Fuel Cell Standards: Hydrogen Safety and Personal Protection Equipment

Fuel Cell Standards Curriculum Description:

The Fuel Cell Standards curriculum is provided by the Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Exchange (NEVTEX) and developed by Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and Rio Hondo College (RHC). COCC and RHC worked together "to develop curriculum and training standards for technicians in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), electric vehicle (EV), and Fuel Cell (FC) vehicle systems." This curriculum was developed with the intention of addressing industry needs by partnering with industrial and educational representatives to obtain input and assistance to develop:

1. new approaches to prepare an advanced technologies workforce,
2. licensure procedures and policies to ensure the safety of technicians, their employers, and clients, and
3. collaboration between educational and industrial partners in the development of new standards and practices.

These standards fulfill an SAE Fuel Cell Systems Certification, which prepares students for interfacing with both high voltage electrical and high-pressure hydrogen systems. The Fuel Cell Standards are broken into seven topics. This section contains the topic Hydrogen Safety and Personal Protection Equipment. The other six topics and an Acronym and Definition list are available to view separately. 

Hydrogen Safety and Personal Protection Equipment Description and Contents:

This section of the standards includes the following documents: 

• XIVa Hydrogen PPE: This document provides education standards for the usage of personal protective equipment when working with high pressure compressed gases and flammable gases.
• XIVb Hydrogen Personal Safety: This document provides education standards for teaching personal safety for the maintenance, service, or diagnostics of hydrogen fuel cell systems. The standard also explores the properties of hydrogen, including dispersion, flammability, flame emissivity, and hydrogen detection in the context of workplace safety.
• XIVc Hydrogen Facility Safety: This document provides education standards for facility safety, which includes information on the properties of hydrogen, including dispersion, flammability, flame emissivity, and hydrogen detection. The standard also highlights building, local, national, and international fire protection requirements.
• XIVd Compressed Gas Safety: This document provides education standards for the proper handling, storage and use of compressed gas cylinders.