Non-routine work increases process risk and can directly lead to conditions that make a catastrophic accident much more likely.
Safe work practices are critical elements in the management of this non-routine work.
Safe work practices include an integrated system of policies, procedures and permits that help protect workers from hazards and prevent the sudden release of process materials or energy during non-routine work activities.
Effective Practices to Manage and Mitigate Hazards
Reduce risk by minimizing work on lines or equipment still connected to operating portion of the process unit
Consider deferring work activities requiring line or equipment opening to a future turnaround or outage when inventories of hazardous materials are at a minimum or eliminated.
Consider deferring work activities on energized electrical circuits to a future turnaround or outage when these circuits can be properly de-energized.
A release of hazardous material during a task requiring Lock-Out/Tag-Out can cause property damage if released materials are flammable, combustible, corrosive, or toxic. Depending on the surrounding area, the released material may find an ignition source and cause a fire or an explosion. It could also damage other equipment or require specialized cleaning and removal. A release can happen if the equipment being worked on is not isolated properly and chemical energy is released unexpectedly.
To identify and manage release of hazardous energy that could result in personal injuries, property damage, community impacts, environmental impacts, or business impacts. This includes inadvertent start-up of de-energized equipment, release of stored energy and release of hazardous materials during maintenance or operations activities. Types of hazardous energy releases that should be controlled include:
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