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July
2005
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Propane
Cylinder Tank Relief Valves Must Be Oriented Properly
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The relief valve on the propane cylinder tank
needs to point at the 12:00 o'clock or up position
when installing the tank on your forklift. That
is what the purpose of the locator pin on the
propane tank bracket is for. In this position,
the relief valve will be in the vapor space of
the propane tank and will work properly. Should
the tank build up too much pressure, it will release
just the pressure in the tank, not the fuel. So
please make sure the relief valves on your propane
tanks are pointing straight up. See this month's
Training Tip below for more on how this
relief valve and other parts of the tank work.
Also note that any relief valves on the propane
tank or the bulkhead fitting that the propane
hose connects to need to be covered with a weather
protective cap so dirt cannot cause the relief
valve to stick shut. OSHA can levy a fine against
your company because this cap is missing. OSHA
law 1910.110(h)(4)(i) states: "Safety-relief
valves and discharge piping shall be protected
against physical damage. The outlet shall be provided
with loose-fitting rain caps. There shall be no
return bends or restrictions in the discharge
piping."
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Safe
Handling of Fuels Used in Forklifts
Forklifts
run on a few different types of fuels. Gasoline, diesel,
natural gas and propane are the main types of fuel used.
Certain safety concerns come into play when refueling
your forklifts.
Gas and Diesel
Gas and diesel fuels are highly combustible. When refueling
your trucks with either fuel, you should be in an area
that is well ventilated. Always shut the truck off;
do not leave it running while refueling. This is covered
under OSHA law 1910.178(p)(2): "Fuel tanks shall
not be filled while the engine is running. Spillage
shall be avoided." 1910.178(p)(3) also states:
"Spillage of oil or fuel shall be carefully washed
away or completely evaporated and the fuel tank cap
replaced before restarting the engine."
NEVER use an open flame to check for fuel levels in
your tank, OSHA law 1910.178(p)(5) states: "Open
flames shall not be used for checking electrolyte levels
in storage batteries or gasoline levels in fuel tanks."
This also means NO SMOKING while refueling your trucks.
When done refueling, always wipe up any spills and place
the cap back on the top of the tank. Report any leaks
to a supervisor so they can be repaired and tag the
truck out of service until repairs are made to the forklift.
This is covered under OSHA Law 1910.178 (p)(4): "No
truck shall be operated with a leak in the fuel system
until the leak has been corrected."
Propane
Propane fuel, commonly known as LPG, is a very popular
fuel used on internal combustion forklifts. Certain
safety rules apply in the safe handling of LPG. Propane
is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, nontoxic (non poisonous)
and heavier than air gas. A smell is added to propane
to aid in the detection of leaks. It is stored in a
cylinder under pressure and stays in a liquid state.
The temperature of this gas while in this cylinder is
around -45°F. It has a boiling point of -44°
at which point it will turn to a vapor.
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changing a propane tank, certain precautions should
be taken: |
- Before exiting your forklift, set the parking
brake and chock the wheels if on an incline.
- Check the area around you. Are you near any
open flames or sparks?
- Go around to the side of the fork truck and
shut the fuel valve off on your propane tank.
- Get back into the operator's compartment and
try to start your truck one more time. If it
does not start, you are safely out of fuel in
the lines and the pressure has been reduced.
- Go back to the side of the forklift and wear
PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) before going
any further. The use of rubber gloves is recommended,
so if you forgot to close the valve on the tank,
the propane fuel will not absorb into the rubber
gloves as it might with cloth gloves and do
serious harm to your skin. Caution! At -44°F,
this will not frostbite you, it will burn your
skin! Also protect your eyes: goggles or an
eye shield are preferred.
- Unscrew the coupling from the tank, release
the tank brackets and remove the tank from the
truck. Use proper lifting techniques when putting
the full propane tank up on the truck; a full
tank is heavy!
- Place the full tank on the truck.
- Line up the hole in the collar of the tank
with the locator pin on your tank bracket, making
sure that the pressure relief valve on the tank
is facing in the up position.
- Screw the hose coupling onto the full tank.
Always check the hose for any cracks, cuts or
leaks and report any problems immediately.
- Secure the tank brackets and turn the valve
on the tank to the open position.
- Then, Listen, Look and Smell
for any leaks. Because of the odor placed in
the propane, you should be able to smell a leak
immediately. A leak is also easily identifiable
by sight, because you will see a heavy frost
built up where it is leaking. Again, do not
touch this area with your bare hands, you can
burn your skin. Never use an open flame to check
for a propane leak (see 1910.178(p)(5) above)
and never smoke while changing a propane tank.
- Tag the truck out of service if it has a leak
and report it to your supervisor immediately
as stated in 1910.178(p)(4). Also report any
damaged propane tanks to a supervisor.
