FLAMMABLE GAS SAFETY CODE Contents - CERN

SAFETY CODES
G
Rev.
Edited by : Director General
Publication date: 1996
Original: English
FLAMMABLE GAS SAFETY CODE
1. Legal Basis
2. Aims
3. Scope
4. General Definitions
5. Regulations and standards for gas systems
6. Transport
7. Personnel qualifications
8. Protection of personnel and the environment
9. Choice of equipment
10. Electrical Installations
11. Pressurised Systems
12. ISIEC Form
13. Risk Classification
14. Operating instructions
15. Inspection of gas systems
16. Surveillance of the application of this code
17. Entry into force
18. Annex: The Flammable Gas Safety Manual
Contents
1. LEGAL BASIS
This code is based on the document which defines safety policy at CERN ( SAPOCO/42 , 1994
Edition). It is published in application of the Staff Rules and Regulations.
2. AIMS
This code establishes regulations for the purchase, transport, storage, distribution, manipulation,
use and disposal of flammable gases at CERN for any purpose, so as to protect users and others
inside and outside CERN from the ill-effects of improper use. It is particularly directed at the
regulation of the use of gases in experimental installations for the detection of particles, for which

industrial rules do not exist.
It is supplemented by the Flammable Gas Safety Manual (FGSM), Annex of this Code , which
has been prepared to help users of flammable gases at CERN, and especially experimental teams,
to apply the Flammable Gas Safety Code to specific situations. The FGSM is in two sections, the
first being devoted mainly to the formal requirements necessary for the design, operation and
maintenance of installations using flammable gases including risk classification and the official
forms which have to be completed. The second section is in the form of an informative text which
details the rules and good practice which enable a safe installation to be built, and also gives
information on analytical instrumentation and the rules for transport of gases on and off the
CERN sites. Other codes are referred to and extracts are given when these are pertinent to the
safe use of flammable gases. Annex 1 of the FGSM gives tables of the physico-chemical
properties of flammable and non-flammable gases used at CERN. Annex 2 gives typical examples
of gas mixing and distribution systems as well as a list of standard symbols used to represent
components of gas distribution systems.
3. SCOPE
This code applies:
to all persons under the authority of the Director-General, which includes contractors and
their staff and visiting experimental groups, as stated in the document SAPOCO/42;
on all CERN sites, and to all operations and installations which are under CERN's
responsibility.
4. GENERAL DEFINITIONS
(See also Glossary in the FGSM)
Flammable gas: any gas which reacts with oxygen, whether pure or diluted as in air, releasing a
large quantity of heat and producing a flame.
Flammable gas system: any system, either independent or within a given space or location, where
flammable gases are stored, mixed, distributed, used in any equipment, with or without
combustion, recovered, recycled or evacuated.
Divisional Safety Officer (DSO)
The Divisional Safety Officer is appointed by the Division Leader to act on his behalf in matters
of Safety. He is accountable to the Division Leader and a full list of his duties and the means
available to him is given in Section 4 of annexÊ2.1 of the document "Safety Policy at CERN"
SAPOCO 42 , Revision 1994.
Flammable Gas Safety Officer (FGSO)
A Flammable Gas Safety Officer must be appointed for every building or sector at CERN where
flammable liquids or gases are used in dangerous quantities. This Officer must be an experienced
engineer, physicist or technician conversant with the hazards of flammable liquids and gases and
thoroughly familiar with the installations.
The Flammable Gas Safety Officer is appointed by the Leader of the Division which has
territorial responsibility for the area concerned, after consultation with any other Division
involved and with the Leader of the TIS Commission. He is accountable to the Division Leader
via the Divisional Safety Officer.

