Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety | Essential Handling instruction for Compressed Gas Cylinders

A significant portion of AHG’s industrial, medical, and specialty gases are sold in cylinders. The pressurized vessels are available in multiple sizes, materials, and capacities, and can contain gases in gaseous, liquid, or in a dissolved state. At AHG, we follow the Compressed Gas Association’s (CGA) standards and guidelines. It is essential that every user understands how to handle the cylinders as the same properties each gas is valued for can also case hazardous conditions.

The general points that should be followed to use or handle gas cylinders:

1. Read the cylinder label to determine content
2. Know what to do in case of leaks incidents, or any other emergency.
3. Cylinders should be used on solid ground.
4. Containers must not be dropped or slid in any way.
5. When not in use, the cylinder protection caps must be placed back on the cylinder if the cylinder is designed to have the protection cap.
6. Cylinders must not be exposed to direct heat, flame, or high temperatures above 51° Celsius and no smoking should be allowed in its proximity.
7. The cylinders must be in an upright position at all times.

How to identify what is inside an AHG cylinder?

The content of AHG’s cylinder can easily be identified by a label or sticker that is directly placed on the cylinder. And the cylinders themselves are color coded depending on the product that it is filled with, for example Oxygen cylinders are painted in white.

To safely store compressed gas cylinders, the following should be followed:

1. Storage areas must be well ventilated, well drained, and preferably constructed using fire resistant materials.
2. Enclosed storages must not exceed a temperature of 51° Celsius and no smoking should be allowed in its proximity
3. Gas mixtures should not stored in temperatures that allow the gases to lose their homogeneity.
4. Adequate spacing and/or partitioning of the cylinders should be used when grouping together gases of different hazard classes. For example, flammable gases should be stored no less than 6.1meters from oxidizing gases.
5. Only cylinders that are in use should be allowed in the work area.
6. The cylinders must be in an upright position during storage.
7. Cylinders should be stored where moving items are more likely to fall or strike them.
8. Containers should not be exposed to corrosive chemicals or fumes.
9. Cylinders that are in use or in storage should be secured to prevent them from falling.

To safely transport compressed gas cylinders, the following points should be followed:

1. Have sufficient knowledge of the hazards and precautions of the product(s) being transported
2. Check the cylinders for damage or leaks
3. Make sure the cylinders are secured and will not move during transport
4. Ensure the protection cap is in place
5. The area the cylinder is secured in should be properly ventilated
6. Not to allow any smoking or open flames in close proximity of the cylinder
7. Know what to do in case of leaks incidents, or any other emergency
8. Drive safely and obey all traffic laws

AHG can provides training for our customers on the properties of our products, safe handling practices, gas system usage, welding practices, and much more. All of which aim to improve your operations safety, efficiency, and quality. 

Why choose AHG as your trusted?

For almost 70 years, Abdullah Hashim Industrial Gases & Equipment has been supplying the Saudi Arabian market with Industrial and Medical gases. AHG have a large fleet of over two hundred vehicles that transport our products across the Kingdom, and our continuously expanding list of branches are scattered across the Kingdom to ensure maximum coverage within the country. However, some of our customers require a fit-for-purpose solution to match their specific requirement or to overcome logistical hurdles that can impact their supply. This is where AHG and AirProducts, our international partners, can proudly say that we have extensive experience in providing our customers with customized solutions that provide their business with their exact requirement.