Every year EIGA hands out an award that recognises a fresh idea to make our work environments safer : our Safety Innovation Award.

For 2022 EIGA is accepting applications related to "Behavioural Safety". The call for nominations is open !

The award will be granted to the Member Company who is judged to have best met the criteria listed. These criteria can be found in Doc 903 EIGA Safety and Environmental Award schemes (see here after login).

Applications (see annexed form) are welcome at e.vandererven@eiga.eu before 30th September 2022.

The award will be presented at the EIGA Summer Session in Paris in June 2023.

Please feel free to share with your colleagues.

EIGA is reaching out externally, starting with a hydrogen focus. More will follow in future newsletters but you may already have noticed the EIGA LinkedIn ?

EIGA also issued these tree factsheets, see here, here and here.

BCGA GN 48 - Type Approval and Conformity Assessment of Transportable Pressure Equipment in the UK

BCGA has developed GN 48 to help those involved with type approval and conformity assessment understand the changes to legislation that has occurred within the UK following Brexit.

Doc 39/22 – The Safe Preparation of Gas Mixtures

(Harmonised publication, revision of Doc 39/14) This publication sets out the basic requirements to ensure that gas mixtures are manufactured safely.

Doc 66/22 – Refrigerated CO2 Storage at Users' Premises

(revision of Doc 66/08) This publication provides the minimum requirements and the practices for design, construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of refrigerated liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) storage at users’ premises.

Doc 80/22 - Handling Gas Container Emergencies

(Revision of Doc 80/14) This publication describes the special requirements and techniques used in handling emergencies involving gas containers. It is intended to be a practical guide for the use of technically competent and trained practitioners.

Doc 132/22 - Unmanned Airgas Plants: Design and Operation

(Revision of Doc 132/15) This publication has been written to address issues relating to the increasing number of air gas production facilities that are run unmanned or remotely operated. The purpose of this publication is to provide guidelines for the design, operation, and maintenance of a plant that will have unmanned or remote operations.

Doc 238/22 – Prevention of Plant Instrument and Utility Gas System Cross Contamination

(Harmonised publication) This publication applies to HYCO plants and provides design and safeguards requirements of utility and instrument gas systems. It identifies the potential hazards resulting from the connections between gases, instrument gases, and the process.

Doc 241/22 – Purification, Compression and Drying of Acetylene

This publication is intended to provide general guidelines for the purification, compression and drying of acetylene. It includes recommendations for operational and maintenance safe practices to mitigate potential acetylene decomposition and other hazards related to the purification, compression and drying of acetylene.

TB 42/22 - Welded Gaseous Storage Vessels and Hydrogen Compatibility

This Technical Bulletin provides recommendations concerning the suitability of welded gaseous storage for hydrogen service and provides guidelines for minimising the effects of embrittlement when designing new welded storage vessels and gives recommendations for assessing the safety of existing storage vessels, when the design pressure is greater than 25 bar.

TB 43/22 - Secondary Identification of H2 Vehicle at Dispenser

This publication discusses the degree of risk and mitigation that have been identified for dispensers at hydrogen refueling stations.

European Medicines Agency Quality Working Party

EIGA received a direct invite to present to the European Medicines Agency Quality Working Party (EMA QWP) our request to revise EMA’s 10 old guide on Medicinal Gases CPMP/QWP/1719/00, which defines the content of Module III of a Marketing Authorisation dossier. A WG7 member presented our asks and the QWP accepted to include the revision of the guide in their 3-year working program.

It’s only the 2nd time in history that EIGA is invited to work with EMA QWP, the first time was to revise the GMP Annex 6, Good Manufacturing Practice of medical gases.

TB 30/22 - Classification of Medical Device Gases According to European Medical Device Regulations

(Revision of TB 30/19) To establish a harmonised approach and to avoid different interpretations of rules and risk classes across the different EU member states. See here.

REC is closely monitoring developments around the Fit for 55 negotiations (members can access this Issue Tracker for more detail), which will effectively implement the objectives set in the Green Deal.

In particular the changes to the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and the establishment of the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are dominating the debate, but for the time being the outcome of the negotiations is very uncertain. EIGA’s position on the unlinking of the hydrogen benchmark from the refinery one is perceived as a minor topic by policymakers, even though the regulatory framework for hydrogen is one of the key elements for the EU and for the upcoming RePower plan, the EU response to the current energy crisis stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The plan will also touch on other files of the Fit for 55 such as the Renewable Energy Directive, which EIGA is closely following.

Elsewhere, the EU is starting the negotiations on the Gas Package whose aim is to set out terms for access to the natural gas system. This includes the rules for the transport, supply and storage of gases, and the transition of the natural gas system to renewable and low carbon gases, including hydrogen. EIGA is preparing advocacy material with focus on private networks for hydrogen and will be approaching policymakers in the coming weeks.

