Carbon Dioxide Safety

Personnel handling carbon dioxide shall be thoroughly familiar with its associated hazards. There are several conditions in which extreme danger to personnel and equipment can exist, including:

• employee exposure to extremely cold liquid, vapor, dry ice, piping, or equipment which can cause severe damage to eyes or skin;
• dry ice blocking hoses, pipes, or valves which can result in an overpressurization, forceful ejection of the plug, and/or hose whip;
• low temperature effects on the container, piping, hoses, and other system components which can cause material changes such as embrittlement, shrinking, or swelling and can result in failure (see G-6.1, Standard for Insulated Liquid Carbon Dioxide Systems at Consumer Sites);
• vaporization of liquid that is trapped (e.g., in a hose, piping, or within a valve) will result in increased pressure that can result in a rupture;
• dry ice obstructions in discharge and blowdown piping, which can lead to the unintended pressurization of piping or components to greater than the design pressures and colder than the design temperatures;
• personnel overexposure to carbon dioxide which can result in serious injury or death;
• overfilling cylinders and containers which can result in overpressurization and can cause the cylinder or container to rupture; and
• generation of extremely high static electricity charges (greater than 100,000 volts) during the formation of solid dry ice, which can present serious hazards particularly in combustible environments.

It is critical that all personnel working with carbon dioxide understand the potential hazards and follow industry guidelines for safe practices. More information regarding these potential safety hazards and recommended mitigations are addressed in CGA G-6, Carbon Dioxide. Precautions for handling dry ice are found in CGA G-6.9, Dry Ice, and CGA SP-15, Safety Poster (End User), Safe Handling, Transport, and Use of Dry Ice.