Gas Cylinder Lifting at the NCNR

Gas cylinders represent a serious safety concern when they are being moved because of the tremendous amount of stored energy. For this reason, those instruments that have upper levels (FCS, DCS, HFBS) are plumbed to keep gas cylinder supplies at floor level. This is our preferred mode of operation. However, occasionally an experiment will depend on placing a cylinder at the top of one of these instruments. We have recently made a gas cylinder lifting cage so that this transfer can be done in a safe manner. Please use this lifting cage when transporting large gas cylinders to the tops of instruments.

You can find the gas cylinder lifting cage at the North end of the guide hall with the other lifting hardware. Attached is a JPEG picture of the cage. It is light enough to be hand-carried where needed, with a carry handle on the side. We are in the process of placing gas cylinder clamps on top of the instruments listed so that the cylinders can be used once they have been lifted.

Following are a few rules to keep in mind:

1. The crane or hoist must be operated by someone that has received crane or hoist training.



2. Regulators must be removed and cylinder caps must be in place during lifts.



3. Do not use the lifting cage for anything other than lifting. It is not a cylinder stand. Cylinder clamps will be found on top of the instrument.

Thank you for your attention.
Dan Dender

Last modified 18-March-2003