Safety and Regulatory Framework

The use of hydrogen, a highly flammable and explosive gas, necessitates robust safety protocols and comprehensive policies in place before national deployment can occur. Coordinated global efforts are required to mitigate risked associated with the production, transport, storage, and utilisation of hydrogen. Although touted as the future of Net Zero, hydrogen poses significant health and safety risks to human life and associated built infrastructure. Not only is hydrogen a very combustible and explosive gas, but it also has the smallest molecular structure, allowing it to easily permeate through materials, causing embrittlement and leading to stress fractures. Material compatibility is one of the biggest safety hazards associated with hydrogen, and permeability and embrittlement challenges are critical factors influencing the safe deployment of a hydrogen transport and storage network. Leak detection and monitoring is also a critical aspect of hydrogen safety, since hydrogen gas is lighter than air and often accumulates in large quantities before leak detection measures be activated. This accumulation may also lead to a potential risk of asphyxiation, requiring proper ventilation in space constrained applications. To mitigate these risks, various aspects of health and safety planning needs to be conducted, such as Emergency and Disaster Response and educating the public about the potential risks associated with hydrogen use. This can only be achieved through a collaborative approach between governments, research institutions, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies.

At the heart of safety lies standardisation, and since the demand, supply, and utilisation of hydrogen is increasing, several international and national regulatory bodies have started to release guidelines on the safe handling and usage of hydrogen. The International Organisation of Standardisation, consisting of representatives from various national standard organisations and regulatory bodies, fosters international cooperation through standardisation. ISO standards are accepted worldwide and contribute to global economic growth by ensuring efficiency, quality, safety, interoperability, and repeatability. In terms of hydrogen safety, they have developed various standards across the hydrogen value chain, including hydrogen purity, refuelling stations, and storage safety standards. Many countries have followed suit and developed national standards alongside the ISO standards. It is imperative that hydrogen technological innovations and deployment adhere to rigorous safety standards, ensuring a safe and reliable hydrogen integration within national energy systems.

Hydrogen standardisation is rapidly developing, currently adhering to best practices from available technologies. It is expected that as technologies mature and system integration becomes apparent, more standards will be developed. Future HI-ACT Hydrogen technology Roadmap reports will incorporate a summary of these developments when and as they are released.