Breweries & Distilleries
Making beer, wine and spirits means fermentation, boiling, distilling and cleaning with strong chemicals. Small craft operations often grow quickly without safety programs. The most serious hazards are invisible gas, flammable vapors and tank entry.
- Brewers
- Distillers
- Cellar Workers
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Fermentation produces large amounts of CO2, which is heavier than air and collects in low spots, cellars, pits and tanks. It displaces oxygen. See Inert Gas Asphyxiation.
- Compressed and liquid CO2 is used for carbonation and dispensing. Leaks in small rooms can be deadly.
- Install CO2 detectors and alarms with ventilation, and train workers on the signs: headache, dizziness, rapid breathing, confusion, collapse.
- Never enter a pit or cellar where CO2 may have collected without testing the air.
Tanks and confined spaces
- Fermenters, kettles and storage tanks are confined spaces: low oxygen, CO2, cleaning chemical residues and fumes. Use a permit program, lockout, ventilation, testing and rescue plan. See Confined Spaces.
- Isolate tanks from CO2 lines, steam and chemicals before entry; lock out mixers and pumps.
Cleaning chemicals
- Caustic soda, peracetic acid, phosphoric and other acids are used in clean-in-place (CIP) systems. They cause burns. See Corrosives.
- Wear splash goggles, face shield, chemical gloves and boots. Provide eyewash. Never mix chemicals (for example chlorine with acid).
Heat, steam and pressure
- Boiling wort, hot water and steam cause scalds. See Steam Systems.
- Pressurized tanks and kegs can burst; use relief valves and follow ratings.
Distilling: flammable ethanol
- Ethanol vapors are flammable and can explode. Keep ignition sources out; use rated electrical equipment in classified areas. See Ignition Source Control and Hazardous Locations.
- Ventilate stills, ensure leaks are fixed and bond and ground transfers.
- Follow fire codes for storage of spirits. See Flammable Liquids.
Other hazards
- Heavy kegs, sacks of grain and pallets: use carts and lifts, team lifting
- Forklift traffic: separate pedestrians
- Wet floors: drains and non-slip shoes
- Grain dust is combustible. See Combustible Dust
- Noise from bottling lines: hearing protection
Standards & references
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