How long can you store your oxygen and acetylene cylinders on a welding cart or “special truck” before you must disconnect them from the regulator, cap, secure, and store according to OSHA requirements? 

Do the requirements differ if you are at a construction site versus general industry? 

The General Industry and Construction Standards only specify the requirements for storage and use, but not how long it sits idle before it’s considered in “storage”.  Twenty-four hours of inactivity is the answer that I frequently hear.  But is this assumption correct? 

What about the wear and tear on the regulator and tank threads by removing them from tanks so frequently?  Doesn’t this create a greater hazard?  What about the hazard of transporting the tanks so frequently?  Moving these cylinders is a hazard in itself? 

OSHA has issued several Standard Interpretations related to this subject under 1910.253 General Industry and 1926.350 Construction.  In the Construction Standard, OHSA has interpreted that cylinders must be placed into storage when it is reasonably anticipated that gas will not be drawn from the cylinder within 24 hours.  In General Industry however, the frequency at which the cylinders are used is not the main consideration for determining storage versus use.  The language of the General Industry standard requires using the storage regulations when the cylinders are not in use or connected to use.  OSHA attempts to “harmonize” the two requirements by stating that failure to comply with the storage requirements under either the General Industry or Construction Standard would be considered de minimis regardless of the period of time in which the cylinders are on the cart if the following parameters are met:

1. No more than a single acetylene cylinder and a single oxygen cylinder are on a cylinder cart. The cylinder cart must be specifically designed to hold/carry oxygen and acetylene cylinders in the upright position. The cylinders must be securely held to the cart (such as by straps, chains or other securing device).
2. The cart is on a firm, level surface.
3. The cart is not in an area where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of being struck by vehicles, equipment, or materials (such as in a pathway for vehicles on a construction site).
4. Both cylinders either have valves closed with protection caps on or are connected to a properly functioning regulator.

For more information guidelines on this subject refer to the 1926.350 and 1910.253 standards and the Standard Interpretations below.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25356

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=22674

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25371

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=21261

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Welding, Compressed Gases, OSHA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.