I am helping write some standard operating procedures on refrigerant management for a facility. There is a bit of an internal "debate" about access to the locked storage area where they keep the refrigerant cylinders.

One side of the debate (the Refrigerant Coordinator) is that only the HVAC supervisors and security should have keys or card access to the storage area, such that when a refrigerant technician needs to get refrigerant, they have to go to an HVAC supervisor or security to be let into the storage area.

The other side of the debate (the HVAC Superintendent) is that all of the certified refrigerant technicians can/should have card access to the storage area.

(In the facility's policies, the Refrigerant Coordinator is the one responsible for refrigerants but he is a contractor. The HVAC Superintendent is an employee of the company. The Refrigerant Coordinator is writing the content of the procedures with me, so we are looking for some backup for his side of the debate.)

My question: Is there anything in the regulations or industry best practice/standards about access to storage areas that might be helpful in this. The Refrigerant Coordinator and I are having a hard time finding anything specific. (And personally, I hate digging through EPA regs; they are much less user-friendly than OSHA regs.)

thank you!!!
Jody