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Implementation Plan for the Technical Transformation of Automation Control and Safety Interlock Systems in Chemical Enterprises in the Dongying Economic Development Zone. In order to implement the provisions of the Provincial Work Safety Supervision Bureau’s “Opinions on Promoting the Technical Transformation of Automation Control and Safety Interlock Systems in Chemical Enterprises” (Lu An Jian Fa No. 149) and the Municipal Work Safety Supervision Bureau’s “Notice on the Issuance of Relevant Guidelines” (Dong An Jian Fa No. 148), and to ensure the proper implementation of such technical transformations in chemical enterprises, the District Work Safety Committee has decided to carry out these transformations on a concentrated basis from now until March 30, 2010. To guarantee the complete fulfillment of these tasks, the following implementation plan is formulated. I. Unify thinking, raise awareness, and actively promote the technological upgrades in automation control and safety interlock systems for chemical enterprises. At present, there are 7 hazardous chemicals manufacturing enterprises and 7 trading enterprises in the region, making the task of safety production supervision and management increasingly challenging. In recent years, various departments and units in the development zone, as well as the chemical enterprises located there, have earnestly implemented laws and regulations such as the Work Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals. They have focused on ensuring that the responsibilities of the two key entities are fulfilled, continued to advance the development of safety standardization, tightened administrative controls related to work safety, strengthened supervision over small and medium-sized enterprises, and carried out thorough inspections to identify and address potential hazards. As a result, significant progress has been made in ensuring work safety in the handling of hazardous chemicals. However, the foundation for safe production in enterprises remains weak; in particular, some chemical enterprises that utilize highly hazardous processes do not have automated control systems or safety interlocks in place. The intrinsic safety level of these process installations is low, resulting in frequent accidents, and the situation regarding safe production remains severe. Most chemical production processes involve high temperatures, high pressures, flammable and explosive substances, as well as toxic and harmful materials. In the event of abnormalities and inadequate control, it is very easy for serious accidents to occur. Implementing automated control and safety interlock technology upgrades in chemical production processes is an important measure to standardize safety management, reduce safety risks, and prevent accidents. It is also an effective way to strengthen a company’s foundation for safe production and improve its inherent safety level. In response, all departments and units, as well as the chemical enterprises in the area, must raise their awareness and align their thinking. In accordance with the unified plans set by the province, city, and district, they should make progress in the automation control and safety interlock technology upgrades for these chemical enterprises a top priority, strengthen leadership, accelerate the installation and renovation processes, and improve the inherent safety levels of these enterprises. II. Overall Objectives and Task Requirements Guided by the scientific development concept, supported by technological progress, and utilizing administrative permits for safe production as a means, efforts should be accelerated to advance the technological upgrades in automation control and safety interlock systems in chemical enterprises, in accordance with the principles of \"focusing on key areas, progressing step by step, ensuring safety and reliability, and achieving economic efficiency.\" By March 30, 2010, all chemical production units and highly hazardous chemical storage facilities in the development zone that utilize dangerous processes must achieve automated control of key operations in those hazardous stages of production. There must also be alarms when process parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, liquid level, and the concentration of flammable and toxic gases exceed specified limits, along with safety interlock systems that can shut down the production units in such cases ； Chemical production facilities that involve hazardous processes such as nitration, oxidation, sulfonation, chlorination, fluorination, diazotization, and hydrogenation must be equipped with an Emergency Shutdown System (ESD) or a Safety Instrumented System (SIS), on top of having automated control systems in place. By vigorously promoting the technological upgrades in automatic control and safety interlock systems for chemical enterprises, we aim to comprehensively improve the inherent safety levels of these enterprises in our region, strengthen their foundations for safe production, and ensure the continued stability of the safety conditions in the hazardous chemicals industry. Task requirement: Key enterprises must complete the transformation tasks by the end of 2009, with all transformation tasks to be finished by March 30, 2010. III. Scope and focus of the transformation: In accordance with the current domestic risk assessment methods, a comprehensive analysis is conducted on the level of risk associated with various units in chemical enterprises, taking into account five factors: the substance itself, capacity, temperature, pressure, and operating conditions. Chemical production and storage units with a risk level of high or above (risk score ≥ 16) are of particular concern; these include those involved in hazardous processes such as nitration, oxidation, sulfonation, chlorination, fluorination, diazotization, and