enser installations safe if properly used Inexpert handling of technical equipment creates unsafe situations. In such cases even the most stringent safety measures taken by the manufactu rer will not be sufficient. The same also applies to dispenser installations. Hans Schutt, Heineken's consultant Export Draught Beer Operations, therefore takes a firm line where problems with an installation are concerned: hands off! Hans Schutt, Heineken's consultant Export Draught Beer Operations. Reports occasionally appear in the press about beer kegs which explode. Sometimes such accidents cause injuries. Further investigation into the cause of the accident usually shows that it is due to human error. Nothing can go wrong with the installation, the keg or the cylinder. Hans Schutt is willing to back that to the hilt: "All dispenser installations, carbon dioxide cylinders and kegs which leave the Heineken brewery are safe. Dangerous situations only occur if laymen start coupling things up or start tinkering themselves when problems occur." Forces Big physical forces exist in and around a dispenser installation. The pressure of the carbon dioxide gas in the cylinder is 60 to 80 bar. The cylin ders as well as the pipes and kegs are designed to withstand these forces. If an installation has been fitted by the specialist, then the on premise owner need have no worries. Mr Schutt has visited many coun tries all over the world in recent years and can (unfortunately) quote examp les of unskilled handling. "Sometimes I see connections between gas cylin ders and kegs and 1 think 'how on earth did they manage to connect it up like that?'. The result is a highly dangerous situation, but people don't realise the risks involved, simply because they don't have the specia lised knowledge. There is still a lot of ignorance in this area in the on pre mise trade." Carbon dioxide gas On the list of safety recommen dations, perhaps the most important is proper handling of the carbon dioxide cylinder. Mr Schutt explains the recommendations one by one: "Make sure that the cylinder is fasten ed to the wall with a chain or a brack et, because if the cylinder falls over the reducing valve may break off and the cylinder may explode. Though the cylinder is safe, it should always be kept away from sources of heat. So do not store cylinders in metal contain ers in the full glare of the sun." "Make sure that the room in which the cylinder is installed is pro perly ventilated. Carbon dioxide gas in itself is not dangerous. It is an odourless, non-toxic and a naturally occurring gas. But if the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide gas is disrupted, a dangerous situation will arise. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, so it will hang around in the cellar. Exposure to a 3- 4% concentration of carbon dioxide gas causes dizziness, shortness of bre ath and a throbbing sensation in the ears. Once the concentration has climbed to more than 5%, there is no longer any time to do anything. "Lastly, I would emphasise that you should never use big pincers to try and force open a gas cylinder which is tightly closed. If you cannot open the cylinder by hand, put it on one side and use the next one." THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN

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World of Heineken | 1994 | | pagina 4