Construction sites, workshops, warehouses, and industrial facilities often have gas cylinders. However, when placed in an open area their presence can lead to safety issues that are often overlooked.
A well-designed gas bottle cage offers a safe and controlled space to store cylinders. This reduces the opportunity for cylinders to be knocked over, accessed by unauthorised persons or exposed to inappropriate conditions on site.
Why Open Storage Today is a Problem?
It might seem more convenient to just leave cylinders in open spaces. They are easily accessible to employees, and there is no need to install a dedicated storage structure.
But convenience does not necessarily translate into secure storage. And many cylinders can also be exposed to vehicle movements, dropping objects and heat sources or other hazards in the workplace.
Shoddy storage can also complicate workers and auditors’ assessments of whether or not cylinders are being managed properly.
How Containment Makes Dangerous Things Much Easier to Handle?
A dedicated safety cage gives a specific location for gas cylinders. It also may help segregate cylinders from generic site traffic so that housekeeping is improved.
For some applications, the arrangement may also assist in ensuring all of your cylinders are upright and not at risk for moving around. Ventilation, access controls, and labelling must also be implemented depending on the gases being stored, as per requirements.
What Site Auditors Look For?
When it comes to running a site audit on whether or not there is a cage. Auditors need to look at the physical storage arrangement and whether workplace controls are being adhered to.
Some areas that may draw focus include:
- Cylinder stability and securing
- Separation from ignition sources
- Site access and vehicle movement
- Suitable signage
- Housekeeping around the storage area
- Separation of incompatible gases where it is necessary
- Emergency access and workplace procedures
While a tidy gas bottle cage can accommodate these controls, it is not a substitute for appropriate workplace procedures or employee training.
Choosing the Right Cage
No cage is created equal for every work environment. The design must be representative of the cylinders being stored, and the space and operating conditions of the site.
Consider the following before purchasing:
- Capacity: Put enough space for the cylinders you use.
- Security: They must prevent unauthorised access while allowing reasonably easy access for workers.
- Ventilation: Gas storage back at the need of appropriate ventilation, and if it is possible that leaking gas may create a dangerous environment in such areas.
- Durability: Extern installations will need materials and finishes complementary to local weather conditions.
Avoid the Cage as a Tick-a-Box Exercise
If you install a safety cage and simply forget about it, that can create a false sense of security. The storage area should be clean, accessible, and free from solid national factors.
Workers should also be educated on how cylinders need to be handled, tied, and stored. Should damage cages, loosening of restraints, or a blockage of access occur, they must be rectified as soon as possible.
Scheduled inspections may catch issues that will become problematic during an audit.
Why Containment Supports Safer Sites?
Containment is all about controlling risk in advance of an incident. Having a cylinder storage area that − clear and separate from main site activity − helps to distinguish between hazardous material and routine work.
This also helps to publicly repair good storage practices. Having cylinders organised and secured in one designated space is less likely to have workers leaving them in the wrong area.
Prepare Before the Next Audit
Reorganising a site must not only happen in the run up to an audit. Such cylinder storage forms part of the normal operation in a workplace.
Check your storage area regularly. Make sure cylinders are secure, the cage is in working order, and controls that are needed are being followed.
And a suitable gas bottle cage is one part of that system. It, combined with proper storage, ventilation, signage, and staff training, can create a safer and more orderly workplace.
It is not only about passing an audit. So, you must ensure that no gas cylinders go out of your control on a day-to-day basis.
