# How should an oxygen plant site be secured against intruders?

**How should an oxygen plant and its cylinder store be secured against unauthorised access, theft and vandalism?**

Global Fund site readiness guidance (April 2025) strongly recommends fencing and locking a PSA plant's area so only authorised personnel can enter, with cylinder storage accessible only to trained staff; a 2022 USAID RISE procedure for Indian hospitals asks for a lockable door against vandalism and unauthorised access.

The Global Fund's overview of PSA plant site readiness (11 April 2025), written by Build Health International, covers containerised plants, plants in new buildings and plants in existing buildings. In each case it strongly recommends fencing and locking the area, or locking the space in an existing building, to limit access to authorised personnel only, says the fence door must accommodate a forklift, and says the area needs to be well lit and in a secure location that is not prone to flooding. For a container under a canopy it recommends a chain-link fence around the canopy and concrete pad for safety and security, and it asks for no storage of any product around the container. Where the plant fills cylinders, the cylinder store needs to be appropriately secured and accessible only to trained staff, away from flammable objects.

## Fences, gates and lighting

WHO's Foundations of medical oxygen systems (17 February 2023) says that, as a general rule, the medicinal gas room must be protected from environmental factors such as precipitation, wind or dust, external mechanical damage and unauthorised personnel. The architectural elements it lists, to be used as required, include a security wire mesh enclosing the perimeter of the canopy, which should be painted and galvanised and of gauge 16 wire or thicker, and a secure sliding gate made of a tubular steel frame and security mesh, with a locking mechanism. It also says the medicinal gases station should have proper exterior and interior lighting during the whole day, with, as applicable, exterior LED flood lights at three corners to light the site near the secured entrance and exterior lights controlled by photocells from dusk to dawn. WHO's Technical specifications for health facility based medical oxygen systems (31 December 2024) ask the manufacturer to state the housing or shelter requirements for cover, security and access, and for cables to be housed to avoid tampering.

## Routine checks and site assessment

- Plant: a USAID RISE operating procedure for PSA plants, written for hospitals in India (PDF dated 4 March 2022, hosted by PATH), says the plant should be secured to prevent vandalism and unauthorised access and protected with a lockable door, and that the operator should keep fences, boundary walls and gates in good condition with proper signage.
- Assessment: UNDP's site evaluation form (REQ-OXY-001, 2025, Annex II) asks whether security has been assessed, for example with UNDSS clearance where applicable, and the verification list of its commissioning report (Annex III) checks that the area is clearly identified and the security signalling clear and legible.
- Location: the Global Fund's terms of reference for reviewing PSA plant implementation (October 2024) ask whether the proposed location is away from pedestrian traffic.
- Spare parts: Global Fund sustainability guidance (22 August 2024) recommends a stock for at least two years in a designated secure space, and WHO (2023) asks for parts stores to be secured and covered.

## Locks, keys and exits

The Global Fund's commissioning guidelines (28 August 2024) also check fire prevention measures, including safety signage, fire extinguishers and multiple entry and exit points in the PSA plant housing. NHS England's HTM 02-01 Part A (2026) lists "No unauthorised entry, Keep locked" among the external signs for manifold rooms and "keep locked" for main cylinder stores, with an emergency actions notice on the front of the cylinder store giving the emergency procedures, the location of keys and contact numbers. For the signs themselves, see which safety signs oxygen plant rooms need.

### Should an oxygen plant be fenced?

Global Fund site readiness guidance (2025) strongly recommends fencing and locking the plant area to limit access to authorised personnel only, and says the fence door must accommodate a forklift.

### Who should have access to the cylinder store?

Global Fund guidance (2025) says the cylinder storage space needs to be appropriately secured and accessible only to trained staff.

## Sources

- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Plant Site Readiness Process and Responsibilities (11 April 2025)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/tkyd3gwi/cr_c19rm-psa-plant-site-readiness-process-responsibilities_steps_en.pdf)
- [WHO, Foundations of medical oxygen systems (17 February 2023), sections 3.4.3 and 3.5.1](https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ad6f5fd-089e-4142-8439-b64e98d816d8/content)
- [WHO, Technical specifications for health facility based medical oxygen systems (31 December 2024), section 1.1, lines 18 and 36](https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/ff437601-add3-44c8-8149-b85f0cdb2b52/content)
- [USAID RISE, Standard Operating Procedures: PSA Plant Operations and Preventive Maintenance by the Facility Management, written for hospitals in India (PDF dated 4 March 2022, hosted by PATH)](https://media.path.org/documents/SOP_on_PSA_Plant_USAID_RISE_04032022_F7fUBr6.pdf)
- [UNDP, REQ-OXY-001 v01, Technical and regulatory requirements for oxygen plants (effective 1 January 2025), Annex II (site evaluation) and Annex III (commissioning report)](https://healthimplementation.undp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/REQ-OXY-001-v01-UNDP-TECHNICAL-REGULATORY-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-OXYGEN-PLANTS.pdf)
- [Global Fund, Review of implementation of PSA oxygen generating plants, terms of reference for the Local Fund Agent (October 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/14931/cr_lfa-review-psa-implementation_tor_en.docx)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Sustainability Guidance for PSA Oxygen Plants (22 August 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/bwrp43cm/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-plant-sustainability_overview_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Oxygen Plant Commissioning Guidelines (28 August 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/qp3h1vxo/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioning_overview_en.pdf)
- [NHS England, HTM 02-01 Medical gas pipeline systems, Part A (2026), paragraph 17.60 and chapter 18](https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/health-technical-memorandum-02-01-medical-gas-pipeline-systems-part-a-design-installation-validation-verification-aug-2026.pdf)

Reviewed: 2026-10-23. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-should-an-oxygen-plant-site-be-secured/