Let’s face it, the “green movement” is here to stay and in some situations, going green may be great for the environment, but sometimes this “going green” can introduce significant hazards in our workplaces. Hydrogen is becoming the last hydrocarbon fuel source of the “green movement” if you’re not going solar. Hydrogen is a GREAT FUEL, as it burns 100% with no emissions – but again, these benefits of a “clean fuel” come at some HUGE costs in the safety realm. As it gains in popularity and finds it’s way into more and more workplaces that just do not have the discipline or expertise to manage these levels of hazards/risks, it will be ONLY a matter of time until we see a catastrophic accident claiming multiple lives or off-site property damage. The politicians will go into hyper-mode and ask “how could this happen” only to find out these H2 systems are RARELY PSM covered processes simply because H2 is the lightest known element in the world. And folks, it does not take 10,000 pounds of H2 to make for a really bad day!
Case in point, last week we saw the horrible tragedy at a chicken processing plant that was using liquid nitrogen (LN) in an immersion-style freezer and then using the N2 gas from the immersion phase as a refrigerant in the attached spiral freezer. We still do not know the details of this tragedy, but it raises bigger questions about businesses using these cryogenic fluids in gross amounts and just not having the in-hoouse level of safety expertise, engineering, and safety management systems to do so safely. The same can be said about this move to H2 – we have been seeing more and more businesses using H2 Cryogenic systems for fueling their on-site vehicles and because these systems do not exceed 10,000 pounds, they are castaway with at best basic safety controls mandated by OSHA’s 1910.103, which by the way is 47 years old this year!
We can buy a copy of NFPA 55, which has a single chapter covering H2 in gas and another chapter for liquid use or there is another recognized and reputable (and FREE) source for what we need to know about bringing H2 on-site… FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets 7-91, Hydrogen
This FREE resource is more up-to-date than and MUCH easier to read and use. The datasheet covers all the necessary safety requirements for the transfer, storage, and use/dispensing of Hydrogen: