The dangers of must gas
The Occupational Safety Department of the Ministry of Finance is once again drawing the attention of all employers involved in wine production to the dangers of must gas and the need to take preventive measures to protect the health and safety of their employees.
During the harvest season, carelessness and inattention lead to several fatal accidents and cases of poisoning every year, even though these tragedies could be prevented with the appropriate precautions.
During fermentation, must gas, or carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced, which accumulates in cellars starting from floor level and displaces oxygen from the air, causing suffocation.
Carbon dioxide is a constant component of air, a colorless, odorless gas that is about one and a half times heavier than air. It is produced during the fermentation of sugar-containing plants and fruits, when sugar breaks down into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Since it is heavier than air, it fills the space, starting from the floor, from the bottom up, filling the cellar and passages. In small concentrations, carbon dioxide stimulates the respiratory center, while in higher concentrations it causes suffocation due to oxygen deprivation. It affects the central nervous system, causing dizziness, nausea, and mental confusion.
During the fermentation of the must, in order to prevent nausea and suffocation, it is strictly forbidden to enter the wine cellars without prior ventilation and air analysis!
A gas detector alarms In addition to the equipment, to prevent tragedies, a door opener is assigned to open the cellar door. locked artificial ventilation system provides an appropriate solution.
The Ministry of Finance's Occupational Safety Department also draws attention to the fact that The use of the so-called „candle test” alone cannot be considered reliable!
This is because a candle flame usually only goes out at a carbon dioxide content of 14%, whereas a person can suffocate and suffer fatal poisoning after spending just 5-10 minutes in an airspace with a carbon dioxide content of 9%. An airspace with a carbon dioxide content of 20% can cause instant death.
The Ministry of Finance's Occupational Safety Department recommends that, for the duration of the must source, „Warning, must gas hazard!”It is worth placing a sign at the entrance to the cellar.
Unfortunately, there are countless cases where people try to rush to the aid of collapsed, unconscious individuals without adequate protection, thereby inhaling the dangerous must gas themselves while providing assistance.
That is why it is important that No one should rush to help an unconscious person without thinking! If we do not know how much toxic gas is present in the room from which we want to rescue the injured person, we are risking our own lives if we enter without closed-circuit breathing apparatus.
In such cases You must immediately call the emergency services or the Disaster Management Directorate on the central emergency number 112 and try to ventilate the room. Firefighters can safely rescue victims suffering from must gas poisoning using breathing apparatus.
If it is possible to adequately ventilate the cellar and monitor the carbon dioxide concentration, the poisoned person must be removed from the site of poisoning as soon as possible, taken to fresh air and, depending on their condition, first aid must be administered until the ambulance arrives.
Source: http://www.ommf.gov.hu
