Isolation of the hot work area
Thread Content
Safety inspections revealed that as part of the expansion of the liquid ammonia storage area, the construction company used metal sheets to enclose the liquid ammonia storage area under construction on the left side, separating it from the storage tanks that were in use on the right side. Meanwhile, workers carried out activities such as welding and lifting work on the tops of the tanks on the left side. The on-site construction unit presented the \"Hot Work Permit\" approved by Party A for use during the construction period. The on-site supervisor and the Party A’s supervisory personnel also did not consider anything to be improper. However, the work has progressed upward from the ground to the storage tanks and even their tops, well above the metal fences that were set up earlier; those fences can no longer effectively isolate flammable materials. At the same time, the construction party failed to implement effective measures to isolate the welding sparks generated during work on the top of the storage tank; the barriers that had been set up earlier were completely useless. If a leak occurred in the liquid ammonia storage tank on the right side during construction, the consequences would be disastrous. What do you think?
I think this is a very dangerous approach. Hot work should be stopped immediately in the absence of adequate isolation and appropriate safety measures; the risks should be reassessed and isolation measures strengthened to ensure construction safety. .
This so-called isolation is merely for show, intended to be seen by outsiders (the client and the supervisor both assume this). For such projects, plans must be developed in terms of production, construction, and safety to ensure smooth construction, normal production, and the absence of accidents. In terms of production, special regulations for operation during the construction period need to be established, such as reducing fluctuations, increasing inspection frequency, and conducting leak detection. As for construction, the work procedures and methods should be arranged in a way that minimizes on-site welding operations and maximizes the degree of prefabrication in advance ； In terms of safety, aspects such as the eight types of special operation risks involved, preventive measures, operational procedures, area isolation, and process monitoring..
Provide some practical measures: 1. Pay close attention to the condition of the operating equipment and facilities here, both for internal and external operations, to ensure that they can be shut down immediately in case of any issues. 2. The designated supervisor wearing a two-way radio and gas detector shall, in addition to overseeing the safety and quality of Party B’s operations, also provide real-time on-site assistance to help monitor the status of adjacent tank areas. 3. To prevent sparks from flying during cutting and welding on the top of the platform, the contractor can be asked to install temporary movable shields for use during such operations; these shields can be set up and removed as needed without interfering with other tasks carried out on the top of the platform. 4. Place temporary fire extinguishers and fire blankets in suitable locations on the top platform as backups. 5. Ensure that the pipelines in the new area are physically separated from those in the old area.
Standards for setting up safety isolation zones for work at heights