Fire Work Permit

3.2 Procedure for obtaining a permit for fixed fire use: When working within the construction area of a project site that is not prone to fire or explosion, in accordance with the regulations regarding fire management, the construction contractor must submit an application for a permit for fixed fire use, implement all necessary safety measures at the site. Only after verification on-site by the owner’s HSE engineer and the supervisor’s HSE officer can a permit for fixed fire use be issued, allowing the construction contractor to carry out fire-related activities； When changes occur at the construction site, the contractor shall cease any fire-related operations, and the owner’s HSE engineer and the supervisor’s HSE officer shall revoke the permit for using fire. The validity period of a fire-use permit for fixed uses generally does not exceed one month. 3.3 Procedure for obtaining a Fire Work Permit: For fire-related activities in construction areas where flammable materials are present, the construction contractor is responsible for identifying risk factors based on the conditions at the site, formulating safety measures to ensure safety during such activities, and obtaining a Fire Work Permit. All necessary safety precautions must be put in place. Only after the owner’s HSE engineer and the supervisor’s HSE officer have inspected the site and the safety measures in place and given their approval can the Fire Work Permit be issued, allowing the construction contractor to proceed with the fire-related work ； When changes occur at the construction site, the contractor shall stop work, and the owner’s HSE engineer and the supervisor’s HSE officer shall revoke the fire operation permit. The validity period of a fire work permit shall not exceed 8 hours.

A fire operation permit is valid for use at only one location； The validity period of a Class A and Class B fire operation permit does not exceed (24) hours, while that of a Class C fire operation permit does not exceed (120) hours. For fixed-site fire operations, it is necessary to reapply for and obtain approval once again. No information was found regarding the fixed deadline for hot work. The other two values are obtained in accordance with the Safety Regulations for Hot Work in Industrial Areas (HG 23011 - 1999). Safety Regulations for Hot Work in Industrial Areas (HG 23011 - 1999): 1. Subject matter and scope of application: These regulations specify the classification of hot work activities in the production areas of chemical enterprises, the safety and fire prevention requirements, the procedures for hot work analysis and the corresponding acceptance criteria, as well as the management of Hot Work Safety Permits. This standard applies to hot work in flammable and explosive areas within the production areas of chemical enterprises. This standard does not apply to fixed hot work and fixed welding operations in the production areas of chemical enterprises. 2. Referenced Standards The provisions contained in the following standards, which are incorporated into this standard by reference, are all valid in their respective versions at the time of publication. All standards will be revised, and parties using this standard should consider the possibility of using the latest versions of the following standards. GBJ 16 - 87 Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings; HG 23012 - 1999 Safety Regulations for Work Inside Plant Equipment; HG 23014 - 1999 Safety Regulations for Working at Heights in Plants. 3. Definitions The following definitions are adopted in this standard. 3.1 Hot work: Welding and cutting operations in no-fire zones, as well as temporary operations in flammable and explosive areas that involve the use of blowtorches, electric drills, grinding wheels, etc., which may generate flames, sparks, or hot surfaces. 3.2 Flammable and explosive areas: Areas where items are produced and stored fall under the categories A and B for fire hazard classification as specified in GBJ16-87. 4.4 Classification of hot work: Hot work is divided into three categories: hot work with special hazards, category 1 hot work, and category 2 hot work. 4.1 Special hazardous hot work: Hot work carried out on production units, pipelines, storage tanks, containers, and other facilities containing flammable and explosive materials that are in operation, as well as in other sites with special hazards. 4.2 Class 1 hot work: Hot work carried out in flammable and explosive areas. 4.3 Class 2 hot work: Hot work other than special hazardous hot work and Class 1 hot work. 4.4 When a factory, workshop, or separate building is completely shut down, and the equipment has been cleaned, purged, sampled, and analyzed to confirm its suitability, along with safety isolation measures having been implemented, then, depending on the level of fire and explosion risk, approval from the factory’s safety and fire prevention department may allow such work to be carried out under the regulations for class II firework operations. 4.5 During festivals, holidays, or other special circumstances, hot work operations require enhanced management. 5.5 Safety and fire prevention requirements for hot work 5.1 Safety and fire prevention requirements for level 1 and level 2 hot work 5.1.1 A hot work safety permit must be obtained for any hot work; when performing such work inside equipment or at heights, the provisions of HG 23012 and HG 23014 must also be followed. 5.1.2 Hot work carried out on the plant’s utility tunnels is managed as level 1 hot work, while hot work performed under pressure without gas displacement is managed as hot work involving special hazards. 5.1.3 All production and storage equipment such as containers, devices, and pipelines that contain or have contained chemical hazardous materials must be cleaned and purged before any hot work can be carried out; hot work is only permitted after analysis confirms that the area is clean. 