BN 29/22 - Authorisation of Plant Protection Products

(EIGA Members' area) The aim of this Briefing Note is to advocate for harmonised CLP classification and labelling for Plant Protection Products (PPPs) across the EU.

EIGA recommends that the requester of a new authorisation or the renewal of an existing authorisation adds this Briefing Note to their request to clarify the issue. EIGA encourages the competent authorities to follow the European harmonisation and classification rules for PPP products.

Doc 169/21 – Classification, and Labelling Guide in accordance with EC Regulation 1272/2008 (CLP Regulation)

(revision of Doc 169/20) EIGA Doc 169 known as the « Classification and Labelling Guide » is updated regularly in order to take into account the changes in the CLP Regulation and the changes in the classification of gases due to the REACH registration of substances that have occurred.

Doc 229/22 - Guidance for Manual Handling Activities of Cylinders

(Revision of Doc 229/20) Manual handling is an important issue for the industrial gases sector (including all areas such as medical, food etc.). Many activities of the industrial gases industry involve manual effort which have the potential to cause harm if not properly managed. Manual handling related injuries are a major cause of lost workdays. This publication covers the ergonomics and occupational health of manual handling activities in the industrial and medical gas sector. Included specifically are ergonomic principles that can be adopted to reduce likelihood of musculoskeletal issues.

Doc 914/22 – Road Vehicle Accident Statistics (RAST)

(revision of Doc 914/20) To establish the consequences, nature and frequency of accidents to the industry's road vehicles, EIGA collects systematic and detailed information on injury, loss and damage related to significant accidents. This information adds to industry knowledge and enables informed discussion with the legislators. EIGA Doc 914 Road Vehicle Accident Statistics (RAST) contains the rules and guidelines for collection and reporting of data on road vehicle accidents and is intended to be used by those who are working with the EIGA Statistic Platform RAST. This revision highlights an important change approved by the Board of Directors: reporting on road vehicle accidents is mandatory from 2020, both for accidents from member companies and from their contracting companies. The new RAST platform is aligned with this revision. It contains a new qualification field ‘contract type’ to be able to split data between member companies and their contracting companies. To obtain correct statistical data the kilometres driven are split between own transport and subcontracted transport. Reports will be available in different categories: member company accidents, contractor accidents and both together.

Doc 919/21 – Guidelines for the Preparation of Safety Data Sheets

(revision of Doc 919/20 ) EIGA 919 “Guidelines for the preparation of Safety Data Sheets” known as the “SDS Guide” is updated regularly in order to take into account new data and new risk management measures submitted by gas producers during the REACH registration of gases and communicated in their revised SDSs. Changes in the library of phrases are highlighted in the document. National legislations are not considered in this document. References to national legislation should be added in the relevant sections of the SDS by the gas supplier, preferably in coordination with the other EIGA members in the relevant National Gas Association.

Doc 926/22 – Fraud and Fraudulent Behaviour

(Revision of Doc 926/16) Gas companies can suffer from fraudulent use of their assets for personal gain. Those who commit fraud can be employees or external to the company, for example contractors, distributors or third parties. This activity can result in loss of assets and damage to the reputation of the industrial gases industry. This publication covers assets and the controls that can be put in place surrounding their security. This can include the fraudulent sale of products, for example gas cylinders and assets such as fuel, raw materials are also covered. This publication is intended is to give practical guidance to member companies on what controls, procedures and other actions can be considered to reduce the loss of assets as well as illegal trading by employees and others. Reducing this type of activity and behaviour should reduce the risk of loss, including the actual loss, as well as having a positive reputation and financial outcome.

Awareness Package TP INC 45/22 - Recent Incidents in the Industrial and Medical Gases Industry (SAC 169)

At each meeting of the EIGA Safety Advisory Council (SAC), the members exchange information on gas industry related incidents (accidents causing injuries, property or environmental damage and near-misses). SAC discusses and analyses these incidents. This information is used by SAC to determine the priorities for safety alerts, safety information, new and revised documents, campaigns etc.

In this Awareness Package are the summaries and photographs of recent incidents discussed at SAC.

This publication can be viewed or downloaded on the EIGA Website (restricted to EIGA Members only) by clicking here.

Awareness Package TP INC 46/22 - Recent Incidents in the Industrial and Medical Gases Industry (SAC 170)

At each meeting of the EIGA Safety Advisory Council (SAC), the members exchange information on gas industry related incidents (accidents causing injuries, property or environmental damage and near-misses). SAC discusses and analyses these incidents. This information is used by SAC to determine the priorities for safety alerts, safety information, new and revised documents, campaigns etc.

In this Awareness Package are the summaries and photographs of recent incidents discussed at SAC.

This publication can be viewed or downloaded on the EIGA Website (restricted to EIGA Members only) by clicking here.

Road Vehicle Accident Statistics - Annual Report 2021

This is the first Annual Report on the updated Road Vehicle Accident Statistics. See Doc 914 for more context.