Hazardous equipment definition

Process definition and design criteria Process and equipment design Company memory (management information) Documentation of risk management decisions Protective systems Normal and upset conditions Chemical and occupational health hazards... 

Processed scrap metal. Scrap metal includes, but is not limited to, pipes, containers, equipment, wire, and other metal items that are no longer of use. To facilitate recycling, scrap metal that has been processed to make it easier to handle or transport and is sent for metals recovery is excluded from the definition of solid waste. Unprocessed scrap metal is still eligible for an exemption from hazardous waste regulation when recycled. 

Shredded circuit boards. Circuit boards are metal boards that hold computer chips, thermostats, batteries, and other electronic components. Circuit boards can be found in computers, televisions, radios, and other electronic equipment. When this equipment is thrown away, these boards can be removed and recycled. Whole circuit boards meet the definition of scrap metal, and are therefore exempt from hazardous waste regulation when recycled. On the other hand, some recycling processes involve shredding the board. Such shredded boards do not meet the exclusion for recycled scrap metal. In order to facilitate the recycling of such materials, U.S. EPA excluded recycled shredded circuit boards from the definition of solid waste, provided that they are stored in containers sufficient to prevent release to the environment, and are free of potentially dangerous components, such as mercury switches, mercury relays, nickel-cadmium batteries, and lithium batteries. 

Process Knowledge and Documentation—The main features here are process definition and design criteria, process and equipment design, company memory (management information), documentation of risk management decisions, protective systems, normal and upset con-dtions, and chemical and occupational health hazards. 

The same modern incinerators equipped with scmbbers, bag-filters, electro-precipitators, secondary combustion chambers, stacks, etc., are equally efficient for disposal of hazardous PCBs, dioxin, USEPA priority pollutants, and so on, if they are properly designed, installed, and managed. Incineration technology is definitely feasible, and should not be overlooked. The only residues left in the incinerators are small amount of ashes containing metals. The metal-containing ashes may be solidified and then disposed of on a landfill site. 

EPA. 1984b. Definitions. National emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Subpart V - National Emission Standard for Equipment Leaks (Fugitive Emission Sources). Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR 61.240-61.242. 

In the European and UK standards the term Zone is used for hazardous areas, whereas the term Division is used in the USA. In practice the end result of selecting appropriate equipment for a Zone or Division is usually very similar. There are a few subtle differences, especially when selecting electric motors. The zonal definitions vary in wording from one document to another but the essential elements are as follows. 

Hazard protection—which involves prevention and control-terms and definitions, personal protection equipment (PPE) levels, identifying hazardous materials, hazards initiating an emergency response, avoiding hazards,... 

For the purposes of this assessment, the emergency is determined to be complete when energy input has been removed from the process unit, major equipment has been secured from damage, and the environment is protected from an uncontrolled hazardous release. The process unit may not be totally secure at this point however, it is considered safe. In some cases, this definition may reduce the primary emergency shutdown requirements. 

Emphasis should be placed on the last phrase of the SIF definition, "specific hazardous event." This phrase helps one clearly identify what equipment is included in the safety instrumented function versus auxiliary equipment not actually needed to provide protection against the hazard. 

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