such cylinders
does not exceed 200 at a time;
· Any toxic gas when the total quantity of such cylinders does not exceed 5 at a
time;
· Acetylene gas contained in cylinder in dissolved state when the total quantity
of such cylinder does not exceed twenty five at a time.
The provisions of sub-clause 44(b) shall not be applicable for liquefied petroleum
gas when the total quantity of gas does not exceed 100 kg at a time for own use,
distribution or sale from a sales room belonging to the dealer or distributor of
respective oil marketing company.
Notwithstanding anything contained in rule 43, licence shall not be obligatory for
working places where LPG cylinders are directly connected to the manifold, but
the requirements of IS :6044 Part-1 shall be complied with ,such manifold
installations and shall be constructed adapting the sound engineering practices
and the quantity of the LPG at any point of the time shall not exceed the limits
prescribed in IS-6044 Part-1.
3.3 General Safety Precautions for Storage of Cylinders
i) The gas cylinder storage shed must be located in an isolated area, as far as
practicable.
ii) The gas cylinder storage shed shall have roofing to protect from direct sunlight
and have adequate ventilation.
iii) Gas cylinders shall not be stored in exits or egress routes.
iv) Gas cylinders shall not be stored in damp areas, near salt or corrosive
chemicals, fumes, heat or in areas having exposure to the weather.
v) The gas cylinder storage shed shall not be located close to any inflammable
chemicals / fuel storage area / source of combustion activities / open flames /
steam pipes.
vi) Full and empty cylinders are to be stored separately.
vii) The gas cylinders shall be stored in segregated manner, considering
incompatibility [example bulk DA ( Dissolved Acetylene) & bulk Oxygen; bulk
Hydrogen & bulk Oxygen, bulk LPG & bulk Oxygen, toxic and flammable gas
cylinders]. Incompatible gas cylinders must be stored at least at a gap of 3
meters.
viii) Incompatible gas cylinders must not be transported together.
ix) The store in-charge / supervisor shall maintain the up-to-date inventory of Gas
cylinders.
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x) Other than notified gas cylinders, no other material of any kind shall be stored
inside the area.
xi) All the gas cylinders shall be kept in upright position with chaining to prevent
accidental fall.
xii) A system of marking of gas cylinders for their individual identification & record
of their hydrostatic test to be maintained by custodian deptt.
xiii) All gas cylinders shall be capped when not in use.
xiv) All gas cylinders shall be stored so that cylinders are used in the order in which
they are received.
xv) The gas cylinder storage area shall not have any loose electrical cables, wires
or lines in the vicinity.
xvi) Do not keep cylinders in battery room or oil storage room.
xvii) Adequate warning signs / labeling / no smoking caution / safety instructions
shall be displayed in the gas cylinder storage area in legible manner.
xviii) Display of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the stored gas to be done at
appropriate place in legible & in local language/ English.
xix) Avoid storing cylinders in confined location with improper ventilation.
xx) Oxygen and Fuel cylinders shall be kept separately.
xxi) Restrict entry to the cellar, allowing only trained persons to enter and work
there.
xxii) Clean up spillages immediately to prevent slipping hazards.
xxiii) Ensure the cellar has adequate lighting.
xxiv) Avoid placing cylinders on uneven surface. The cylinder may fall, causing injury
or damage.
xxv) Explosive gases like hydrogen to be stored in separate sheds with proper
fencing as per the guidelines.
xxvi) Acetylene and LPG must never be stacked horizontally in storage or in use.
xxvii)Regularly check for leakages, if any.
xxviii) Depending on the properties of gases stored, maintain proper temperature in
the storage area, avoiding excessive or low temperature build up.
3.4 Handling and Usage
i) Gas Cylinders shall be handled only by properly trained persons. Training must
include the contents of this guideline as well as any specific information relevant
to the gas being used. While handling cylinders, the cylinder shall not be
dragged or rolled.
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ii) Instructions shall be issued to all suppliers for mandatory affixing of cap guards,
providing color coding and warning sticker as per Gas Cylinder Rules, 2016. In
addition, supplier shall issue Test and Inspection Certificates.
iii) Do not issue a cylinder unless contents are clearly identified.
iv) Do not alter the color coding and marking of Gas Cylinders, as given below.
Color of cylinder Color of the band at
shell the neck end of the
Type of Gas Cylinder cylinder
Non-flammable & non-toxic White --
Non-flammable but toxic White Yellow
Flammable but non-toxic other White
than LPG Red
Flammable and toxic White Red and Yellow
Gas mixture Major gas colour Minor gas colour with and
width approximately 1/5th
of the cylinder length
Fire Extinguishers Red Red
v) Do not use cylinders as rollers, work supports or jacks (dropping or playing
with cylinders shall be strictly prohibited.)
vi) Transporting of cylinders by rolling them over the ground / floor / surface is
strictly prohibited.
vii) Transporting of cylinders by dragging / sliding / pulling them from their nozzles
is strictly prohibited.
viii) Local movement of cylinders shall be done either by placing them over proper
trolleys or by carrying them over the shoulders.
ix) Prevent damage to cylinders. Locate cylinders where they will be protected
from physical damage by striking or falling objects, corrosion or damage from
public tampering.
x) Containers shall not be used for any other purpose than holding the contents
as received.
xi) Damaged or leaking cylinders must be reported immediately for proper
disposal. Cylinders shall not be picked up by pulling the cap. Any leaking
cylinder must be handled as per guidance provided in section 3.7.
xii) Magnets shall not be used for lifting cylinders.
xiii) Lowering & lifting of cylinders shall not be done manually. It shall be done by
mechanized means (using winch, telfer, crane etc.) with proper cage for
holding the cylinders.
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xiv) Where appropriate lifting attachments have not been provided on the cylinder/
container, suitable cradles or platforms to hold the containers shall be used for
lifting.
xv) Do not use welded cylinders.
xvi) Leaking, defective, fire burned and corroded containers shall not be used.
xvii) Do not use chain slings for lifting cylinders; only fiber sling should be used.
xviii) Do not allow cylinders to come in contact with electrical apparatus or live
wires.
xix) Do not lay gas cylinders on wet soil.
xx) Do not lubricate cylinders valve threads.
xxi) Do not handle cylinders or valve assemblies with greasy hands or oil rags.
xxii) Oil or grease shall not come in contact with the cylinder valve assembly or the
regulator fittings.
xxiii) Use red hose for acetylene and other fuel gases and black / green hose for
oxygen. Never interchange hoses.
xxiv) To train workmen to handle and store cylinders properly and in case of
any problem, it has to be capped and sent back to the supplier.
xxv) Nozzle tips shall be always kept clean to prevent back fire.
xxvi) Use hoses of equal length and do not coil the hoses around regulator or
cylinder.
xxvii) Ensure that regulator pressure control valve is relieved (i.e. closed) before
attaching to tanks.
xxviii) Close valves on gas cylinders when a system is not in use.
xxix) Remove all pressure from regulators not currently used (by opening
equipment valves downstream after the regulators are closed).
xxx) Shut-off valves must not be installed between pressure relief devices and the
equipment they are to protect.
xxxi) Use pressure relief valves in downstream lines to prevent high pressure
buildup in the event that a regulator valve does not seat properly and a tank
valve is left on.
xxxii) Relief valves should be vented to prevent potential buildup of explosive or
toxic gases.
xxxiii) Never allow flames or concentrated heat sources to come in contact with a
gas cylinder.
xxxiv) Never allow a gas cylinder to become part of an electrical circuit.
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