Page 20 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2018

FIRE SAFETY
Fire Safety: Managing Risks for Industrial Hot Work
A Job Hazard Analysis is the most critical part of the job—
this gives us an opportunity to go in the field with operations and review, recognize, and control hazards at the job site or in the area. BY JEREMIAH Q. VARNOER
nce a fire ignites, it can spread rapidly and out of control in seconds, especially in in- dustrial refineries and petrochemical fa- cilities where highly flammable chemicals
are manufactured and stored. Flammable and com- bustible liquids are classified in the NFPA 30 Code published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) based on their flash point and additional cri- teria that affect any potential fire risks. Fire safety re- quires managing the risks or mitigating the causes of potential fires and explosions. Hot work is one of the leading causes for fires in industrial facilities across the nation, according to NFPA.
Hot Work
Hot work is any open-flame welding, torching, braz- ing, and cutting or the use of any spark-producing power tools, such as a grinder. These activities and tools are common ignition sources. Other ignition sources could be a static discharge from a cell phone or possibly a vehicle in the area that has flammable gases present. What does hot work mean to you and me in a large-scale industrial chemical facility? It could mean a wide array of things, and there are many scenarios, such as retrofitting some new piping in the plant, that require welding and grinding for hours upon hours while the plant is in operation.
Managing Our Risk
During this process, one of the very first questions we should ask ourselves is can we eliminate performing hot work completely? What are our options to reduce and/or eliminate our risk? Can the task be completed without producing an open flame? Sometimes you won’t be able to eliminate the hazard, but you can re- view alternatives such as the type of tools available. Is there another tool that could be substituted for the hot work project to reduce the hazard? Using a band saw to cut a piece of pipe instead of using a grinder or open-flame torch may take longer, but the hazard and chances of injury to the worker are reduced. We should review our engineering and administrative controls in place—for example, isolating other people in the area from sparks with the use of fire retardant blankets; keeping people out of the area with the prop- er barricading and tags if there is overhead hot work; and checking for combustible materials, flammable liquids, flammable gases, flammable metals, flamma- ble dust particulates, and electrical equipment.
PRIORITY ONE SAFE-T, LLC
A lot of these items should be covered during the Job Hazard Analysis, Permitting, and Hazard Field Checks with maintenance and operations, and we will touch on that more below. The training is paramount for everything to come together, and lot of thorough training should take place, such as proper documen- tation of hot work permitting, Job Hazard Analysis, Hazard Field Checks, as well as fire watch roles, re- sponsibilities, and expectations. Not only should training take place, the training should be continu- ous in order to stay proficient in whichever role you play in the job. It is important that the proper tools have been given to the craftsmen to manage the risk they have been dealt, such as proper PPE to ensure all members involved are protected. As an industry, it is essential that we are striving for an all-in engaging and sustainable safety culture at all levels.
Hot Work Program and Permitting
It is important to have a good, comprehensive hot work program and permitting process. This gives the maintenance and operations group a chance to engage and talk about the area where the work is going to be performed, as well as the equipment being worked on. It is critical in our industry that all flammables, com- bustibles, and any other ignitable material are moved 20 to 35 feet away, covered with proper fire retardant blankets for containment, and stored properly as re- quired by OSHA.
Group discussions should include lockout/tagout (LOTO) and whether the equipment is ready for maintenance—if there is poor communication, things can go downhill in a hurry. During the field hazard review, it is important that the two groups work to-
18 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2018
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