diff --git a/cadet/__init__.py b/cadet/__init__.py
index 439b27f..93297b3 100644
--- a/cadet/__init__.py
+++ b/cadet/__init__.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name = 'CADET-python'
 
-__version__ = 0.7
+__version__ = 0.8
 
 from .cadet import H5
 from .cadet import Cadet
diff --git a/cadet/cadet.py b/cadet/cadet.py
index cbee6d3..d8075f3 100644
--- a/cadet/cadet.py
+++ b/cadet/cadet.py
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 import copy
 import json
 
+import filelock
+import contextlib
+
 from pathlib import Path
 
 class H5():
@@ -27,21 +30,34 @@ def __init__(self, *data):
         for i in data:
             self.root.update(copy.deepcopy(i))
 
-    def load(self, paths=None, update=False):
+    def load(self, paths=None, update=False, lock=False):
         if self.filename is not None:
-            with h5py.File(self.filename, 'r') as h5file:
-                data = Dict(recursively_load(h5file, '/', self.inverse_transform, paths))
-                if update:
-                    self.root.update(data)
-                else:
-                    self.root = data
+
+            if lock is True:
+                lock_file = filelock.FileLock(self.filename + '.lock')
+            else:
+                lock_file = contextlib.nullcontext()
+
+            with lock_file:
+                with h5py.File(self.filename, 'r') as h5file:
+                    data = Dict(recursively_load(h5file, '/', self.inverse_transform, paths))
+                    if update:
+                        self.root.update(data)
+                    else:
+                        self.root = data
         else:
             print('Filename must be set before load can be used')
 
-    def save(self):
+    def save(self, lock=False):
         if self.filename is not None:
-            with h5py.File(self.filename, 'w') as h5file:
-                recursively_save(h5file, '/', self.root, self.transform)
+            if lock is True:
+                lock_file = filelock.FileLock(self.filename + '.lock')
+            else:
+                lock_file = contextlib.nullcontext()
+
+            with lock_file:
+                with h5py.File(self.filename, 'w') as h5file:
+                    recursively_save(h5file, '/', self.root, self.transform)
         else:
             print("Filename must be set before save can be used")
 
@@ -59,11 +75,17 @@ def load_json(self, filename, update=False):
             else:
                 self.root = data
 
-    def append(self):
+    def append(self, lock=False):
         "This can only be used to write new keys to the system, this is faster than having to read the data before writing it"
         if self.filename is not None:
-            with h5py.File(self.filename, 'a') as h5file:
-                recursively_save(h5file, '/', self.root, self.transform)
+            if lock is True:
+                lock_file = filelock.FileLock(self.filename + '.lock')
+            else:
+                lock_file = contextlib.nullcontext()
+
+            with lock_file:
+                with h5py.File(self.filename, 'a') as h5file:
+                    recursively_save(h5file, '/', self.root, self.transform)
         else:
             print("Filename must be set before save can be used")
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index ee1641b..f088fc4 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     
 setuptools.setup(
     name="CADET",
-    version="0.7",
+    version="0.8",
     author="William Heymann",
     author_email="w.heymann@fz-juelich.de",
     description="CADET is a python interface to the CADET chromatography simulator",
@@ -16,12 +16,13 @@
     install_requires=[
           'addict',
           'numpy',
-          'h5py'
+          'h5py',
+          'filelock'
       ],
     classifiers=[
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
         "License :: OSI Approved :: BSD License",
         "Operating System :: OS Independent",
     ],
-    python_requires='>=3.6',
+    python_requires='>=3.7',
 )