6.2.

9 Fire-fighting, emergency shut-down system and alarms

All cylinder filling plants must have an integrated system for handling all emergencies, that may arise in the plant, that
is adequate in terms of hardware and operational procedures. The requirements for the above are referred to
throughput this Guide.

These emergencies may range from a gas leak, through to a local fire and must include extreme weather events
(electrical storms, flooding, bush fires or snowstorms).

6.2.10 Electrical continuity, earthing and bonding

All items of plant and equipment involved in the filling, emptying and gas charging of LPG cylinders, or which may
otherwise be responsible for generating static charges, must be bonded and earthed with a resistance to earth that
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does not exceed 10 ohms.

There must therefore be good electrical continuity between the LPG piping system and earth via the filling machines,
evacuation equipment, cylinders and conveyors etc. and the resistance to earth should be periodically checked as part
of the routine maintenance procedures to ensure that the above resistance is not exceeded.

It’s most important to ensure the integrity of the grounding system during transfers from bulk vehicles and storage
tanks.

Precautions should be taken, such as the use of conductive or anti-static gloves, conductive or anti-static flooring and
footwear, to prevent the possible insulation of personnel handling cylinders during filling, emptying and gas charging
operations.

Typically, clean concrete floors and footwear made of conductive rubber are considered suitable for the above
operations.

Arrangements must be made to control the temperature in the building that houses the electrical equipment and to
protect it from excess temperature conditions.

The building should also be designed to prevent the possible entry of animals and vermin that might damage the
wiring and other equipment.

6.3 Area Classification and Electrical Installations

The following comments apply both to cylinder filling plants and cylinder storage facilities.

Figure 6.3 indicates the extent of the hazard zones normally associated with cylinder filling plants and storage areas
and their classification.

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