5.1.4 Whenever hot work is to be carried out on pipelines, containers, towers, and other production facilities located in Class A or Class B areas as specified in GBJ 16 - 87, it is necessary to completely isolate them from the production system, clean and purge them, and conduct sampling analyses to ensure they meet the required standards. 5.1.5 When performing hot work at high altitudes, if there are any combustible materials, cavities, manholes, ditches, water seals, etc. on the ground below, these should be inspected and analyzed, and measures should be taken to prevent sparks from falling and causing fire or explosion accidents. 5.1.6 For hot work involving the dismantling of pipelines, it is necessary to first determine the medium contained within them and their routing, and to establish corresponding safety and fire prevention measures ； When performing hot work on the ground in the presence of flammable materials, fire prevention measures should be taken. If there are manholes, ditches, water seals, etc. near the area where welding is to take place, they should be inspected and analyzed, and appropriate safety and fire prevention measures should be taken based on the specific conditions at the site. 5.1.7 When performing hot work on equipment used for the production, use, or storage of oxygen, the oxygen content must not exceed 20%. 5.1.8 Open-air welding operations are prohibited in weather with wind force of level 5 or above (including level 5). When hot work is truly necessary for production reasons, its management should be upgraded. 5.1.9 A dedicated person shall be assigned to supervise the hot work. Before carrying out such work, flammable materials in and around the work area must be removed, or other effective fire safety measures must be taken, along with the provision of sufficient and appropriate fire-fighting equipment. 5.1.10 Before carrying out hot work, electrical and gas welding tools should be inspected to ensure they are safe and reliable; it is not allowed to use them if they are faulty. 5.1.11 When performing welding or cutting operations using gas, the distance between the oxygen cylinder and the acetylene cylinder should be at least 5 meters, and both cylinders should be at least 10 meters away from the location where the welding/cutting is taking place. They must not be exposed to direct sunlight. 5.1.12 When performing hot work within 25 meters of railway lines, work must be stopped immediately if a train carrying chemical hazardous materials passes by or stops there. 5.1.13 Whenever hot work is carried out inside cooling towers, degassing towers, water washing towers, etc., which contain flammable or combustible components, fire isolation measures must be taken to prevent sparks from falling and causing a fire. 5.1.14 After the hot work is completed, the site should be cleaned up, and it is only permissible to leave once it is confirmed that there are no remaining embers. 5.2 Safety and fire prevention requirements for hot work involving special hazards: Hot work involving special hazards must comply with the provisions of clause 5.1 in addition to meeting the following requirements. 5.2.1 Hot work without displacement under pressure is not permitted in the following situations. 5.2.1.1 Unstable production. 5.2.1.2 Equipment, pipelines, etc. are severely corroded. 5.2.2 A construction safety plan must be developed, and safety and fire prevention measures must be implemented. During hot work, the workshop supervisor, the safety officers from the unit performing the hot work as well as those from the unit affected by it, the personnel from the factory’s safety and fire prevention department, and the factory manager or chief engineer must be present on site. If necessary, a professional fire brigade can be called in to oversee the operation. 5.2.3 Before carrying out hot work, the production unit must inform the factory’s production scheduling department and relevant units, so that appropriate emergency measures can be taken promptly in case of any abnormalities. 5.2.4 During hot work, a dedicated person must be assigned to monitor pressure changes within the production system, ensuring that the system maintains a positive pressure of at least 100 millimeters of water column. Hot work should be stopped when the pressure is below 100 millimeters of water column; hot work can resume only after the cause has been identified and appropriate measures taken. Negative-pressure welding operations are strictly prohibited. 5.2.5 Good ventilation at the hot work site is required to ensure that any leaked gases can be discharged smoothly. 6. Hot work analysis and acceptance criteria 6.1 Hot work analysis shall be carried out by a hot work analyst. Whenever welding or hot work is carried out on flammable and explosive devices, pipelines, storage tanks, manholes, and other areas deemed suitable for analysis, a hot work analysis must be conducted prior to such work. 6.2 The sampling points for hot work analysis shall be proposed by the full-time or part-time safety officer of the unit where the hot work is carried out, or by the shift supervisor on duty. 6.3 The sampling points for hot work analysis must be representative, and the analysis samples for special hot work should be retained until the completion of the hot work. 6.4 The interval between sampling and hot work must not exceed 30 minutes; if this interval is exceeded or the hot work is interrupted for more than 30 minutes, sampling and analysis must be carried out again. If on-site analysis methods cannot meet the above requirements, approval must be given in writing by the plant manager or chief engineer, who will then arrange alternative measures. 6.5 When analysis is conducted using a detonation meter or other similar devices, the testing equipment must be calibrated to accuracy using standard gas samples of the object under test. 6.6 Judgment on the Pass/Fail of Flammable Gas Analysis 6.6.1 When using a flame detector or other similar devices, the concentration of the gas or vapor being tested should be less than or equal to 20% of its lower explosive limit. 