Gas cylinders are common in workshops, fabrication businesses, laboratories, hospitality operations and maintenance teams. Their familiarity can disguise the risk. A cylinder may contain a flammable fuel, an oxidiser, a toxic or asphyxiating gas, or simply a great deal of stored pressure. Safe storage therefore needs more than a chain and a warning sign: the employer must understand the contents, keep quantities proportionate, choose the right location, prevent damage and plan for leaks or fire.
Start with the gas, not the colour of the cylinder
Create an inventory showing each gas, cylinder size, normal and maximum quantity, owner or supplier, storage point and work use. Check the supplier label and safety data rather than relying on body colour alone. Include full, part-used and nominally empty cylinders: an empty cylinder can still contain pressure and hazardous residue.
The assessment should address the properties that change the controls. LPG and acetylene are flammable. Oxygen does not burn, but it supports combustion and can make materials ignite more readily and burn more fiercely. Inert gases can displace oxygen, particularly in enclosed or low-lying spaces. Any pressurised cylinder can fail violently if damaged or heated.
HSE states that DSEAR applies to dangerous substances capable of causing harm through fire, explosion or similar energetic events, including flammable and pressurised gases. Employers must identify the substances and risks, prevent or control them, reduce incident consequences, prepare emergency arrangements, and give people suitable information and training.
HSE: Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations ↗ · Related guide: completing a DSEAR risk assessment →
Choose the storage location from the risk assessment
HSE's DSEAR Approved Code of Practice says cylinders not in use should normally be stored in a safe, secure and uncongested open-air location that allows released gas to disperse and prevents it entering an enclosed area. Nominally empty cylinders also need a safe outdoor location, separated from cylinders in use. This is a risk-based starting point, not permission to place a cage wherever there is spare yard space.
Check ventilation, boundaries, doors, windows, drains, pits, basements, vehicle routes, forklift impact, combustible materials, ignition sources, emergency access and exposure to heat. LPG is heavier than air, so a leak can collect in low points. The enclosure should protect cylinders from interference and collision without trapping a release.
Indoor storage is exceptional and needs a specific justification. HSE guidance calls for quantities to be minimised and cylinders to be kept in a dedicated, well-ventilated, secure store or cabinet of suitable fire-resisting construction. Get competent advice where the gas, quantity, building or process makes the design uncertain.
HSE: DSEAR Approved Code of Practice L138 ↗ · HSE: LPG characteristics and risks ↗
Secure, separate and control the stock
Store cylinders in the orientation required for that gas and container, with valves protected and each cylinder restrained against falling. Acetylene and most LPG cylinders need to be upright in normal use; follow the supplier's instructions for the exact product. Use purpose-designed racks, chains or straps, not improvised rope that can loosen or deteriorate.
Separate incompatible gases and materials. In particular, keep oxygen and other oxidising gases away from fuel gases and combustible stock using the arrangement established by the assessment and relevant guidance. Separate full cylinders from empties, label the status clearly and rotate stock so unidentified or long-forgotten cylinders do not accumulate.
Standards, supplier rules and British Compressed Gases Association codes can provide useful, scope-limited design benchmarks. They are not legislation, do not create a compliance certificate and do not replace the site-specific DSEAR assessment or statutory fire risk assessment. Confirm any separation distance with competent advice for the gases, quantities and layout concerned rather than copying a number from another site.
Move cylinders without damaging the valve or your staff
Plan delivery and movement from the vehicle to the point of use. Use a suitable cylinder trolley or other handling aid and secure the cylinder during movement. Do not roll a cylinder on its side, drop it, drag it by the valve, lift it using the valve or regulator, or leave it free-standing while somebody fetches a restraint.
Inspect for damaged valves, missing caps, corrosion, heat exposure, illegible identification and signs of leakage before accepting or moving a cylinder. Isolate the area and follow the supplier's emergency advice where a leak or defect is suspected. Do not improvise repairs or test for leaks with a flame.
People who connect or use cylinders need task-specific training, compatible regulators and hoses, and a clear defect process. Acetylene requires particular care: HSE notes that it is both extremely flammable and reactive, and a cylinder affected by flashback, heating or fire can remain hazardous for hours. It should not be approached or moved; evacuate and call the fire and rescue service.
HSE: safe use of acetylene ↗ · HSE: oxygen use in the workplace ↗
Check the location before ordering the cage.
HR + SAFETY can review your gas inventory, yard or workshop layout, handling route and existing DSEAR controls, then identify where gas-specific specialist input is needed.
Discuss a cylinder-storage assessmentInspect the store as a control, not a housekeeping exercise
Set inspection frequency from the risk. A busy workshop receiving weekly deliveries may need a quick check each shift and a more formal recorded review; a small locked store used rarely still needs checking after deliveries, severe weather, impact or changes in stock. Records should trigger action rather than merely prove that somebody visited.
Check identity and quantity, upright restraint, caps and valves, segregation, cage condition, ventilation openings, security, impact protection, nearby combustibles and ignition sources, access for the emergency services and any evidence of leakage, damage or unauthorised storage. Remove obsolete cylinders through the supplier or an appropriate specialist route.
Update the fire risk assessment and emergency arrangements
Introducing a gas, increasing quantities or moving the store can create or materially change a fire and explosion hazard. The responsible person must review and update the statutory fire risk assessment. Where the main FRA lacks enough technical detail, complete a linked cylinder-storage or DSEAR assessment and incorporate its findings into the main FRA, emergency plan, site controls, training and maintenance arrangements. The linked assessment supports the FRA; it does not replace it.
Give the fire and rescue service usable information about cylinder types, quantities and locations. Define alarm, isolation and evacuation actions, exclusion areas and who may intervene. Do not expect untrained staff to tackle a cylinder fire or move a heated cylinder.
Apply tighter controls where evacuation may be slower or consequences greater, including sleeping accommodation, care or healthcare settings, premises open to the public, and workplaces with disabled people or others needing assistance. Consider smaller inventories, stronger separation, earlier detection, protected escape routes and personal emergency arrangements. These are consequence-based decisions; do not use the separate Building Safety Act term ‘higher-risk building’ unless it legally applies.
GOV.UK: workplace fire risk assessments ↗ · Related guide: workplace fire evacuation planning →
Gas cylinder storage checklist
Legal requirements and official guidance were checked on 12 October 2026. DSEAR remains in force. HSE's general storage guidance and gas-specific advice must be applied to the actual contents, quantities, premises and work rather than treated as a universal layout drawing.
- List each gas, cylinder size, status, normal quantity and maximum quantity.
- Confirm identity from the supplier label and keep safety information available.
- Justify the storage location, quantity and any decision to store indoors.
- Keep the store secure, ventilated, uncongested and protected from impact.
- Prevent leaked gas entering buildings, drains, pits or other enclosed spaces.
- Keep cylinders upright where required, protect valves and restrain each cylinder.
- Separate fuel gases, oxidisers, combustibles, full cylinders and empties appropriately.
- Use suitable trolleys and trained people for movement, connection and defect action.
- Inspect the store, record material defects and remove obsolete stock safely.
- Plan for leaks, fires and heat-affected cylinders with the emergency services in mind.
- Review the DSEAR assessment and statutory fire risk assessment after relevant change.
Safe gas cylinder storage connects five decisions: know the contents, minimise the quantity, choose a defensible location, prevent damage and incompatibility, and prepare for failure. A cage and chain are useful controls only when the assessment shows they are the right controls.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.