From: Janet Baum <baum.janet**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Space Requirements for in-use gas cylinders (nonflammable)
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2021 10:52:52 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: CAAgNRJh1bZrULxMF2swA41zyibXVneiHcgVMjQWSjhZmfrHSjQ**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To


Dear Margaret, The plan you have for support of three non-flammable gas cylinders sounds reasonable. Other that in bulk cylinder storage with multiple types of gases and hazards, yes there are space and separation of types requirements. In over 50 years of lab design practice, I have not encountered any metric basing the number of gas tanks allowed to the lab area. It sounds though that your concern is the area remaining sufficient for the installation and safe use of the light sheet microscope. You can plot the lab plan out on graph paper. Consider the seated position of the microscope operator(s) so that there is no barrier, and adequate clearance to open the door for their escape, if there is an accident.

If the risk issue is an accidental release of CO2 with only one egress from the lab, you may want to consult with the Operations Engineer to find out 1. whether the room has a 100% outside air supply, 2. what is the lab air exhaust flow rate in that small lab and 3. if added capacity is needed. Also the engineer can recommend the location(s) of the CO2 detector(s) within that small space and install them. Hope these issues help you out.
Best regards,
Janet Baum, AIA, NCARB
Harvard U., T.H. Chan School of Public Health

On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 10:16 AM Margaret Rakas <mrakas**At_Symbol_Here**smith.edu> wrote:
Good morning,

Are there any requirements or best practices for in-use gas cylinders with respect to sq footage of lab space? I have a PI who wants to put 3 gas cylinders (2 compressed air, 1 CO2) in a very small (138 sq ft) space where there will be a light sheet microscope (the gases are for the microscope). I am fairly certain (but am short on details) the CO2 will be used as a freezing agent for very small amounts of tissue. Of course the cylinders will be secured, and due to room configuration would be out of the way of the single exit...but I cannot find anything in the regulations regarding a maximum storage capacity... I am going to bring in our compressed gas supplier to see if somehow we can use one compressed air cylinder to supply two different pressures (I am trying to get those details too..)

If your institution has a light sheet microscope I would love to talk with you!

I could not do my job without this listserv, so thanks everyone in advance.
Margaret

--
Margaret A. Rakas, Ph.D.
Lab Safety & Compliance Director
Clark Science Center
413-585-3877 (p)

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