Emergency equipment, dangerous

CFR1926.21(b)(6)(i) 4.6.4 All employees required to enter into confined or enclosed spaces shall be instmcted as to the nature of the hazards involved, the necessary precautions to be taken, and in the use of protective and emergency equipment required. The employer shall comply with any specific regulations that apply to work in dangerous or potentially dangerous areas. 

Provision of an adequately equipped emergency control centre of suitable design located outside potential danger zones. 

Emergency maintenance is that work which is required to be performed without delay due to a failure of a component which, if not implemented, would lead to further failures or even permanent damage, resulting in the total loss of the plant and equipment. Plant and equipment in such a condition may also be dangerous to personnel. 

Example 11-2 assumes that all failures in either the alarm or the shutdown system are immediately obvious to the operator and are fixed in a negligible amount of time. Emergency alarms and shutdown systems are used only when a dangerous situation occurs. It is possible for the equipment to fail without the operator being aware of the situation. This is called an unrevealed failure. Without regular and reliable equipment testing, alarm and emergency systems can fail without notice. Failures that are immediately obvious are called revealed failures. 

There are few careers that are as demanding and require expertise in as many disciplines as firefighting. Although improved safety equipment and modern apparatus have made emergency response safer in many ways, there is still the potential of uncertainty and danger in even the most routine response. 

Safety requires you to think in advance about what you will do never do anything that seems dangerous. Know how to use safety equipment such as goggles, fume hood, lab coat, gloves, emergency shower, eyewash, and fire extinguisher. Chemicals should be stored and used in a manner that minimizes contact of solids, liquids, and vapors with people. Environmentally acceptable disposal procedures should be established in advance for every chemical that you use. Your lab notebook tells what you did and what you observed it should be understandable to other people. It also should allow you to repeat an experiment in the same manner in the future. You should understand the principles of operation of electronic and mechanical balances and treat them as delicate equipment. Buoyancy corrections are required in accurate work. Burets should be read in a reproducible manner and drained slowly for best results. Always interpolate between markings to obtain accuracy one deci-... 

It should be possible to easily isolate fluids in equipment and piping when potentially dangerous situations occur. This can be done using emergency block valves (EBVs). An EBV is a manually or remotely actuated protective device that should be used to provide manual or remote shutoff of uncontrolled gas or liquid flow releases. EBVs can be used to isolate a vessel or other equipment, or an entire unit operation. Manual valves are often used on piping at block limits where it is unlikely that there would be a hazard to personnel if an accident occurs. Remotely controlled EBVs are recommended on tanks and on piping in areas where it may be hazardous for personnel in the case of an accident, or where a quick response may be necessary. 

Evacuation Plans. Many emergency events require the evacuation of at least some facility personnel, if only for precautionary reasons. This presents other needs, which must be addressed in the evacuation plan. Personnel who are directed to evacuate their normal work stations need visible wind direction indicators to help them move away from a dangerous gas cloud drifting downwind of the release point. If the building is enveloped in the cloud, however, they will need personal protective equipment in order to evacuate the building safely. When there are processes that must be rapidly shut down and/or isolated as evacuation proceeds, the plan must include written procedures and appropriate means to ensure incident-free action. 

It should be possible to easily isolate fluids in equipment and piping when potentially dangerous situations occur. This can be done using emergency block valves (EBVs). An EBV is a manual or remotely-actuated protective device that should be used to provide manual or remote shut-off of... 

You must always maintain projier respect for downed wires even though some may appear harmless. Electrical equipment requires the same respect, awareness, and caution you would accord a firearm - always "consider it loaded." In situations where no emergency exists and human life is not in any immediate danger, wait for the local utility personnel to secure the area they have the knowledge and equipment to complete the job safely. 

Gas-protective equipment is employed under dangerous conditions and often in emergency situations. Therefore, adequate advance training should be given men who may be called upon to use such equipment. 

For example, the annex describes requirements for control devices (clearly visible, outside dangerous zones) and emergency stop devices. Work equipment presenting hazards due to emission of gases, vapors, liquids, or dust has to be fitted with containment or extraction devices near the source. 

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