EN 14470-2 sets performance and testing requirements for fire safety cabinets used for pressurised gas cylinders. It covers fire resistance, ventilation, cabinet construction, cylinder restraint and provisions for gas pipelines and electrical cables. In Ireland, the current adopted standard is I.S. EN 14470-2:2006. It applies to specific indoor safety cabinets and does not cover every form of gas cylinder storage.
EN 14470-2 is a European product standard for fire safety storage cabinets intended for pressurised gas cylinders.
In Ireland, it is adopted by the National Standards Authority of Ireland as I.S. EN 14470-2:2006.
The standard establishes construction, performance and fire-testing requirements for qualifying gas cylinder cabinets.
Its purpose is to provide a defined level of fire protection for pressurised gas cylinders stored within the cabinet and to establish requirements for the safe installation and use of the cabinet.
EN 14470-2 applies to fire safety cabinets intended to contain pressurised gas cylinders with a combined total cylinder volume of no more than 220 litres.
The standard allows for cylinders to be stored within the cabinet and also recognises applications where cylinders remain connected and in use.
Cabinets within its scope may be:
The standard is specifically concerned with cabinet-type installations rather than all possible methods of storing pressurised gas cylinders.
No. EN 14470-2 specifically excludes brick enclosures and walk-in storage rooms from its scope.
External gas cylinder cages and larger purpose-designed gas stores are also different types of storage arrangement and should not automatically be described as EN 14470-2 compliant.
These installations should instead be selected and designed according to the gases, quantities, location, ventilation requirements and findings of the site-specific risk assessment.
EN 14470-2 classifies gas cylinder safety cabinets according to their performance during the specified fire-resistance test.
The classifications are:
Unlike the current EN 14470-1 standard for flammable-liquid cabinets, where Type 15 was removed in the 2023 revision, Type G15 remains part of EN 14470-2:2006.
EN 14470-2 includes a type test in which the complete cabinet is exposed to controlled fire conditions.
Temperature is monitored at defined locations associated with the gas cylinders, and the cabinet’s Type G classification is based on the time taken for the specified temperature increase to occur under the test conditions.
The classifications therefore represent tested cabinet performance under the conditions defined by the standard. They should not be interpreted as a general fire rating for the surrounding room or building.
The fire test is a type test of the cabinet design rather than a test performed individually on every cabinet manufactured.
EN 14470-2 addresses a range of features associated with the safe storage and use of pressurised gas cylinders inside a fire safety cabinet.
These include:
Pressurised gas cylinders can create serious hazards if they fall, suffer impact damage or damage their valves and connections.
EN 14470-2 therefore includes requirements for retaining cylinders securely within the cabinet.
The cabinet arrangement should allow cylinders to be inserted, removed and used safely while protecting them against uncontrolled movement.
Cylinder handling procedures and appropriate employee training are still required even where a compliant cabinet is used.
Yes. Ventilation is an important part of EN 14470-2, and cabinets within the relevant classifications must include facilities for connection to a ventilation system.
Ventilation is particularly important because leaking gas may create:
The required ventilation arrangements depend on the gases involved, how the cabinet is being used and the manufacturer’s installation requirements.
The wider workplace risk assessment should also consider what could happen if gas escaped from the cabinet or ventilation system.
Yes. EN 14470-2 recognises applications where pressurised gas cylinders remain connected and in use while housed within the cabinet.
The standard therefore includes requirements concerning the routing and installation of gas pipelines through the cabinet.
Electrical cables may also be accommodated where necessary and where the applicable requirements are satisfied.
The complete installation, including cylinders, regulators, pipework and associated equipment, should be designed and installed by competent persons for the particular gases and application involved.
EN 14470-2 establishes requirements for the cabinet, but individual gases can present very different hazards.
The workplace risk assessment should therefore consider whether the gases stored are:
Safety Data Sheets and information supplied by the gas provider should be used to determine appropriate storage, segregation, ventilation and emergency precautions.
Potential incompatibilities between gases should be assessed before cylinders are placed together in storage.
The consequences of an accidental release can be more serious where incompatible substances are stored together.
