What Perils Are There in the Petrochemical Sector?
The risks of the petrochemical industry are much more complex compared to other industries. The fact that it is the sector with the highest product diversity, which may include ignition, explosion, closed spaces and various synthetic syntheses that may be flammable, makes the precautions to be taken more complicated.
Some situations that indicate petrochemical risks:
- ATEX areas
- Reactors
- Storage
- Gas or flammable product leaks
- Flammable methods for pipelines
- Transporter, product transportation
- Electrical maintenance
We have a wide range of risks, from a flammable freak to a simple explosion in a section.
Because the petrochemical industry is so broad, so are the required standards. Therefore, there are many situations where different amounts will be needed.
Some of these are as follows;
- Areas where it is necessary to look high EN 20471.
- Often it will be necessary to have anti-acid protection of EN 13034 or higher, depending on the products to be processed. Of course, replaceable product or change EN11612 a fireproof suit that can be exposed to flame is required.
- Electrical maintenance equipment must be protected against arcing and comply with the relevant EN 61482-1-1 or EN 61482-1-2 standards, depending on temperatures.
- It is vital to have equipment that dissipates these common electrostatic charges, so it must be certified according to EN1149-3-5.
So far only the risks from fire and flame have been mentioned, but we should also point out that in this type of industry there are also other types of risks that people directly pose, for example:
- Cotton irritations
- Allergic intervention
- Solution problems, solution of dust, gas, vapor and fumes.
- Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
- Boxes that may cause hearing problems
- Exposure to any substance.
As can be seen, it is one of the high-risk sectors in every field. Prevention departments have extra work to do. Emergency plans, evacuation, risk control in different zones and within the same facility and, above all, continuous training for all users, because they and their looking at accident prevention models to dispose of the best results.