The Flammable Gas Safety Officer has the following duties:
i. to ensure that the technical supervisors are familiar with the relevant standards and apply
them at all stages of the project (design, construction, installation and operation);
ii. to check that the installation complies with the regulations in force which are applicable to
flammable gas safety. To forward any request for interpretation of or exception to these
regulations to the Leader of the TIS Commission (via the Divisional Safety Officer and the
Leader of the Division which has the territorial responsibility for the area where the
installation is located);
iii. to check that the organisational conditions are adequate for the safe operation of the
installation, in particular that the operators are sufficient in number, properly competent
and in possession of the necessary documents;
iv. to report to the Divisional Safety Officer any shortcomings concerning i), ii) and iii) that
cannot be remedied immediately;
v. to draw the attention of the territorial Division, the TIS Commission and any other
Division concerned, to special hazards inherent in the installation with regard to flammable
liquids or gases;
vi. to take part in preparing and updating the Divisional Safety Plan;
vii. to co-operate with the TIS Commission in tests and inspections;
viii. to assume other tasks as stated in the Flammable Gas Safety Manual.
In the temporary absence of the Flammable Gas Safety Officer, urgent action falling under his
competence may be taken on his behalf by a previously appointed deputy who has been given the
necessary training, and in accordance with the Divisional Safety Plan.
The means available to Flammable Gas Safety Officers include:
i. access to all relevant information and especially the right to discuss important problems
directly with the Division Leader;
ii. authority to require the drafting of specific documents like drawings, calculations, working
procedures, check lists, etc.;
iii. authority to issue compulsory directives concerning design, construction, testing and
operation to the person in charge of the installation and to the person holding the
Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisation (X-Gas Card);
iv. authority to stop immediately dangerous activities.
A decision by the Flammable Gas Safety Officer may be overruled only by the Leader of the
territorial Division jointly with the Leader of the TIS Commission.
Territorial Safety Officer (TSO)
Territorial Safety Officers are appointed by the Division Leader who is primarily responsible for
the area to be covered, with the agreement of any other Divisions involved. They are accountable
to the Divisional Safety Officer of their Division in the first instance, but may also have
delegations of authority from Safety Officers in other Divisions, to whom they are then
correspondingly accountable. A full list of their duties and means available is given in Section 5
of annex 2.1 of the document "Safety Policy at CERN", SAPOCO 42, Revision 1994.
Group leader in Matters of Safety (GLIMOS)
In experimental Collaborations, the person responsible for all Safety matters is the "Group
Leader in Matters of Safety" or GLIMOS, who is appointed by the Leader of the Host Division
on the proposal of the Collaboration spokesman. A full list of his duties and means available is
given in Section 8 of annex 2.1 of the document "Safety Policy at CERN", SAPOCO 42 ,
Revision 1994.
Shift Leader in Matters of Safety (SLIMOS)