hydrogenation. For the chemical processing units mentioned above, those that do not require automated control systems, over-limit alarm devices, or safety interlock shutdown systems due to considerations related to process safety, equipment stability, and other factors, the enterprises shall submit a written report explaining why such systems are not necessary (the report should include information on the production process, unit operations, and operating conditions, as well as the technical reasons for not requiring such systems, along with details on the current state of operation and control in similar units both domestically and internationally). Only after this report is reviewed and approved by the safety supervision department of the development zone, or by the municipal or development zone safety supervision department (acting on behalf of the municipal safety supervision bureau) in conjunction with relevant organizations and chemical safety experts at the municipal level or above, can these units be exempted from the requirements for installation and modification. The determination of the hazard score for chemical processing units is carried out in accordance with the \"Hazard Assessment Value Table\" (Appendix 1). IV. Main renovation contents: The enterprises involved shall, based on the characteristics of the chemical processing processes, the scale of the installations, and the complexity of the control systems, and in accordance with the levels of safety risks, optimize the use of intelligent automated instruments, programmable logic controllers (PLC), distributed control systems (DCS), emergency shutdown systems (ESD), or safety instrumented systems (SIS). They shall also establish centralized audio-visual alarm systems as well as emergency interlock shutdown mechanisms for monitoring important process parameters such as level, temperature, and pressure, as well as for detecting concentrations of flammable, highly toxic, and extremely toxic gases. Especially dangerous chemical production units must be equipped with an emergency shutdown system that is independent of the automated control system, to enable emergency interlocked shutdown. The filling installations for liquid chlorine, liquid ammonia, liquefied petroleum gas, and compressed natural gas need to be upgraded with automatic pressure control systems, as well as improved leak prevention and emergency response measures. The renovation plan for automated control and safety interlock technologies shall be developed by design firms with the appropriate qualifications, in collaboration with relevant professionals from the enterprise ； Installation and renovation projects must be carried out by construction and installation units with the appropriate qualifications. Enterprises carrying out renovations must have comprehensive shutdown and startup plans before and after the modifications, ensure that all safety conditions for production are met, and guarantee the safety of these shutdown and startup processes ； After the installation and modification are completed, relevant professionals, as well as design and construction units, should be organized to conduct inspections of the automated control systems and safety interlock shutdown devices, and records should be kept to ensure that these devices operate efficiently and reliably, thus safeguarding the safety of personnel and equipment. V. Implementation Steps and Responsibilities (I) Investigation, Assessment, and Classification Phase (from now until March 31, 2009) 1. All chemical enterprises shall, in accordance with the requirements of this notice, conduct a risk assessment of all their chemical production and storage facilities. These facilities should be classified as “not falling within the scope of renovation,” “already equipped with automated control and safety interlock systems that meet the requirements,” or “needing renovation of such automated control and safety interlock systems.” Enterprises must fill out the “Self-Inspection Form for Renovation of Automated Control and Safety Interlock Systems in Chemical Enterprises” (see Attachment 3) and submit it to the Safety Supervision Branch of the development zone by March 25, 2009. 2. Upon receiving the enterprise’s self-inspection form, the safety supervision department of the development zone will verify the results of the self-inspection to ensure that no chemical production or storage facilities are overlooked. 3. The safety supervision department of the development zone organizes relevant units and personnel to analyze the self-inspection results of enterprises regarding risk assessment, identifies key enterprises, and sets specific deadlines for the installation of necessary modifications in those enterprises that require such reforms. Enterprises required to undergo renovation in the area must complete the renovations strictly within the specified time frame. (II) Phase of formulating and filing the renovation plan (April 1, 2009 to May 31, 2009): 1. Enterprises carrying out the renovation shall, in accordance with the requirements of this notice and taking into account their actual circumstances, formulate a plan for the renovation using automation control and safety interlock technologies ； Key enterprises shall submit their renovation plans to the Safety Supervision Branch of the development zone for record-keeping by April 30, while other enterprises shall do so by May 31. 2. The Safety Supervision Branch of the development zone shall review the renovation plans submitted by enterprises; those that meet the requirements of this notice will be registered ； Those that do not meet the requirements of this notice are required to make corrections and submit the application again. (III) Phase of implementation, acceptance, and summary of the renovation work (June 1, 2009, to March 30, 2010): 1. Enterprises carrying out the renovation must, in accordance with the requirements of this notice, keep records of the installation and renovation work for future reference. After the renovation is completed, they shall prepare a \"Report on the Installation of Automation Control and Safety Interlock Systems\" (see Attachment 2), and submit six copies of this report to the Safety Supervision Branch of the development zone for review. 