Flashback arrestors are a legal requirement on oxy-acetylene sets

The regulations pertaining to the use and maintenance of oxy-acetylene equipment were updated in late 2014 under The Acetylene Safety (England and Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2014 and included a new mandatory requirement to use suitable flashback arrestors.

But since the regulations were introduced there is concern that the requirement to use flashback arrestors may not have been fully implemented by all welding operators.  The requirement for flashback arrestors is a reasonably practicable control of the risk and that is why the law requires them.

Fuel gases are mostly hydrocarbon based and each has its own unique properties. The choice of a fuel gas is based on its ability to burn in air or oxygen and will be dependent on the specific requirements of the job, as well as the location at which it is being used. There are several useful fuel gases used in our industry of which acetylene and propane are the most commonly used.

Please ensure you and your workers are protected by fitting that all mobile systems with a purpose designed regulator for acetylene which should replaced every 5 years, a flashback arrestor incorporating a non-return valve and a pressure and/or temperature sensitive cut-off valve.

More information can be found from the British Compressed Gas Association web site