Low-risk facilities

Emergency shutdown capability is to be provided all petroleum facilities be it manual, remotely operated or automatic. Inherent safety practices rely on emergency shutdown capability as a prime facet in achieving a low risk facility. Without adequate shutdown capabilities a facility cannot be controlled during a major incident. 

A low-risk facility is used for work with materials, equipment, or classes of operations, with no known or rnimrnal risk to the workers, the general public, or to the environment. It is possible to work safely with all the necessary materials on open benches. No special protection or enclosures are needed for the equipment or operations. There is a written laboratory safety plan to whichaU the employees have access. Laboratory workers have been properly trained in laboratory procedures and are supervised by a trained and knowledgeable person. If there are any potential risks, the employees have been informed of them, how to detect them if they are not immediately obvious, and emergency procedures. 

Although it is anticipated that the amount of hazardous chemicals used in a low risk facility will... 

Low-risk facilities are those with low energy levels and those with which the COE has a considerable amount of trouble-free experience, such as basic administrative buildings and housing. The system safety effort for these facilities may consist primarily of the PHL, with no additional analysis required. 

Low-risk facilities require a minimal system safety effort and little user involvement. 

A frequency of inspection based on an evaluation of the hazard versus severity, i.e., the risk the facility represents, whereby high-risk facilities would be inspected more frequently than low-risk facilities. This focuses resources more beneficially to the appropriate potential high-risk facilities to improve safety. 

Appendix A in RP 14J provides a set of useful checklists that match the text of the standard itself. It starts with a simplified checklist that can be used for simple and low risk facilities such as single well caissons and most unmanned wellhead... 

For small, low risk facilities (such as critical assemblies or reactors with low power levels) these requirements are much less stringent. However, as the SAR is often the only comprehensive document produced, every topic discussed in the Appendix of this Guide should be considered. Although the extent of information on each topic would be limited, the scope of some topics (e.g. the protection of the operating personnel against overexposure in critical assembly facilities) may be much larger for small, low power facilities. 

Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques may be used to consider the risk associated with a facility. The level and magnitude of these reviews should be commensurate with the risk that the facility represents. High value, critical facilities or employee vulnerability may warrant high review levels. While unmanned "off-the-shelf, low hazard facilities may suffice with only a checklist review. Specialized studies are performed when in-depth analysis is needed to determine the cost benefit of a safety feature or to fully demonstrate the intended safety feature has the capability to fully meet prescribed safety requirements. 

Finding 4-2. One specific criterion for evaluating the modified baseline design, as documented in the NEPA notice of intent for Pueblo, is that the facility be as safe as baseline incineration. Because of the very low risk at Pueblo, it is not clear how this and other criteria can be implemented. 

The metrics system will need criteria to determine which units within a facility, or which facilities within the organization, will participate in the metrics system. Many companies, and even some large plant sites, have diverse operations, some of which may not use typical process safety systems, and this usually applies to low-hazard and low-risk operations. These facilities should be included in the process safety metrics system, and the system design needs to establish participation criteria for all. For example ... 

Bone Char Decontamination of Mound Facility Waste Streams. Both bench and pilot plant scale studies have been performed to investigate the application and integration of bone char in schemes to remove alpha activity (238Pu, 239Pu, 233U) from various aqueous waste streams generated at the Mound Facility. These studies have culminated in installation and successful operation of a plant-size bone char column for tertiary treatment of the Mound Facility low-risk waste stream. Highlights of the Mound experience with bone char, based on results reported in part elsewhere, are briefly summarized in this paper. 

Mound Facility Low-Risk Waste. Approximately 3 x 105 l of low-level waste are generated weekly at the Mound Facility. This particular waste stream is essentially local hard water which has been demineralized and then used in various chemical processes involving the radionuclides 238Pu and 233U. The first step in decontaminating the low-risk wastes entails addition of small amounts of calcium and iron salts followed by addition of NaOH to pH 11.5 to precipitate iron and calcium hydroxides and carbonates. The clarified effluent from the precipitation step is then passed through a 200 micrometer sand filter to yield a solution containing, typically, 0.1+ d/min/m alpha activity. 

Figure 1. Bone char column used in tertiary treatment of mound facility low-risk...

Prioritization and Identification (Chapter 3) Corporate / Management Level Hazards of the worldwide transportation operations are not clearly understood Risk management priorities have not been identified Corporate-level prioritization of all transportation hazards Identification of low-risk materials that can be limited to a primary management system review Identification chemicals, modes of transportation, and specific facility operations escalated for more detailed risk analysis... 

Maternal death or serious disability associated with labour or delivery in a low-risk pregnancy while being cared for in a healthcare facility ... 

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