Ignorantia juris non excusat – Gas Regulations

Or in English – “Ignorance of the law does not excuse.”

One of the most frequent problems we encounter when planning, quoting or physically doing gas installations, is that people are not very well informed in terms of what is and what is not allowed when it comes to gas installations. Just as there are compliance laws for electrical installations, plumbing and in fact the building itself, there is a strict code to which ALL LPG installations must adhere.

The problem that exists currently, is not that people are unaware of the existence of these gas regulations, but simply that they are not aware of what the basics are when planning their gas installations.

For simplicity, and given our target audience, this post will focus on Domestic Gas Installations, as governed by SANS code 10087-1:2013 of which edition 6 is the latest, but please be aware that different gas regulations may apply for commercial and industrial installations.

Occupational Health and Safety Act (No. 85 of 1993)

Summary: To provide for the health and safety of persons at work and for the health and safety of persons in connection with the use of plant and machinery; the protection of persons other than persons at work against hazards to health and safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work; to establish an advisory council for occupational health and safety; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

The Pressure Equipment Regulations

On 15 July 2009, the Minister of Labour published , an amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993 in respect of the ‘Pressure Equipment Regulations’ No. 32395. The Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER) incorporate the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Standards and Codes of Practice relating to all Gases.

These regulations set out the requirements regarding the design, manufacture, installation, operation, repair, modification, inspection and testing of pressure equipment with a design pressure equal to or greater than 50kPa, in terms of the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into the Regulations under section 44 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

SABS Standards and Codes of Practice provide technical specifications for the industry.

The Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER) incorporate the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Standards and Codes of Practice. SABS is a statutory body that was formed in terms of the Standards Act, 1945 (Act No. 24 of 1945) and continues to operate in terms of the latest edition of the Standards Act, 2008 (Act No. 8 of 2008) as the national standardisation institution in South Africa.
For more information concerning Standards and how they are developed please click on the link below.

The following Standards apply to the LPG industry:

SANS 347
Categorization and conformity assessment criteria for all pressure equipment SANS 199 Shut-off valves for refillable liquefied petroleum gas cylinders SANS 1156-2 Hose for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Part 2: Hose and tubing for use in LPG vapor phase and LPG-air installations SANS 1237 Single-stage regulators for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

SANS 1539 Appliances operating on liquefied petroleum gas – Safety aspects

SANS 10019 Transportable Pressure Receptacles For Compressed, Dissolved And Liquefied Gases – Basic Design, Manufacture, Use And Maintenance. This standard covers the minimum requirements for the design, manufacture, use and maintenance of refillable and non refillable pressure receptacles of water capacity 0,5 L to 3 000 L.

SANS 10087-1 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial, and industrial installations Part 1: Liquefied petroleum gas installations involving gas storage containers of individual water capacity not exceeding 500 L and a combined water capacity not exceeding 3 000 L per installation

SANS 10087-2 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial, and industrial installations Part 2: Liquefied petroleum gas installations involving gas storage containers (used in mobile applications) of individual water capacity not exceeding 113 L and a combined water capacity not exceeding 500 L

SANS 10087-3 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial, and industrial installations Part 3: Liquefied petroleum gas installations involving storage vessels of individual water capacity exceeding 500 L

SANS 10087-4 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial and industrial installations Part 4: The transportation of LP gas including the design, construction, inspection, fittings, filling, maintenance and repair of LP gas bulk vehicles and rail tank cars

SANS 10087-6 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial, and industrial installations Part 6: The application of liquefied petroleum and compressed natural gases as engine fuels for internal combustion engines

SANS 10087-7 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial, and industrial installations Part 7: Storage and filling premises for refillable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) containers of gas capacity not exceeding 9 kg and the storage of individual gas containers not exceeding 48 kg.

SANS 10087-8 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial and industrial installations Part 8: Filling containers for LP gas operated fork lift vehicles in-situ.

SANS 10087-10 The handling, storage, distribution and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas in domestic, commercial and industrial installations Part 10: Mobile filling stations for refillable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) containers of capacity not exceeding 9 kg.   

Please note that not all the regulations have been placed on this page. This is purely a basic guide from SANS 10087-1:2013.