2. The Municipal Work Safety Supervision Bureau will organize relevant units and experts in November 2009 and February 2010 to conduct centralized reviews of the installation reports submitted by key enterprises and other enterprises, as well as on-site inspections of key enterprises and key installations. 3. The Municipal Work Safety Supervision Bureau will, based on the progress of enterprises’ installation and renovation work, provide support to those enterprises that take proactive actions in carrying out such renovations, whose approaches are worth promoting, and that manage to solve major issues; this support may include assistance with funding allocated for work safety purposes. VI. Relevant Requirements (1) Conduct investigations and research to formulate plans. Chemical enterprises should promptly conduct hazard assessments of their chemical plants, formulate and optimize installation and renovation plans based on the assessment results and the actual conditions of the enterprises, and carry out these plans conscientiously. (II) Focus on key areas and advance step by step. The Safety Supervision Branch of the development zone will, based on the level of danger associated with chemical plants and the actual conditions of the development zone, establish specific time limits for enterprises to carry out installation and renovation work, create a schedule for these tasks, and implement them in phases. Special emphasis will be placed on upgrading the automatic control systems and safety interlock technologies in chemical plants that utilize highly dangerous processes such as nitration, oxidation, sulfonation, chlorination, fluorination, diazotization, and hydrogenation. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on advanced models, leverage their exemplary role in providing guidance, summarize experiences, and advance work. (III) Strengthen the education and training of operators. Chemical enterprises should, by strengthening training and education, recruiting professional talent, and engaging the services of relevant research and design institutions, ensure that they have the necessary operators and technical expertise to meet the requirements of automation control systems and safety interlock shutdown devices in chemical plants. They should also provide training and technical support related to the professional knowledge of such automation control and safety interlock shutdown systems. (IV) Strengthen the selection of design and installation units. Chemical enterprises should conduct evaluations of the safety, reliability, suitability, and after-sales service of their facilities, and choose reputable organizations with strong professional capabilities to carry out the design, installation of automation control and safety interlock systems, as well as the supply of instrumentation equipment, in order to ensure the practicality and reliability of safety-related technical upgrades. (5) Strengthen administrative licensing measures for work safety. The safety supervision authorities will make the installation of automated control and safety interlock systems a necessary condition for issuing permits for safe production, thereby ensuring strict controls on access to such production activities. 1. For existing enterprises that fall within the scope of technological upgrades related to automated control and safety interlock systems, those that failed to install such systems by March 30, 2010, will be considered to have safety facilities that do not meet the requirements for safe production. They will be ordered to suspend operations for rectification; if they fail to complete the rectification within the specified time, their permits for safe production will be revoked. 2. The safety supervision department of the development zone will review the installation reports on automated control and safety interlock systems prepared by the enterprises undergoing renovation, and conduct on-site inspections if necessary. Those that do not meet the installation and modification requirements specified in these guidelines will be treated as having failed to install within the prescribed time. 3. For new construction, renovation, and expansion projects, where the chemical processing units involved fall within the scope of installation and modification, corresponding automation control and safety interlock devices must be designed, installed, and put into use simultaneously. If a safety review or a review of the design of safety facilities has not been conducted, corresponding automated control and safety interlock systems must be developed or designed; otherwise, the safety review will not be approved. For those that have already entered the trial production phase, corresponding automated control and safety interlock devices must be installed before the end of this trial production. If it is not possible to complete this due to constraints such as tight deadlines or heavy workload, a timeline for completing the installation and modifications must be provided (with a maximum period of 6 months), and that timeline must be strictly followed; otherwise, the project will not be approved for the final inspection of its safety facilities. 