Fundamentals of

Cryogenic safety and

training
Rob Done CEng MIMechE
Project Design Engineer
ISIS Design Division
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
STFC Safety auditor
OXETA training instructor

Popular cultures
perception of cryogenics

The reality of cryogenics

Considering Health & Safety

when using cryogenics?

Health and safety

Moral
o To prevent people getting hurt
o Minimise the risk that you or anyone else will be
injured or will suffer ill health

Health and safety

Legal
o To comply with the law
o It is not acceptable for organisations to carryout their
activities in such a way that people will get hurt

Health and safety

Financial
o Poor Health & Safety is expensive
Cost of investigation
Injured person away from work
Injury claim
Prosecution by the HSE
Poor public relations

Health and safety

373 K Boiling point of water

Lut Desert in
Iran
Humans can live

Hottest temperature on Earth

343.7 K
313 K Hyperthermia
310 K Normal body temperature
294 K Hypothermia
273 K Freezing point of water
183.8 KColdest temperature on Earth
120 K Boiling point of liquefied gas
Cryogenics
0K

Vostok Antarctica

Absolute zero

Health and Safety

The temperature range of cryogenic technology has
potential life threatening consequences to the
human body.
More and more facilities throughout the World use
cryogenic materials for cooling equipment
increased likelihood of accidents happening.

Health and Safety

Fatalities
There is an average of 8 deaths a year in the USA
due to cryogenic asphyxiation.
In 1981, a technician preparing for the space shuttle
launch died when entering a confined space full of
nitrogen gas.
The use of cryogenic materials has resulted in
fatalities through asphyxiation at a number of UK
research establishments.
In 1999, a laboratory assistant in Scotland died from
asphyxiation caused by a liquid nitrogen spill.
In 2012, a young woman in England had her stomach
removed after ingesting a cocktail made with liquid
nitrogen.

Health and Safety

Fatalities and near miss incidents

For every 1 Major injury/fatality that occurs there is an

average of 640 additional incidents taking place in the
working environment

Relevant Legislation
There is no specific cryogenic safety legislation.
It is addressed through related general safety requirements:

Health and safety

at work act

PSSR

Liquid cryogen
code of practice

PUWER

Cryogenics
PED

DSEAR

COSHH

Relevant Legislation
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
o General occupational health and safety provision
o Enforcement

Relevant Legislation
The management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999
o Core measures relating to the minimum health and
safety requirements for the workplace
o Risk assessments

Relevant Legislation
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
(PUWER) 1998
o Place duties on people and companies who own,
operate or have control over work equipment
o Provision of protective devices and controls

Relevant Legislation
The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED)
o Meet the essential requirements covering the design,
manufacture and testing of pressure vessels
o Vacuum vessels

Relevant Legislation
The Pressure Systems (Safety) Regulations (PSSR) 2000
o Minimises the risks when working with systems or
equipment which contain a liquid or gas under
pressure
o Installation

Relevant Legislation
The Working at Height Regulations 2005
o Avoidance of risks from working at height
o Minimise the distance and consequence of a fall

Relevant Legislation
These regulations address the specific hazards
associated with cryogenic materials, but do not
include the many related hazards:
Lone Working
Asphyxiation
Toxicity

Key factors of risk assessments

The purpose of risk assessments is to provide

a safe and healthy environment for all
employees, by assessing the chance of harm
being done

Identify all the hazards associated

with the task.

Risk assessments
Sometimes the hazards are difficult to
identify

Risk assessments

Sometimes the hazards are easy to

identify

Hazards
1. Pressure build-up
Continuous evaporation
generates a gaseous
atmosphere and an increase in
pressure inside any liquid
cryogen storage vessel.
If not properly controlled and
released by suitable measures,
this can result in a significant
build-up of pressure.
A pressure relief valve (PRV) of
suitable specification, which has
been registered for statutory
inspection, should be used to
prevent over pressurisation of
the vessel or system.

Hazards
2. Expansion Ratio
This is the ratio of the volume of the cryogenic liquid from the
boiling point to normal ambient temperature and atmospheric
pressure.
Gas volume from
liquid

Relative Density

Liquid methane

1 : 627

0.555

Liquid nitrogen

1 : 696

0.967

Liquid helium

1 : 757

0.138

Liquid hydrogen

1 : 851

0.069

Liquid oxygen

1 : 860

1.105

Liquid neon

1 : 1438

0.697

Solid carbon dioxide

1 : 554

1.520

The evaporation of one litre of liquid nitrogen

produces 696 litres of gas at NTP.
The evaporation of one litre of liquid helium
produces 757 litres of gas at NTP.

Hazards
3. Cold contact burns
Liquid or low-temperature gas from cryogenic
materials will produce effects on the skin similar to
burns.
Contact with uninsulated pipes etc. will cause
contact burns and may result in the skin freezing to
the pipework.
Gases released as cryogenic liquids vapourise can
permanently damage delicate skin e.g. the eyes.

Hazards
4. Frostbite and exposure
Exposure to continuous cold will slow an individuals
reactions and capabilities and could lead to
hypothermia.
Continued exposure is likely to result in frostbite.

Hazards
5. Asphyxiation

The atmosphere around us has

an oxygen content of 21% O2
which enables us to breathe
normally.
The minimum safe O2 content for
entry into any area is 19.5%,
below this level entry should be
forbidden.

Hazards
6. Embrittlement of materials
When materials are cooled, the Youngs modulus of
the material will typically increase by around 20%
down to liquid helium temperatures.
This will increase the materials strength and
stiffness, but also the brittleness which could also
cause failure of parts due to the change in this
property.

Hazards
7. The human factor
There is a potential for hazards to be
created directly by the people carrying
out the task this is known as the
human factor

Hazards
8. Design installation
The British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA)
Codes of Practice provide guidance and a
framework to assist with fulfilling the legal duties
and achieving best practice.
External storage tanks must have sufficient
clearance on all sides to comply with BCGA CP36.
The design of piped gas delivery systems for
cryogenic liquids needs to conform to the Pressure
Systems Safety Regulation 2000.

Hazards
9. Vehicular transportation of cryogenic materials:
Transportation of cryogenic substances is covered by
the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (CDG
Road) Regulations 1996.
These regulations come into force if the cryogenic
substances are transported on public roads, for
however brief a period.

Training

Training
Maslows four stages of learning

Training
How many times do I have to tell you!
Recall

Told

Shown

Experienced

After 3 weeks

70 %

72 %

85 %

After 3 months

10 %

32 %

65 %

Telling is a very limited way of aiding memory and results in

poor recall.

Training
Classroom based study is the traditional route for training
Consider the merits of mentoring
Training as you work in-house expertise first hand
experience
Graduate training scheme MPDS

Training

Training

Training

Training

Training
Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health

Its never too late to learn something new

What animal?
Learning to view things from a
different angle

A frog ?

A horse ?

Fundamentals of cryogenic
safety and training

Thank you
Questions?