CO2 Safety in Restaurants, Bars, Venues

Here are 5 things business owners and managers can do to prevent CO2-related injuries in their establishment.

1. Have your CO2 system installed by a reputable and bonded contractor

Whether you intend on utilizing cylinders or bulk storage tanks ask your CO2 supplier for recommendations on systems and the installation process. In most cases, the CO2 supplier will also install the equipment. If you use a 3rd party contractor to install the CO2 feed gas lines in the building or to install your soda or draft beer system, make sure they are also trained and insured for hazardous gas line installation.

After the equipment is installed, pay special attention to the warnings in the instruction manual and documentation. Ask your CO2 provider to conduct a leak test once the system is charged and operational.  Ask the same supplier to come back on a regular basis to inspect and test annually.

2. Install proper safety signage

Ensure all staff is educated on proper CO2 hazard points and confined space markings in your establishment.  CO2 warning signs should be clearly visible anywhere CO2 is stored or used. If you use an indoor cylinder or tank, the signs should be posted outside the room where the tank or cylinder is stored. If you use outdoor cylinders or tanks, the signs should be posted at the entrance to the room where the CO2 enters the building. If your establishment utilizes a keg cooler or cold box, the signs should be posted directly outside the cooler doors  so they can be viewed prior to entry.

Emergency first responders can also benefit from NFPA 704 diamond placards on the building exterior. These signs perform a valuable function. They give emergency response personnel like firefighters an immediate indicator of the potential danger of the chemicals or gas inside a building. This addresses the health, flammability, instability, and special hazards presented from short‐term, acute exposures that could occur as a result of a fire, spill, or similar emergency. Ask your gas provider to install the NFPA 704 signage.  Note that some states do not require NFPA 704 signage.

The National Board Inspection Code lists specific information that must be posted wherever CO2 storage tanks are used. Click here to download and print the required signage in both English and Spanish (pdf).

3. Employee training

If your employees feel faint/dizzy or if they exhibit signs of nausea what should they do? While CO2 is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, those who have been exposed to high concentrations of gas report a sharp, acidic odor that burns in the sinuses. Employees most at risk are those who attempt to discover the source of the odor instead of notifying other staff and patrons and immediately seeking fresh air.

It is important to always remember as an industry leader you should reinforce the importance that working in and around carbon dioxide could result in serious injury or fatality.

Being able to address worker safety issues and discuss which procedures or areas could hold potential CO2 leak points is paramount. Conducting a facility survey as well as an employee assessment is the first step to understanding your hazards and creating a plan to mitigate them in an effort to reduce the rate of incidents and improve overall employee awareness.

Education and training are the most important aspect of employee safety.

Having co2 monitors and detectors is critical but training employees about these devices, and alarm procedures is also vital. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, and paying attention to the level of CO2 in your workspace will save lives.

You should have a “gas leak” policy in place for CO2 and any other hazardous gas – that every employee is aware of. Make sure employees know what to do if they accidentally disconnect or damage a CO2 line. Consider running emergency drills during off-hours. Preparation is the key to safety.

4. Use CO2 safety training resources

Ensuring safety in the workplace is important. Fortunately, there are tools available such as Brewer Association – Podcasts for CO2 Exposure, or this Brewery’s CO2 Safety Worksheet (pdf) that can be a valuable resource to breweries, wineries or anyone who works with stored CO2.

Creating standard operating procedures or “SOPs” are also critical to staff training and development both for current and future employees.

In the event that someone in your establishment has been exposed to dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, it is important to hold training sessions so that personnel recognize how to contact emergency personnel and are trained on when to reenter a confined space after a CO2 alarm has sounded.

Building a sense of community and trust within the team is a great start to making it easier for the workplace to be open and communicative in terms of understanding CO2 topics in the workplace.

5. Use a CO2 storage safety alarm

The RAD-0102-6 Remote CO2 Storage Safety Alarm, is designed to protect customers and workers around stored carbon dioxide in restaurants, breweries, wineries, and beverage dispensing areas in bars or venues. The device has audible and visual alarms at 0.5% CO2, 1.5% CO2 and 3.0% CO2 per OSHA standards that can control a ventilation fan or trigger an alarm to the fire department or monitoring company.

Our RAD-0102-6 also has an additional alarm that sounds if the 5,000 ppm OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) TWA (time-weighted average) for CO2 levels are exceeded in an 8-hour workday.

In addition, CO2Meter also offers the CO2 Multi-Sensor System which uses a single control tablet with multiple sensors and alarms.

The CM-7000 was designed to ensure fire code compliance in every state. It can control up to 60 CO2 sensors to meet OSHA/NIOSH standards.

It is important to note that the real benefit of any gas detection safety alarm is that it gives you and your employees peace of mind, and added time to respond to a CO2 leak before a tragedy occurs. In addition, the majority of local and state municipalities now require CO2 safety alarms in any facility or establishment that uses or stores carbon dioxide.