Gas safety: Safety first in the cellar
In many a workplace, the biggest threat to life often comes from things you can't see - particularly when working in a confined space.
In the hospitality industry, cellars are probably the most confined of spaces and the highest risk of death comes from the silent killer - CO2 gas.
It goes without saying that safety is the overriding factor in cellar work and the law says suitable and sufficient assessments must be carried out on the risks for all tasks to decide what measures are necessary for safety.
For work in confined spaces this means identifying the hazards present, assessing the risks and determining what precautions should be taken.
Use the results of a risk assessment to help identify the necessary precautions to reduce the danger of injury. These will depend on the nature of the confined space, the associated risk and the work involved.
Make sure that the safe system of work, including the precautions identified, is developed and put into practice. Everyone involved will need to be properly trained and instructed to make sure they know what to do and how to do it safely.
Training is the primary safety factor - and there is no substitute. Ideally, supervisors should be given the responsibility to ensure that the necessary precautions are always taken, to check safety at each stage and they may need to remain present while work is under way.
It is also worth checking how the alarm is raised in case of an emergency. Is it necessary to station someone outside to keep watch and to communicate with those inside the confined space?
When things do go wrong, people may be exposed to serious and immediate danger. Effective arrangements for raising the alarm and carrying out rescue operations in an emergency are essential.
In the case of cellars, it would be a wise decision to install a safety system which would indicate whether or not there has been any leakage of gas within the cellar and so make it possible to prevent anyone entering until the appropriate safety measures have been taken.
Taking appropriate care with CO2 cylinders themselves can reduce some of the associated risks and the following pointers are well worth bearing in mind:
• When full, the cylinders should be stored in a restricted area (often in restraining boxes or metal cages), kept in an upright position and chained together through the handles.
• Before bringing a new cylinder into use, the empty cylinder should first be shut off and disconnected and placed flat on the floor. The new, full cylinder should then be chained or strapped in a safe position before being connected up and put into use.
• Empty cylinders should be stored in a flat position and chocked together in a restricted place. However, care must be taken to ensure that this does not constitute a tripping hazard.
• During operation, if any leaks become apparent then the area must be evacuated immediately and safety measures implemented. For, if a cylinder does 'go off' the risk of personal injury is extremely high.
In areas of work where lives can be potentially at risk, no safety precaution should be overlooked.
