we have a 24/7 operation so the trucks are refuelled 3 times a day and the cylinders are fixed on to the truck. we have a service and supply contract from a large UK supplier and part of this contract is an annual cylinder inspection plus the cylinder and fittings are part of the pre shift check. These cylinders are designed to be filled on the truck and are not much different to a car that is fitted with an lpg tank. If the correct method is used and protective clothing worn, there shouldnt be a problem. We do include the refilling the truck as part of the initial training and as part of the 3 year refresher training. You can never guarantee that an operator will always follow the rules but you can have sanctions in place if they do. It would be considered a major breach in safety procedure and leaves the operator open to instant dismissal if they dont follow the rules.

I've seen operators driving forklifts ( smoking a cigerette) while the propane connector sprayed liquid propane like a fountain, I've seen propane companies refilling tanks on forklifts & in enclosed rooms. I even had 1 customer running his forklifts on medical grade propane ( no odorant ) inside their wharehouse which was attached to the front main office building (about 200 people worked under roof). Training & certifying people is great- getting them to follow procedure is quite another. Sometimes I wonder how more people don't die in & around forklifts.

Bet that operator didn't have to cut the hair out of his nose or ears or trim his eyebrows for a while but did have to change underwear immediately.

Hey Guys,
Have a look at the photo gallery on forkliftaction com.
incidents/accidents 3 phots across and 4 down. and see what damage LP gas can do.

Have a safe day

Amazing - OSHA/SAE/ASME/ANSI standards say LP tanks are to be mounted within the confines of the lift truck.

I recently visited a customer location in Florida. This customer had 10-12 Toyota 15,000 lb. Cushion tire lift trucks. I was shocked at what I saw. The trucks were equipped with (2 ea.) LP Tanks mounted ON TOP of the Overhead Guard with a fill hose mounted on the overhead guard leg behind the operator's seat.

TradeShowDave:

Here is the OSHA position on filling propane cylinders by volume.

Part Number: 1910
Part Title: Occupational Safety and Health Standards
Subpart: H
Subpart Title: Hazardous Materials
Standard Number: 1910.110
Title: Storage and handling of liquefied petroleum gases.

1910.110(e)(7)(iv)

Portable containers equipped for volumetric filling may be filled in either the vertical or horizontal position only when oriented to place the safety relief valve in communication with the vapor space.

Thanks Edward and Joseph, Exactly what I was looking for.
Much appreciated.

TradeShowDave:

The National Fire Protection Association Preprint Draft for the 2011 edition of NFPA 58: Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code reads:

11.13.2 Industrial Truck Cylinders

11.13.2.1 Cylinders shall be designed, constructed, or fitted
for installation and filling in either the vertical or horizontal
position or, if of the universal type, in either position.

11.13.2.2 The cylinder shall be in the design position while
being filled or, if of the universal type, shall be filled in either
position.

The 2011 final edition can be viewed online (read only):
Google: NFPA 58: Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code

Filling a D.O.T. propane cylinder while in a storage rack poses two potential safety problems.

1) The propane cylinders are unlikely to be inspected for damage, certification, and hazard communication markings as required prior to refilling.

2) Should a fire occur during the filling process, several propane cylinders could become involved. Multiple relief valves could be triggered. The intense heat from a flame impinging on an adjacent cylinder could result in rupture of a container due to a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) from an involved cylinder.

Propane cylinders are best filled in an area where any fire or mishap is restricted to a single cylinder.
_____

Employers filling their own forklift propane cylinders should ensure that their property/casualty insurance carrier has reviewed and approved their propane filling operations. If such operations are carried on without the knowledge and approval of the insurance carrier, mishaps may not be covered.

The filling position of a D.O.T forklift propane cylinder depends on the design of the propane cylinder. Some cylinders are designed to be filled in the horizontal position. Some cylinders are designed to be filled in the upright position. Some cylinders are universal and can be filled in either position. Contact the manufacturer whose name is required on the propane cylinder for the proper filling position of any particular propane cylinder.

/thread.asp?trid=6450 [Thanks to Joseph H for going beyond what could reasonably be asked of him, and getting us this information] has some added information, and it seem as if this is a NFPA (National Fire Prevention Assoc.) standard, and is reflected in that OSHA sites the NFPA standard, and it has recently been updated to reflect an opinion that filling a tank on the machine, that can easily be removed from the machine to fill, is NOT the proper safe method. "
however I have not seen that the tank MUST be vertical (as much as this makes sense) while filling.

I am looking for documentation on forklift tank filling procedure, specifically in the horizontal position while in a storage rack with the indexing hole in the proper down position. I spoke to someone at Worthington cylinder and got no reply.
Our safety manager said the horizontal position while filling is an OSHA violation and that vertical is the only acceptable way. I don't have a copy of the NFPA standard.
Thanks

I have been reading some of the training requirements and I will add what we do...

We have a 4 phase training program

1) Formal Classroom training

2) Demonstration phase

3) Exercise phase

4) Evaluation phase

All our trainees must safely complete all 4 phases before they can be certified and they cannot be certified until the evaluator has signed the form off saying that the trainee has passed his evaluation phase.

We then have a certification phase and we have the re-fresher phase when needed. And as everyone else we have our 3 year re-eval phase. We take safety and training very serious in our company and we are very fortunate to have upper management, including the CFO and CEO 100% behind the training and safety sections.

We do not allow anyone to re-fill tanks. When they are empty they are put in racks and replaced with a full tank. We have a contracted company come and collect the empty tanks and replace them with full tanks. The contracted company is responsible for making sure the tanks are in working order and all updates and repairs are corrected before returning the tanks. We store all our tanks in an outside approved cage.