BP Oil Company`s approach to the analysis of process plant buildings

Conference · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:269144

Explosions occurring in petroleum refineries and chemical plants have caused fatalities in occupied buildings. For the 5-year period from 1989 through 1994, there were four major incidents. Three of these incidents occurred in the US: Phillips chemical plant, Pasadena, Texas, October 1989, Shell refinery, Norco, Louisiana, May 1992, and Shell chemical plant, Belpre, Ohio, May 1994. One incident occurred in Europe at the Total refinery, LeMede, France, November 1992. Another incident occurred in October 1995 at the Pennzoil refinery in Rouseville, Pennsylvania. All of these incidents caused multiple fatalities to people working in process buildings, and all of these incidents resulted in vary large losses, exceeding $100 million dollars for most of the incidents. The OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation requires sites to address facility siting when conducting process hazards analyses. This requirement applies to all occupied buildings in a facility, not just control rooms. OSHA has issued several citations for failure to comply with this PSM requirement, and some companies have disputed the validity of some of these citations. The US industry experienced some difficulties deciding on the proper methodology to use in meeting this regulatory requirement. To address these industry concerns, the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) developed guidance that was published in June 1995, RP-752, Management of Hazards Associated with the Location of Process Plant Buildings.

• OSTI ID: 269144
• Report Number(s): CONF-960107--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
CHEMICAL PLANTS
EXPLOSIONS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
REGULATIONS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY ANALYSIS