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Invisible yet indispensable, gases play a crucial role in food and drink manufacturing – from carbonating beverages to keeping refrigeration systems cool. But while essential to production, these gases also pose significant safety and environmental challenges. As the sector faces increasing pressure to decarbonise, reduce waste and operate more sustainably, ensuring safe and efficient gas management has never been more important. In this feature, Draeger Safety UK’s Adam Pope explores how businesses can strengthen gas safety practices, protect workers and equipment, and align sustainability goals with safer, smarter operations.

From the presence of carbon dioxide in drinks manufacturing to the use of ammonia in food refrigeration systems, gas safety is a key health and safety consideration in the food and drink sector. The variety of gases, their individual characteristics, properties and different applications, combined with the potential high-risk nature of the hazards involved, can make gas safety seem a challenging area, further complicated by regularly evolving legislation and advice.

As a result, it can be challenging to determine the best approach to ensure the safety of workers, and more broadly, the plant as a whole. This issue is brought into particularly sharp focus in smaller and lower-complexity settings, such as small or independent food and drink manufacturing facilities. In such settings, health and safety knowledge (and resources) may be more limited, and the ability to work in partnership with an experienced supplier can be particularly valuable.

Example: Carbon dioxide in breweries

Carbon dioxide is a gas which can commonly present safety issues in environments such as breweries due to the potentially high amounts of the gas created during the fermentation process. Approached appropriately, however, such scenarios are straightforward to address, and correct handling can also yield significant efficiencies in terms of the costs associated with resolving the issue.

In breweries, it is unavoidable that carbon dioxide will enter the ambient environment, often drifting off fermentation vessels into production halls. This itself is a safety issue that requires addressing; however, it is particularly pronounced when members of the public are present – for example, on a brewery tour or in an adjoining tap room. One major brewing company ran ventilation fans constantly to ensure a through flow of air, to ensure that oxygen displacement did not become a safety issue within the facility. However, this ventilation system was costly to run, and its permanent operation was unnecessary – it only needed to be in operation when gas levels reached a certain point.

The decision was made to install a new fixed gas detection system, which was linked to the ventilation system. This enabled the fans to be automatically triggered into operation when carbon dioxide was detected at a certain (conservative) level and switched off when safe levels were restored. This typically only required the fans to be active for 30 minutes or so each time, which led to an approximately 60% reduction in the total time that fans needed to be operational, with associated cost savings.

This highlights a common – and understandable – mistake when approaching gas safety issues, which is to implement unnecessary (and often costly) mitigation methods due to not fully understanding the risks posed.

Example: The use of ammonia in food refrigeration

Ammonia is commonly used in food refrigeration systems and is therefore often employed in small independent food facilities.

Whilst its pungent odour is distinctive and unmistakable, its dangers are significant: In lower concentrations, inhalation can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, and prolonged exposure can result in severe respiratory complications, and can even be fatal. Another, often overlooked, danger is its explosive nature when present in higher volumes.

As a result, an accidental release of ammonia can not only pose immediate health risks but can also lead to explosive incidents if not promptly monitored and managed.

In such settings, correctly positioning gas detectors and audio-visual alarms, particularly in critical areas, is essential for reliably monitoring ammonia and ensuring the protection of both employees and assets.

Although each facility is different and likely to have unique requirements, with the right knowledge and advice, the solution itself need not be overly complicated. A well-designed gas safety detection system, tailored to the site’s specific needs following a survey, will be effective in monitoring for any leaks, providing a complete solution.

Once installed, the system can be fully tested by the equipment provider and set up to trigger alarms for both gas concentrations above defined exposure limits and also explosive potential, ensuring that timely action can be taken, whether that is an emergency evacuation, automated ventilation or a shutdown.

If regular service and maintenance schedules are up to date (something that any good gas safety partner will be able to advise on), such a solution can be left to operate in the background.

Key points

Three key points for health and safety managers to consider when it comes to gas safety in lower complexity food and drink settings:

1. Keep it simple – particularly for smaller settings, a well-chosen gas detection system supported by expert advice from a knowledgeable provider is often more than enough for lower-complexity environments in the food and drink industry.

   
   

2. Ask the company with which you are considering working what experience they have in the food and drink sector and make sure that they can handle the full range of gas safety issues in your business. Additionally, ensure the company has strong engineering, installation and service and maintenance capabilities to support you through the process and look after your system longer-term.

   
   

3. Consider the total cost of ownership of gas detection and monitoring devices – quality can vary, and it's important to ask, for example, how long consumable parts, such as sensors or batteries, should last  – there can be significant differences in the lifespan of such parts and the frequency with which they may need to be replaced can make the difference between good and poor value in the long term.

Gas safety is an issue that is attracting growing focus, not least with the increased use of new and more environmentally sustainable practices and materials. Obtaining good advice from trusted partners is an effective way to efficiently address gas safety concerns in the food and drink sector, from settings which are small and simple through to the sophisticated and complex, ensuring peace of mind for all concerned.