A Group Leader or Group Leader in Matters of Safety (GLIMOS) may appoint Safety Linkmen
or Shift Leaders in Matters of Safety (SLIMOS) to ensure continuity during shift work in
accordance with the requirements and procedures set out in the Divisional Safety Plan. The
SLIMOS must be knowledgeable about those aspects of the Group's work for which they have
been appointed. Their principal duties are to monitor the safety of equipment, premises and
working methods during the time they are on shift so that, when dangerous situations arise,
action can be taken to advise the other members of the shift of any emergency procedures to be
carried out, and to inform the Group Leader and the GLIMOS of the situation and of any action
needed to improve Safety.
Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisation (X-Gas Card)
Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisations are issued by Finance Division upon request by the user
on the Form F5 "Request for a Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisation" countersigned by the
Divisional Flammable Gas Safety Officer (a copy of the form F5 is found in the Flammable Gas
Safety Manual and copies can also be obtained from TIS). The authorisation is valid for the
withdrawal of flammable gases from the CERN stores. Orders for all gases from outside suppliers
must be authorised by TIS. The holder of a Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisation is responsible
for ensuring that the system for which he orders the flammable gas is properly designed and
installed and that the procedures for acceptance have been carried out. The authorised person has
the power to stop the gas supply to systems which he considers unsafe. The Stores Service and
the Divisional Purchasing Officer will send monthly lists of all withdrawals from stores and
purchases from outside suppliers to the Flammable Gas Safety Officer of the Division concerned.
Flammable Gas Purchase Authorisations shall normally be issued only to persons who are present
at CERN effectively full time, and in particular during the operation of the flammable gas system
in question. The Group Leader or GLIMOS of the group concerned shall give the person holding
the authorisation the necessary authority and means to meet his responsibilities.
Authorisations are only given to individuals and not to groups, collaborations or other
syndicates.
5. REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS FOR
GAS SYSTEMS
Industrial systems
Where flammable gases are used for industrial purposes, such as for heating, lighting, chemical
reaction, etc., the regulations of the appropriate Host State shall be applied dependent on the
location of the system. These regulations are held by the TIS Commission and copies can be had
on request.
Switzerland: The regulations are based on the "Loi fédérale sur le travail dans l'industrie,
l'artisanat et le commerce" of 13 March 1964 and subsequent "ordonnances" and in particular the
"Ordonnance sur la prŽvention des accidents et des maladies professionnelles" of 19
December 1983. Specific rules and regulations concerning the storage and use of gases can be
found in the "RŽpertoire des directives, feuillets d'information et affiches" published by the
Association Suisse pour la technique du soudage in Bâle and the "Directives concernant les Gaz
Liquéfiés" published by the Caisse Nationale Suisse d'Assurances en cas d'Accidents (CNA) in
Lucerne.
France: The regulations are based on the prescriptions in the "Code du Travail" and in the
"Législation des Installations Classées" and particularly in the "Arrêté Type N° 211 - Gaz
combustibles liquéfiés. Section B - Gaz maintenus liquéfiés dans d’autres conditions (sous

pression): 2 Para. En bouteilles et conteneurs ...".
Experimental systems
Where flammable gases are used for experimental purposes the rules for industrial gases shall be
followed as far as possible. This is of particular importance in the transport of all gases on or off
the CERN sites and in the conception and construction of facilities and systems for the storage,
distribution by pipeline and mixing of all gases for experimental purposes.
Information on the correct design, construction and operation of experimental installations can be
found in the Flammable Gas Safety Manual.
It is emphasised that no experimental flammable gas system shall be commissioned or operated
until the requirements of the Flammable Gas Safety Manual have been fulfilled and the forms F1,
F2, F3 and F4 have been duly completed and signed by all the persons named thereon.
Any system which has been modified after initial commissioning shall not be put back into use
without the prior agreement of the FGSO. If the FGSO considers that major changes have been
made, the system must be considered as new and the commissioning procedures repeated.
6. TRANSPORT
The transport of dangerous goods is controlled by international legislation. This legislation
applies to the transport of flammable gas to and from CERN sites, as well as on and between the
CERN sites.
The international and national legislation is given below with more details available in the
Flammable Gas Safety Manual:
a. International
ROAD: ADR - The transport of dangerous goods is controlled by European
Agreement concerning the international carriage of Dangerous goods by Road.
AIR: “Dangerous Goods Regulations”. International Air Transport Association
(IATA). Issued annually. Applies to all CERN Member States.
RAIL: RID - Règlement concernant le transport International ferroviaire des
marchandises Dangereuses.
b. Swiss
ROAD: SDR - Ordonnance Suisse relative au transport des marchandises
Dangereuses par Route.
RAIL: RSD - Règlement concernant le transport ferroviaire Suisse des marchandises
Dangereuses.
c. French
ROAD: RTMD - Règlement sur le Transport des Matières Dangereuses. Arrêté du
15 avril 1945 modifié.
RAIL: RID - Règlement Français concernant le transport ferroviaire International
des marchandises Dangereuses.
7. PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS
All persons working on or with flammable gas installations must be qualified, i.e.:
be technically competent (training approved by a national organisation or professional
experience recognised by CERN),
know the safety regulations applying to the installations concerned,