6.6.2 When other analytical methods are used, if the lower explosion limit of the gas or vapor being tested is 4% or higher, its measured concentration shall be 0.5% or less ； When the lower explosion limit of the gas or vapor being tested is less than 4%, its measured concentration is less than or equal to 0.2%. 7. Management of the Hot Work Safety Permit 7.1 The Hot Work Safety Permit consists of two copies; special high-risk hot work, level 1 hot work, and level 2 hot work permits are distinguished by three, two, and one diagonal red bar respectively. The format of the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ is shown in the appendix. 7.2 Procedures for obtaining and requirements for using the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ 7.2.1 The ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ shall be obtained by the person in charge of the hot work project, as designated by the unit that applies for such work. The applicant must fill in each item on the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ in detail; no fields should be left blank ； Then, according to the fire hazard level, go through the approval procedures in accordance with the approval authority specified in clause 7.4 ； Finally, hand the completed ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ to the person in charge of the hot work project. 7.2.2 The person in charge of hot work shall go to the site with the completed \"Hot Work Safety Permit,\" check whether the safety measures for hot work have been implemented, confirm that these measures are reliable, and after informing the person performing the hot work and the supervisor of the relevant safety precautions, hand over the \"Hot Work Safety Permit\" to the person performing the hot work. 7.2.3 A single Hot Work Safety Permit may only be used at one hot work site; after the work is completed, the person carrying out the hot work must sign on the permit. If multiple persons are performing hot work at the same location, one Hot Work Safety Permit can be used, but all those carrying out the hot work must sign on the permit separately. 7.2.4 The “Hot Work Safety Permit” shall not be transferred or altered, nor shall it be used in other locations or with an expanded scope of use. 7.2.5 The “Hot Work Safety Permit” is issued in two copies, with one copy kept by the final approver and the other by the person carrying out the hot work for record-keeping purposes ； For special hazards, the “Hot Work Safety Permit” is kept on file by the department responsible for safety and fire prevention. 7.3 Validity period of the Hot Work Safety Permit: The validity period for the Hot Work Safety Permits issued for tasks involving special hazards, as well as those for level 1 hot work, is 24 hours. 7.3.1 The validity period of the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ for level 2 hot work is 120 hours. 7.3.2 If the hot work is carried out beyond its valid period, a new Hot Work Safety Permit must be obtained. 7.4 Approval of the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ 7.4.1 For hot work involving special hazards, the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ must first be reviewed and signed by the responsible manager of the unit where the work is to be carried out. After being checked and signed by the department in charge of safety and fire prevention, it is submitted to the plant manager or chief engineer for final approval. 7.4.2 For level-1 hot work, the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ must first be reviewed and signed by the competent leader of the unit where the hot work is to be carried out, after which it is submitted to the competent safety and fire prevention department for final approval. 7.4.3 The ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ for level 2 hot work must be finally approved by the supervising manager of the unit where the hot work is to be carried out. 8. Responsibility Requirements 8.1 The person in charge of the hot work project is fully responsible for the hot work operations. It is necessary to thoroughly understand the details of the work to be carried out, as well as the location where the work will take place and the surrounding conditions, before starting any hot work. One must also participate in the development and implementation of safety measures for such work, and inform the workers of their tasks and the fire safety precautions that need to be observed. After the task is completed, organize an inspection of the site to ensure that there are no remaining sources of fire before leaving. 8.2 The person who carries out hot work independently must hold a permit for working in special types of jobs, and must sign on the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’. When working with an apprentice, the person performing the hot work must be present to supervise. Upon receiving the \"Hot Work Safety Permit,\" the person carrying out the hot work must verify that all the details listed on the permit are in place and that the approval procedures are complete. If it is found that the conditions are not met, they have the right to refuse to carry out the hot work and must report this to the department responsible for safety and fire prevention in the organization. The person performing hot work must carry the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ with them at all times; it is strictly prohibited to carry out hot work without a permit or when the approval procedures are not complete. Before starting hot work (including when resuming work after a break of more than 30 minutes), the person carrying out the work must present the \"Hot Work Safety Permit\" to the shift supervisor at the location where the work is to be performed; only after obtaining their signature can the hot work proceed. 