4. When preparing safety assessment reports for hazardous chemical construction projects, evaluation agencies shall use hazard assessment methods to analyze the safety risks of the process installations, and provide recommendations on whether to install automated control and safety interlock systems. The safety assessment report for the completion acceptance of hazardous chemical construction projects, as well as the safety assessment report on the current situation of manufacturing enterprises, shall include an evaluation of whether automated control and safety interlock devices have been installed in accordance with the specified requirements. The content should cover process production control parameters and control points, the principles of safety control, the logic control units used, detection and transmission units, etc., as well as the compliance of the qualifications of the design and installation units, and the testing, inspection, debugging, and operation of the control system during trial production. 5. The special section on the design of safety facilities for hazardous chemical construction projects shall, based on the safety risk analysis of the process units, the risk levels, and recommended measures, fully consider and design automated control and safety interlock facilities and measures such as the measurement, control, alarm, automatic interlock protection, and emergency shutdown of key parameters. All chemical enterprises must submit a summary of their work on the transformation of automation control and safety interlock technologies by the end of March 2010 to the Office of the District Safety Committee (Safety Supervision Branch). Contact person: Zhang Xiangqing Phone number: 8058190 Email: dykfqajj@sina.com Attachments: 1. Hazard assessment value table ； 2. Requirements for the content of the installation report for automated control and safety interlock systems ； 3. Self-inspection Form for Automation Control and Safety Interlock Technology Upgrades in Chemical Enterprises ； Appendix 1: Hazard Assessment Value Table – Project Score A (10 points), B (5 points), C (2 points), D (0 points). Substance (refers to the substance within a unit with the highest degree of hazard or toxicity): 1. Class A flammable gases *1 ； 2. Class A substances and liquid hydrocarbons ； 3. Class A solids ； 4. Highly hazardous substances*2. 1. Class B flammable gases ； 2. Flammable liquids of Class A B and Class B A ； 3. Class B solids ； 4. Highly hazardous substances. 1. Flammable liquids of Class B, Class A, and Class B ； 2. Class C flammable liquids ； 3. Substances with moderate to mild hazards. Substances that do not fall under categories A, B, or C mentioned above. Capacity * 31. Gas volume of over 1,000 m3 ； 2. The liquid volume is over 100 m3. 1. Gas at 500–1000 m3 ； 2. The liquid volume is 50–100 m3. 1. Gas volume: 100–500 m3 ； 2. The liquid volume is 10–50 m3. 1. Gas < 100 m3 ； 2. Liquid < 10 m3. It is used at temperatures above 1000℃, with an operating temperature above its ignition point. 1. Used at temperatures above 1,000℃, but the operating temperature is below the ignition point ； 2. It is used at 250–1000°C, with an operating temperature above its ignition point. 1. It is used at temperatures ranging from 250 to 1000°C, with the operating temperature being below the ignition point ； 2. Use at temperatures below 250°C, with the operating temperature above the ignition point. It is used at temperatures below 250°C, with the operating temperature being below the ignition point. Pressure: 100 MPa, 20–100 MPa, 1–20 MPa, below 1 MPa. Operations: 1. Critical exothermic reactions and particularly intense exothermic reactions ； 2. Operate within or near the explosion limit range. 1. Operation of moderately exothermic reactions (such as alkylation, esterification, addition, oxidation, polymerization, condensation, etc.) ； 2. When air or impurities enter the system, dangerous operations may occur ； 3. Operations involving the use of powdered or misty substances, where dust explosions may occur ； 4. Batch operation. 1. Operations involving mild exothermic reactions (such as hydrogenation, hydration, isomerization, alkylation, sulfonation, neutralization, etc.) ； 2. Chemical reactions occur during the refining process ； 3. Batch processing, but mechanical and other means are used to carry out the procedures ； 4. There are operations with certain risks. No hazardous operations. Note: *1—Refer to the classification of fire hazard for combustible materials in the Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises (GB50160-1992, 1999 edition). *2—See Tables 1, 2, and 3 of the Standard \"Classification of Toxicity Hazards and Explosion Risks of Chemical Media in Pressure Vessels\" (HG20660-2000). *3—= Reactions that involve a catalyst; the space occupied by the catalyst should be removed ； ②For gas-liquid mixed reactions, the above provisions shall be selected according to the form of the reaction. Appendix 2: Requirements for the content of the installation report for automated control and safety interlock systems. I. Basic information about the enterprise, including name, address, production process, equipment, storage facilities, and information regarding the acquisition of a safety production license. II. Analysis of hazardous factors in the process equipment, hazard classification, and deadlines for the installation and modification of automation control and safety interlock systems. III. Names, addresses, contact information, qualification certificates, and scope of business of the units responsible for the design, construction, and installation of automated control and safety interlock systems. IV. Introduction to the installation and renovation plan for the automatic control and safety interlock systems. V. Safety process control parameters and control points, the principle of safety control, the logic control units used, the detection and transmission units, etc., and what level of safety control can be achieved. VI. Operation status of chemical production and storage facilities, as well as their automated control and safety interlock systems, after installation and modification.