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Continued from page 53
Transportation of cylinders by road
When dealing with South Africa’s road legislation around
transport of propane we find that reference is made to SANS
10231 and in particular to table C.1.
SANS 10231 establishes rules and procedures for the safe
operation and handling of all road vehicles that are used for
the transport of Dangerous Goods in accordance with the load
constraints.
The procedures include requirements for the consignor, the
consignee, the operator, the driver, the qualified person as well as
en route procedures and cargo handling.
Studying the standard, we find that the hazardous class is 2.1
and propane is exempt from the legislation up to 100kg.
That being said we should remain attentive.
The Regulation applies to everyone carrying gases in the
course of his or her work in a vehicle. cylinders have a capacity
or the maximum weight of product. If the total load is below the
100kg threshold basic legal safety regulations apply, above the
100kg threshold the full legislation applies.
Most service companies will not exceed the threshold.
The basic safety requirements for a load below the threshold
(small load exemptions) carried in a closed vehicle are as follows:
• Drivers should be aware of the hazards of the products, how
to safely handle them, emergency procedures and the use of
firefighting equipment;
• Vehicles should be well ventilated;
• One 2kg fire extinguisher should be carried;
• Cylinder valves should be closed, and adaptors
disconnected;
• Cylinders should be secure and clearly labelled.
Transportation of charged systems
Given that the maximum amount of R290 in a single system
is 500g, refrigerating machines and refrigerating machine
components are considered exempt.
An excerpt from the standard reads as follows “the transport
of machinery or equipment not specified in this clause and which
contain dangerous goods in their internal or operational equipment,
provided that measures have been taken to prevent any leakage of
contents in normal conditions of transport”.
Looking again at the European requirements we find more
detail. Flammable liquefied gases shall be contained within
refrigerating machine components. These components shall be
designed and tested to at least three times the working pressure
of the machinery. The refrigerating machines shall be designed
and constructed to contain the liquefied gas and preclude the risk
of bursting or cracking of the pressure containing components
during normal conditions of carriage.
www.hvacronline.co.za
Basic guidelines are:
• Cylinders must never be laid down. Always keep cylinders
upright and well secured.
• Never tamper with a cylinder or valve. If excess force is
needed to open or close the cylinder valve, or if the valve is
damaged in any way, have it replaced.
• If a leak from the cylinder valve is detected, move the
cylinder to a safe location at least 20 metres from any
sources of ignition until empty.
• Ensure that cylinders are always kept away from sources of
ignition.
• Should there be a fire, use a dry chemical fire extinguisher as
these are suitable to extinguish flammable refrigerant fires.
• In the event of fire, a cylinder should be removed from the
heat source. If this is not possible, keep the cylinder cool by
spraying water on to it. However, if flames are threatening
to engulf the cylinder, the area should be evacuated, and
emergency services notified immediately.
• No cylinder larger than 9kg should be carried inside a
passenger vehicle.
• Ensure cylinder valve is tight prior to transportation.
Chris, I hope that this assists you with the use of flammable
refrigerants. They have arrived and are certainly here to stay. The
last part of your question will be addressed in the next issue but
please note: the maximum limit for a single contained system has
been changed from 150g to 500g.
To finish this off I would like to pose the following question: We
have been transporting propane in our cars, bakkies, caravans for
years, what does the legislation say on the matter?
I quote: “The requirements of this standard shall not apply to
the following:
The transport of dangerous goods by private individuals
where the goods in question are packaged for retail sale and are
intended for their personal or domestic use or for their leisure or
sporting activities.
NOTE: Dangerous goods in IBCs, large packaging or tanks in excess
of exempted quantities are not considered to be for personal or
domestic use or for their leisure or sporting activities.
Thank you for all your questions. Send your problems (and
sometimes your creative solutions) to [email protected]
with ‘Solutions Page’ in the subject line.
You may include pictures.
REFERENCES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
ACRA
EN378
SANS10231
BRA. RACA
RACA Journal I February 2020
55