Factors to consider include:
The use of an EN 14470-2 cabinet does not remove the need to assess compatibility between the gases being stored.
Yes. Health and Safety Authority guidance states that gas cylinders should, where possible, be located in well-ventilated external areas with a fixed pipe supply to the area where the gas is used.
Where internal use cannot be avoided, cylinders should be securely restrained to minimise movement and prevent them from falling.
The HSA also advises that gas detection should be provided where toxic, corrosive, asphyxiant or flammable gases are used, with the appropriate measures determined from the risks involved.
An EN 14470-2 cabinet can be relevant where pressurised gas cylinders need to be located indoors and fire-resistant cabinet storage has been identified as an appropriate control.
This may occur in workplaces such as laboratories, research facilities, manufacturing areas or other locations where a gas supply is required close to the point of use.
The decision should be based on the gases, cylinder quantities, workplace layout and risk assessment rather than assuming indoor cabinet storage is preferable to external storage.
No. EN 14470-2 is a product standard relating to the safety cabinet itself.
A compliant cabinet can form part of the controls for pressurised gas cylinders, but employers remain responsible for assessing and managing the wider workplace risks.
Depending on the gases and installation, this may include:
A safety cabinet should therefore not be treated as making the complete gas installation or workplace automatically compliant.
ATEX may apply where flammable gas could escape and create an explosive atmosphere.
The presence of a flammable-gas cylinder does not automatically mean that an entire room or cabinet is an ATEX hazardous zone.
The employer must assess whether an explosive atmosphere could form, where it could occur, how frequently it could occur and what ignition sources may be present.
Where hazardous-area classification is required, equipment installed within the classified area must be suitable for the relevant zone and gas involved.
See our guide to ATEX and explosive atmospheres in Ireland for further information.
The two parts of EN 14470 cover different types of fire safety storage cabinet:
The hazards associated with containers of flammable liquid and pressurised gas cylinders differ, so the two standards have different requirements and testing criteria.
A cabinet designed and tested to one part should not automatically be assumed to satisfy the other.
Read our guide to I.S. EN 14470-1:2023 or see our EN 14470 overview for a comparison of the two standards.
Where the number or combined volume of cylinders exceeds the scope of EN 14470-2, a different storage arrangement may be required.
For larger inventories, well-ventilated external storage is generally preferable where practicable. This can include a purpose-designed gas cylinder cage or larger gas storage compound.
The storage solution should be selected according to the gases, quantities and site conditions rather than attempting to apply EN 14470-2 to an installation that falls outside the standard’s defined scope.
Chemstore supplies fire-rated gas cylinder safety cabinets designed and tested in accordance with EN 14470-2 for applications where pressurised gas cylinders need to be housed indoors.
Available options include both G30 and G90 cabinet configurations, providing different levels of tested fire resistance depending on the requirements of the application.
View Chemstore’s EN 14470-2 G90 gas cylinder cabinets.
Chemstore also supplies EN 14470-2 fire-rated gas cylinder cabinets for laboratory and indoor technical environments.
View Chemstore’s EN 14470-2 G30 laboratory gas cylinder cabinets.
For larger cylinder inventories or outdoor applications, Chemstore also provides the Gasvault range of secure, naturally ventilated gas cylinder stores.
Gasvault is a different type of storage solution from an EN 14470-2 fire safety cabinet and should not be described as EN 14470-2 compliant unless a specific Gasvault model has been tested and certified to that standard.
The appropriate storage solution should be selected according to the gases, cylinder quantities, location, ventilation requirements and findings of the site-specific risk assessment.
The full I.S. EN 14470-2:2006 standard should be obtained from the National Standards Authority of Ireland. The Health and Safety Authority also provides guidance on the safe storage of gas cylinders in Irish workplaces.
This page provides general information about I.S. EN 14470-2:2006 and does not reproduce or replace the standard itself. The full standard should be obtained from the National Standards Authority of Ireland where its detailed technical requirements are required.
This information does not replace Irish legislation, Health and Safety Authority guidance, Safety Data Sheets, a workplace risk assessment or advice from a competent person.
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