know what to do in an emergency, especially concerning flammable gas leaks and fires.
It is the responsibility of each Division to ensure that personnel working on installations using
flammable gases are adequately trained and properly qualified.
8. PROTECTION OF PERSONNEL AND
ENVIRONMENT
All flammable gas installations must be designed and operated so as to minimise the risk of
damage or injury to all personnel working on the system, the personnel working in the
neighbourhood of the installation and to the environment outside the CERN boundaries. As
described in the Flammable Gas Safety Manual, this will normally necessitate the installation of
local extraction ventilation, flammable gas leak detectors and emergency cut outs, explosionproof
or intrinsically safe electrical equipment, fire alarms and fire fighting equipment. Where necessary
other equipment such as explosion suppression devices may be required.
All required safety devices must be approved by the FGSO and installed by, or under the control
of, qualified CERN personnel.
9. CHOICE OF EQUIPMENT
Equipment chosen for flammable gas installations must ensure the safety of personnel and
property while fulfilling the function for which it was chosen. Rules for the specification,
purchase and construction of items for gas systems are given in detail in the Flammable Gas
Safety Manual (see in particular chapters 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24).
10.ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS
All electrical installations must conform to the requirements of the CERN Safety Code C1
"Electrical safety code", which is based on the most recent standards and regulations in the
publications of the IEC or CENELEC for electrical apparatus for explosive gas atmospheres. The
apparatus must be tested and marked by a competent national authority that it complies with
these standards (see chapter 24 of the Flammable Gas Safety Manual ).
Apparatus constructed at CERN, or outside but for use in CERN, must conform to the
requirements of the above-mentioned standards and must be approved by the FGSO and TIS
experts.
The accumulation of static electricity must be avoided by appropriate means and in particular by
interconnection and grounding of the metallic parts of the system.
11.PRESSURISED SYSTEMS
All pressure vessels and pipelines subjected to overpressure must be designed, controlled and
tested according to the requirements of the CERN Safety Code D2 "Safety code for industrial
pressure vessels and pressurized pipelines". This code applies to all pressurised systems including
those purchased or constructed outside CERN but for use in CERN (See chapters 18 and 19 of
the Flammable Gas Safety Manual).

12.ISIEC
At the conception stage of an experiment or equipment tests in a particle beam or laboratory, an
ISIEC (Initial Safety Information for Experiments at CERN) form, available from the DSO of
PPE Division, must be completed by the GLIMOS of the group concerned and sent to the DSO
of the Division concerned (usually PPE). The DSO will co-ordinate meetings, with TIS experts
and the FGSO, to study the safety problems of the proposed system and he must give his
approval in writing before the construction and installation of the system. If flammable gas is
involved, a preliminary risk classification must also be carried out at this stage by the GLIMOS in
co-operation with the FGSO and TIS experts.
13.RISK CLASSIFICATION
All flammable gas systems must be classified for the risks they involve. A detailed description of
the risk classification procedures is given in chapter 6 of the Flammable Gas Safety Manual.
14.OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
The GLIMOS of the group operating the flammable gas system shall be responsible for ensuring
that all necessary instructions for the safe operation of the system are drawn up. These must be
approved by the FGSO and TIS experts.
15.INSPECTION OF GAS SYSTEMS
Before any gas system is commissioned, inspections of the system must be carried out by the
GLIMOS in co-operation with the FGSO and TIS experts to ensure that recommendations
agreed at the conception stage have been incorporated, that the construction is in agreement with
CERN regulations, that ancillary safety equipment is installed and working and that the necessary
tests have been carried out.
Periodic inspections shall be carried out in accordance with CERN regulations or as decided by
the GLIMOS in co-operation with the FGSO and TIS experts.
The GLIMOS is responsible for organising and recording the regular inspections.
16.SURVEILLANCE OF THE APPLICATION
OF THIS CODE
The TIS Commission is empowered to check by any means it considers necessary that this code
is being respected.
The TIS Commission may call upon outside organisations to carry out this task.
The use of any existing standard not mentioned in this code must be approved by the TIS
Commission before use.
17.ENTRY INTO FORCE

This code enters into force on the date of publication.
18.ANNEX: The Flammable Gas Safety Manual