Compressed Gas Cylinder Storage Separation (OSHA 1926.350)
The rule everyone half-remembers as "20 feet" is an OR, and the alternative is usually cheaper.
Example
You enter
- Distance between oxygen and fuel gas or combustibles (ft) 8
- Barrier between them? yes
- Barrier height (ft) 4
- Barrier is noncombustible? yes
- Barrier fire-resistance rating (hours) 1
- Cylinders secured upright? yes
- Valve protection caps in place and secured? yes
You get
- Required separation (ft) 20
- Separation shortfall (ft) 12
- Required barrier height (ft) 5
- Required rating (hr) 0.5
Checked against published worked examples from: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeOxygen separated from fuel gas OR COMBUSTIBLES by 20 ft, or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 ft high with at least a half-hour fire-resistance rating. On a tight site 20 ft of clear floor is expensive and a 5 ft barrier is not. But the barrier route has THREE conditions and two of them fail silently -- a sheet of plywood is the right shape, stands the right height, and satisfies neither the noncombustible nor the rating test, and nobody measures a rating on site. The scope is wider than people apply it too: it runs to combustible MATERIALS, so oxygen 20 ft from the acetylene and hard against the parts washer has not solved the problem. Also checks upright securing and valve caps.
Formula or tableseparation is satisfied when the distance between oxygen and fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials is at least 20 ft, OR when a barrier is present that is simultaneously noncombustible, at least 5 ft high, and rated at least one-half hour. Handling adds two independent conditions: cylinders secured upright, and valve protection caps in place and secured.
Source and editionOSHA 29 CFR 1926.350, a US federal regulation in the public domain, quoted directly.
Free access29 CFR is published in full at no cost by OSHA and the eCFR.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesseparation_ft, barrier_present, barrier_height_ft, barrier_noncombustible, barrier_rating_hr, cylinders_upright, valve_caps_secured, required_separation_ft, separation_shortfall_ft, required_barrier_height_ft, required_rating_hr
- Distance route a minimum of 20 ft between oxygen and fuel gas or combustibles29 CFR 1926.350
- Barrier route noncombustible AND at least 5 ft high AND at least a half-hour rating29 CFR 1926.350
- Either satisfies the provision is an OR, not a distance requirement with an exception29 CFR 1926.350
- Scope combustible MATERIALS, especially oil or grease, not only fuel-gas cylinders29 CFR 1926.350
- Upright secured upright except briefly while being hoisted or carried29 CFR 1926.350
- Caps valve protection caps in place and secured29 CFR 1926.350