A fine example of how the safety profession has drifted from science is the vast misunderstanding of hazardous gases. From their hazards to their behaviors, we have a lot of myths and misconceptions about hazardous gases. Sadly, the fact that OSHA does not have a “flammable gas” standard plays a role in this situation – hence we have a profession too dependent on OSHA to frame up hazards in our workplaces. In this article, I hope to explain the different types of hazardous gases, their hazards, and how they behave (sometimes making them more hazardous). I will discuss the following:
- Compressed Gas
- Liquefied Gas
- Refrigerated Liquefied Gas
- Dissolved Gas
First, let us look at how these four (4) categories are DEFINED and QUANTIFIED.