- At the end of your shift or the end of the
work day, always shut off the valve on the propane
tank.
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| According
to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA 5-4.1),
storage of propane tanks outside of buildings awaiting
use shall be at least 20 feet away from any doorway
or opening in a building frequented by the public.
Protection of cylinders under NFPA 5-4.2.1(b) states:
"A lockable ventilated metal locker or rack
that prevents tampering with valves and pilferage
of the cylinder." |
For Inside storage, OSHA 1910.110(f)(4)(i) states:
"The quantity of LP gas stored inside building(s)
will not exceed 300 pounds." This means if a standard
LP tank holds 33 pounds, then no more than nine tanks
can be stored inside, even if some tanks are full, half
full or empty. Note, propane tanks already on the forklifts
do NOT count toward this number. Exceeding this
number is considered a SERIOUS violation in OSHA's view
and can result in a $1,100 fine.
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Basic
Anatomy and Operation of the Forklift Propane Fuel Cylinder
Propane cylinders are constructed of either steel or
aluminum and are built to the specifications of the
Department of Transportation (DOT). They are rugged,
but should never be mishandled or abused. The bottom
footing is designed to keep the cylinder steady when
the cylinder is in the upright position. The top collar
is designed to protect the fittings and provide positioning
holes for properly mounting the cylinder on a forklift.
A propane cylinder is designed to contain propane in
its liquid form. Propane is stored in the cylinder under
pressure to keep the propane in a liquid state. Liquid
propane reacts in much the same way to temperature and
pressure as water, except propane's boiling point is
much lower on the thermometer. Propane's boiling point
is around -44°F, and with any temperature above
this point, it would look and act just like water boiling
in a pot on a stove: the propane would boil and vaporize.
When water or propane vaporizes, it causes pressure
and that pressure is contained inside the propane cylinder
ranging from 30 to 200 psig. The ambient temperature
outside the container governs the vapor pressure in
the tank, not by the amount of liquid propane inside
(Figure 1).
When the pressure reaches 128 psig, it acts against
the liquid propane, and the boiling point has been raised
to slightly more than 80°F. So if the propane container
temperature is 80°F or less, the propane will remain
in a liquid form. If the temperature of the cylinder
were to exceed roughly 130°, the tank contains a
safety relief valve (located in the vapor section) that
would release any pressure in excess of 300 psig. Propane
is then drawn out through the liquid service valve supplying
propane to your forklift. The liquid service valve is
connected to the liquid withdrawal tube (Figure 2, Item
8) which is a tube that extends down below the surface
level of liquid propane.
It is very important that the end of this tube is submersed
in the liquid propane. The locator pin (Figure 2, Item
10) on the truck is there to assist in placing the liquid
withdrawal tube into the liquid propane. If the tank
were to become rotated so that the tube was out of the
liquid (Figure 3), the truck would run out of fuel simulating
an empty tank. So in order to utilize all the fuel in
the propane cylinder, make sure all your trucks have
the locator pin in place and your forklift operators
locate their tanks on that pin.
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T
& J Given Award for Excellence
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Thompson & Johnson was recently recognized
with the "Certificate of Excellence"
from Toyota Material Handling for Aftermarket
Sales and Service Excellence at our Syracuse location.
The award is based on an evaluation and certification
program that includes 25 standards the dealership
must attain, including such criteria as:
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- Proper tools
- Up-to-date Manuals and CDs that are readily
accessible for the mechanics
- Follow-up program to help insure customer
satisfaction after the repair
- Utilizing a Service Dispatch System to monitor
breakdown calls and to schedule Planned Maintenance
Services
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This prestigious Award reinforces Thompson &
Johnson's commitment to providing outstanding
parts and service support to our Toyota customers.
The remaining three locations are scheduled to
be evaluated in 2005 and 2006.
Save
the Date
Train-the-Trainer seminars are being held this
month on July 22 in Albany and July 29 in Syracuse.
Please contact Dave Bennett for additional information
at 315-437-2881 x146 or dbennett@thompsonandjohnson.com.
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Crown's
Work Assist Vehicle
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Consider the time it takes an individual to transport,
put away or retrieve multiple loads of products
using manual equipment such as ladders and handcarts.
The Crown "Wave" Work Assist Vehicle
can virtually cut that time – and your labor
– in half. The Wave is a revolutionary, mobile
productivity tool that eliminates the risks associated
with climbing ladders and improves load handling
ergonomics to reduce back and other injuries.
There is no safer, faster or more cost-effective
way to help your workers transport, lift or move
products, tools, equipment and supplies than with
the Crown Wave.
Please contact your local Thompson & Johnson
representative for additional information or to
schedule an application survey and demonstration.
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