Fire and Explosion

Relevant Statutes:

Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 [PFEER]

General Duties

The Duty Holder shall take appropriate measures to protect persons from fire and explosion.
Measures will include plant and equipment, and management systems examples are;

inherent safe design
preventative measures
detection
control and
mitigation

appropriate means taking account of the outcomes of major hazard assessments (see
below) and any risk assessments.

Assessment

The Duty Holder shall perform, and thereafter repeat as often as may be appropriate an assessment in relation to his installation.

An assessment shall consist of,

a) the identification of the various events which could give rise to -

a major accident involving fire or explosion or
the need for evacuation, escape or rescue to avoid or minimise a major accident

b) the evaluation of the likelihood and consequences of such events;

c) the establishment of appropriate standards of performance (see below) to be attained by anything provided by measures for-

ensuring effective evacuation, escape, recovery and rescue
otherwise protecting persons from a major accident involving fire and explosion

d) the selection of appropriate measures

In summary the process of assessment should involve identifying-

a) fire, explosion and major accident hazards with the potential to require evacuation, escape of rescue

b) the likelihood and consequences

c) the measures required to meet legal requirements

d) performance standards for those measures

A Performance Standard is a statement of the performance required of a

system or
item of equipment or
person or
procedure

which is used as the basis for managing the hazard.
It is for the Duty Holder to decide what the performance standard should be, taking
into account the circumstances of the particular installation.

The Duty Holder shall-

record the assessment each time it is performed
keep the assessment at and address in Great Britain which has been notified to the HSE

The regulations do not specify how recording should be done. Duty Holders must decide on their approach which could be a stand alone document, a series of documents or as part of their safety case ( in any case a summary has to be provided in the safety case).

Prevention

The Duty Holder shall take appropriate measures with a view to preventing fire and explosion, including-

Ensuring the safe production, processing, use, and other dealings with flammable or explosive substances
preventing uncontrolled releases
preventing unnecessary accumulation of combustibles, flammables etc.
preventing the ignition of such substances

The measures to prevent ignition shall include

identifying and designating danger areas
controlling hazardous activities
ensuring that no unsuitable plant is used
controlling sources of ignition such as electrical fixtures

Detection

The Duty Holder shall take appropriate measures with a view to detecting fire and other events which may require emergency response, including

the provision of meansdetecting and recording the accumulation of flammable or toxic gases
identifying leakage's of flammable liquids
with a view to enabling information to be conveyed forthwith to place from
which action can be instigated.

See Detection section for further details

Mitigation

The Duty Holder shall take appropriate measures with a view to protecting persons from the effects of fire and explosion and ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, any arrangements made and plant provided are capable of remaining effective in an emergency

Appropriate measures could include:

deluge systems and fixed extinguishing systems
fire resistant coatings and fire blast walls
manual response equipment and procedures
ventilation control systems

Information

The Duty Holder shall also ensure that all persons are informed of the location of:

areas in which there is a risk of a flammable or explosive atmosphere occurring
non automatic plant for fire-fighting
plant to be used in emergencies life saving appliance

Plant

The Duty Holder shall ensure that

a) all plant provided to prevent or mitigate the effects of fire or explosion is suitable and is maintained in an efficient state.

b) there is a suitable written scheme for the systematic examination (by a competent and independent person) of plant provided for

mitigating the effects of fire or explosion
detecting fire or the accumulation of flammable gases
communications and the control of emergencies
recording results

A person employed by the duty holder can be considered to be independent provided
he is sufficiently independent of any other persons responsible to the duty holder for
the condition etc. of the plant that is being examined.

The written scheme should specify the nature and frequency of examinations and where appropriate provide for an examination to be carried out prior to equipment being used or after modification or repairs. Provisions for different plant may vary. The purpose of examining the plant is to:

assess its suitability
assess its condition
determine any necessary remedial measures

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