FEBUARY 16TH, 2021

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

February 17th, 2021

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

Presented byTom Peterson, CHFM

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

Oxygen cylinder storage requirements are detailed in the 2012 edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Health Care Facilities Code (NFPA 99-2012). The JointCommission cites oxygen cylinder storage deficiencies under Environment of Care (EC) Standard EC.02.05.09, Element of Performance (EP) 12, which requires an organization to implement a policy that includes “physicallysegregating full and empty cylinders from each other in order to assist staff in selecting the proper cylinder.”

Section 11.6.5.2 of NFPA 99-2012 elaborates that if empty and full cylinders are stored in the same area or room, the empty cylinders must be separated from the full cylinders. The separation distance is not defined, however.

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

If an organization uses integral pressure gauges, it must determine the pressure at which a cylinder is considered empty, according to NFPA 99-2012 Section 11.6.5.2.1. “I usually see ‘<500 psi’ as the definition of empty in written policies,” says James Kendig, MS, CHSP, CHCM,CHEM, LHRM, Field Director, Surveyor Management and Development, for The Joint Commission’s Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations.

While serving as a vice president and safety officer for a four-hospital health system in Florida, Kendig used a color-coded racking system for storing cylinders: green for full, yellow for partially full, and red for empty. His organization defined full as “not yet opened” and had psi parameters for partial and empty cylinders “to reduce confusion,” he says.

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

Requirements For Oxygen Cylinder Storage

Having such a racking system is a good practice but not a requirement. The Joint Commission and the NFPA simply require that empty cylinders be labeled as such and kept apart from full cylinders. How “partials” are treated is a gray area that organizations must address through policy. But keep in mind that empty cylinders can be stored in the same rack with partially full cylinders only if the empties areindividually labeled as such. And remember that Joint Commission surveyors will look to see if your organization is following its own policy here.

Thank You