Laboratories

Teacher control of the gas supply in a laboratory is the most effective way to ensure maximum gas safety and teachingtime efficiency. This can be done using a panel fitted behind the teacher’s desk that includes a key switch and emergency stop button to control an automatic isolation valve (AIV) .

IGEM/UP/11 Edition 2 (UP11.21), published by the Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM), sets down the minimum safety requirements in educational establishments for designers, operators and users. This requires (section 6.2.4.1) that ‘where an AIV is required, the system shall include a downstream integrity check before the valve can be reopened’. A practical way to achieve this is by a gas pressure proving system; this will ensure that all gas taps are closed before allowing the use of gas

UP11.2 (section 6.2.2-3) requires that an ‘additional emergency shut-off valve should be fitted in a readily accessible position for use by teaching and technical staff’, and continues: ‘Where it is not practicable to install a manual isolation valve in a readily accessible position, or where it is required to interlock the gas supply with other safety systems – such as air flow, fire or gas detection – then an automatic means of isolation shall be installed.’