What should be included in the operating procedures of chemical enterprises?

Thread Content

What should be included in the operating procedures of chemical enterprises? The process operation procedures of chemical enterprises (hereinafter referred to as operation procedures) serve not only as a basis for employees to carry out their tasks on site but also as guidelines for emergency response in critical situations; they are directly related to the safe production of these enterprises. Based on recent inspections and unannounced checks conducted by the Ministry of Emergency Management, some enterprises have issues with the preparation of their operating procedures. For example, when an inspection team from the Ministry of Emergency Management visited a company in Shaanxi, it was found that the operating procedures prepared there covered only basic daily operations, lacking procedures and safety requirements for temporary operations, emergency operations, and emergency shutdowns. During an inspection by the secret investigation team at a company in Xinjiang, the operating procedures provided by the enterprise lacked important process parameters such as temperature and pressure indicators for liquid ammonia storage tanks, liquid level indicators for methanol and formaldehyde tanks, process alarm values for oxidation reactions, and interlock values. How can safe operation be achieved when key process control parameters are missing and there are no defined ranges for process parameters? Since operating procedures are so important, what should the procedures we develop include? At present, **there are no standards regarding the content of operating procedures**; only industry standards and departmental regulations contain requirements for the preparation of such procedures. The \"Guidelines for the Implementation of Process Safety Management in Chemical Enterprises\" (AQ 3034-2010) stipulate that operating procedures should include the following contents: a) the operational steps for various stages such as initial startup, normal operation, temporary operations, emergency operations, normal shutdown, and emergency shutdown ； b) Normal operating condition control range, consequences of deviating from normal operating conditions ； Steps to correct or prevent deviations from normal operating conditions ； c) Matters related to safety, health, and the environment. Such as the characteristics and hazards of hazardous chemicals, necessary measures to prevent exposure, procedures to take in case of physical contact or exposure, safety systems and their functions (interlock, monitoring, and suppression systems), etc. The **Guiding Opinions of the State Administration of Work Safety on Strengthening the Safety Management of Chemical Processes** (An Jian Zong Guan San [2013] No. 88) stipulate that the content of operating procedures should include, at a minimum: the operational steps and safety requirements for startup, normal operation, temporary operations, emergency responses, normal shutdown, and emergency shutdown ； The normal control range of process parameters, the consequences of deviating from normal operating conditions, and the methods and steps for preventing and correcting such deviations ； Safety measures for the personnel carrying out the operations, as well as precautions regarding occupational health, etc. Some local provinces have established their own standards, such as Shandong Province’s \"Guidelines for the Preparation of Safety Operation Procedures for Hazardous Chemicals Workplaces\" (DB37/T 2401-2013), Jiangsu Province’s \"Guidelines for the Development of Enterprise Safety Operation Procedures\" (DB32/T 3616-2019), and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region’s \"Standards for the Preparation of Safety Operation Procedures in Chemical Enterprises\" (DB64/T 1770-2021). The requirements mentioned above regarding the preparation of operating procedures are quite general and not specifically detailed. How can we ensure that the operating procedures enable production staff to clearly understand the specific safety procedures? The author believes that the operating procedures for chemical enterprises should include the following elements: 1. Position setup and scope of work, which cover the name of the position, its tasks and scope of operation, as well as the assigned staff, division of labor, and responsibilities associated with that position. 2. The content of the process technical specifications includes: ◆ the production scale and capacity of the facility, as well as any changes over the years. ◆The production principle of the device, reaction equations, process flow diagrams, and descriptions. ◆Quality specifications for raw materials, auxiliary materials, semi-finished products, and finished products; consumption metrics for utility services and raw materials/auxiliary materials. ◆The main control parameters include design values, control ranges, and alarm values. ◆List of interlocks for main equipment and instruments. Including name, tag number, specification model, material, quantity, main performance parameters, etc. 3. The preparatory work before operation includes safety inspections of the operating environment, checks on the condition of relevant equipment, requirements for operators (such as training and education, required qualification certificates, and occupational contraindications), as well as requirements regarding the provision of personal protective equipment. 4. Operating procedures and safety requirements for driving, normal operation, temporary operation, emergency operation, normal shutdown, and emergency shutdown. Including methods for increasing or reducing the load on the equipment during normal production, adjusting control parameters, and operational requirements for handling abnormalities ； Inspection items and frequency. Aiming to stabilize control indicators, it prevents production accidents caused by abnormal fluctuations. It is also necessary to clarify the control range under normal operating conditions and the consequences of deviating from them ； Steps to correct or prevent deviations from normal operating conditions. 5. The operating procedures for major equipment include the basic steps for operating such equipment, the control parameters, the methods for adjusting the key parameters required for normal operation, and detailed precautions for operation. 6. Major hazard factors associated with the position, as well as measures to ensure personal safety and occupational health. Including: ◆ Physical properties and hazards of chemicals used or stored in the process system ； Refer to the relevant information in the process safety documents and the SDS of the chemicals. ◆The necessary measures to prevent situations such as chemical leaks and energy releases, including engineering controls, management procedures, and personal protective requirements, can be found in process safety documents, engineering design data, and other relevant materials. ◆Countermeasures after physical contact or exposure, namely emergency response measures and first aid for personnel. ◆Quality control of raw materials and control of storage levels for hazardous chemicals, including the hazards that may arise from changes in the composition or physical properties of the raw materials, or from changes in their storage levels. ◆Potential precautions regarding personal injury, health damage, equipment damage, and environmental harm can be determined by referring to one’s own production and operation experience, equipment operation experience, industry practices, and accident data. 7. The handover contents include the production status such as safety, production, and quality control metrics for the current shift, the quantity of tools and spare parts, as well as any abnormalities and the actions taken to address them. Before putting chemical production facilities into use, it is necessary to organize technical personnel and skilled operators to prepare process operation procedures, taking into account the actual production conditions of the enterprise. It needs to be revised when new processes are introduced or process conditions are changed. Regularly conduct comprehensive analyses based on the actual operating conditions, taking into account factors such as the likelihood of indicator out-of-control situations and the level of risk, in order to adjust the operating procedures in a timely manner and ensure the safe operation of the equipment.