8.3 The fire watcher shall be appointed by the unit where the hot work is carried out as a person who is responsible, experienced, familiar with the site, and knowledgeable in fire safety. If necessary, it can also be assigned jointly by the unit conducting the hot work and the unit where the hot work is carried out. For hot work during the construction of new projects, the construction unit shall assign a fire watcher. The fire watcher’s position should allow easy observation of the welding area and any sparks that may fall, and additional fire watchers can be assigned if necessary. The fire watcher is responsible for monitoring and inspecting the area where welding or burning takes place, extinguishing any sparks that may fly out at any time. In the event of any abnormalities, they must immediately inform the person carrying out the welding/burning work to stop, and promptly contact the relevant personnel to take action. The fire watcher must stay at their post and is not allowed to leave it. No other tasks are allowed to be carried out during hot work ； After the hot work is completed, relevant personnel should be involved in cleaning up the site, removing any remaining embers, and only after confirming that no fire sources remain can the site be left. 8.4 The team leader (shift supervisor, section chief) of the unit where hot work is carried out is the person in charge of the area where the work is performed, and is responsible for the safety of the production system involved during such work. Participate in formulating fire safety measures, be responsible for implementing them, coordinate between production activities and fire-related operations, and inspect the Fire Safety Work Permit. There is the authority to stop hot work for Work Permits for Hot Work that do not meet the required approval procedures. During hot work, if there is an emergency or abnormal situation in the production system, it is necessary to immediately order the cessation of the hot work. 8.5 The hot work analyst is responsible for the hot work analysis methods and the results thereof. As required by the unit where the hot work is being carried out, go to the site in person to collect samples for analysis, fill in the sampling time and analysis data on the \"Hot Work Safety Permit\", and sign it. 8.6 The safety officers of the unit carrying out the hot work and the unit where the hot work is performed are responsible for checking the compliance with this standard and the implementation of safety measures, and for correcting any illegal operations at any time. For special hazardous welding operations and Class 1 welding tasks, a safety officer must be present at the site. 8.7 The reviewers and approvers for hot work at all levels must go to the site in person when approving such work, to understand the location of the hot work and the surrounding conditions, determine whether a hot work analysis is necessary, assess and specify the level of risk associated with the hot work, inspect and improve fire safety measures, and verify that the preparation of the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ complies with the requirements outlined in 7.2. Only after confirming its accuracy can one sign to approve the hot work.

AQ 3022-2008 Safety Regulations for Hot Work in Chemical Production Units \"8.4 Validity Period of the Work Permit 8.4.1 The validity period of the work permit for special hot work and class I hot work shall not exceed 8 hours.\" 8.4.2 The validity period of the ‘Work Permit’ for level 2 hot work shall not exceed 72 hours, and a hot work analysis shall be conducted prior to each day’s hot work. 8.4.3 If the hot work exceeds its valid period, a new Work Permit must be obtained. ” The regulations regarding the fixed deadline for hot work are not clear as to their source.

1. Whenever work involving fire is to be carried out on equipment, containers, and pipelines used for the production, storage, or transportation of flammable materials, the source of these materials must first be cut off and blind flanges installed； After thorough purging, cleaning, and displacement, open the manhole for ventilation ； When opening manholes, they should be opened one by one from top to bottom, and only after verification that everything is in order can fire be used ； If fire use is continued after a interval of more than 1 hour, another fire use analysis must be conducted, or the pipelines and containers must be filled with water before fire can be used. 2. In areas where production is taking place under normal conditions, any use of fire that is not necessary should be avoided. All equipment and pipelines that can be removed should be taken to a safe location where fire can be used; strict controls must be applied to any use of fire at level one. 3. Fire approval officers at all levels shall conduct on-site inspections and ensure that the entity carrying out the fire-related activity has implemented appropriate fire prevention measures before issuing a “Fire Work Permit”. 4. A fire operation permit is valid only for one location where fire is used; one location (one fire site), one permit (fire operation permit), and one person (fire supervisor) are required. One fire operation permit shall not be used for multiple locations where fire is used. 5. The validity period for premium and first-class tickets is no more than 8 hours, while that for second-class tickets is no more than 3 days. If the work is interrupted for more than 1 hour and fire use continues, the supervisor, the person using the fire, and the site supervisor must reconfirm. Fix the fire point and conduct inspections and assessments every six months. 6. Fire analysis. When the lower explosion limit of the combustible gas is greater than 4%, an analysis result of less than 0.5% is considered acceptable ； When the lower explosion limit of the combustible gas is less than or equal to 4%, analysis and testing results of less than 0.2% are considered acceptable.