Gas Safety for Nurses & Porters

A practical medical gas safety course for clinical and support staff who handle cylinders, move equipment or work in areas served by piped gases. Covers everyday risks, safe handling, basic incident response and what to do if alarms or supply issues occur.​

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Course Format

• Duration: 1/2 day or 2 sessions in a day

• Delivery Options:

  • Bespoke on-site training tailored to your staff group

• Class Size: Typically 1–15 delegates

• Training Style:

  • Classroom instruction with practical emphasis

  • Demonstrations and scenario walk-through

  • Interactive discussion and exercises

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This course is designed to be accessible to non-technical staff while promoting confident, safe behaviours around MGPS.

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Course Content

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Nurse

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• MGPS overview, cylinder safety and common hazards

• Gas colour coding and labelling identification

• Cylinder operation and safe use

• Safe storage, transport and handling of cylinders

• Practical: preparing cylinders for use

• Fault reporting and escalation procedures

• Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS) basic principles

• Warning alarms: actions to take and use of isolation valves

• Gas conservation and safe-use behaviours

• Safe use of pipeline-connected equipment and “Do not use” plugs

• Why a permit-to-work system is required

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Porter

• Hazards of compressed and cryogenic gases

• Cylinder colours and labelling

• Safe operation of cylinders

• Actions to take when defective cylinders are found

• Receipt, safe storage and handling of cylinders

• Preparation of cylinders for use

• Selecting appropriate equipment and safe connection/disconnection to cylinders

• Introduction to piped medical gas systems and safety (pressure risks, isolating valves, fire precautions)

• Introduction to plant portering staff may encounter (cryogenic plant, compressed air systems, medical gas manifolds)

• Operation of emergency reserve supplies to medical gas systems

• Alarm systems and required actions on alarm activation

• Permit-to-work: purpose and preventing unauthorised work on MGPS

• Overview of pipeline-connected equipment

• Emergency backfeed kit monitoring

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Assessment & Certification

At the end of the training, delegates complete a knowledge review to demonstrate familiarity with key safety concepts and response expectations.

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• Assessment Format: Short knowledge review discussion

• Outcome: Confirmation of understanding of essential safety practices

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Delegates who complete the course will receive a Gas Safety for Nurses or Porters Certificate, suitable for professional records and demonstrating commitment to safe working practices in clinical and support roles.