Title: Safety Regulations for the Storage, Packaging, and Transport of Gas
1Safety Regulations for the Storage, Packaging,
and Transport of Gas
- Sponsor Ministry of the Interior
- Co-Sponsor
- Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan
- Energy Committee, Ministry of Economic Affairs
-
2Organizational Structure
- 1. Background Explanation
- 2.Enforcement Status (prior cases, analysis of
related regulations) - 3. Problem Analysis
- 4. Policy Planning and Suggestions
- 5. Standard Procedure in Related Topics
- (Disaster prevention, emergency response, follow
up investigation and evaluation) - 6. Established Examination System and Protocol
- 7. Future Objectives and Vision
31. Background Explanation
- L.P.G. is the abbreviation of Liquefied Petroleum
Gas. This type of gas is normally stored and
transported under high pressure, and returns to
its normal gaseous state after decompression. - L.P.G. is composed of propane or butane, or a
mixture of the two. The burning range of propane
in air is from 2.15 - 9.60, and its combustion
point is 493?604?. The burning range of butane
in air is 1.558.60, and its combustion point
is 482?538?. - It is commonly believed that L.P.G. is not
poisonous, however can cause asphyxiation if
stored in narrow, unventilated areas. L.P.G. is
odorless, although scented materials are commonly
added during its transport or storage.
4- 4. The proportional weight of L.P.G. is 0.509
0.582 (at 15.5?, where water 1), so it floats
in water when compressed. The proportional weight
of its vapor is 1.52 2.01 (at 15.5?, where air
1), so it collects on the ground or low areas. - L.P.G. in containers can easily result in
B.L.E.V.E (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor
Explosion). - The purpose of this case is to enforce safety
regulations for the storage and transport of
L.P.G., conduct regular fire safety equipment and
storage examinations, removal of expired
canisters, and conduct training for storage and
transport personnel. These regulations provide
measures for ordinary disaster prevention,
disaster protocol, as well as post-disaster
matters in an effort to reduce the occurrence of
L.P.G. leak related disasters, and ensure public
safety.
52. Enforcement Status
- Prior cases The explosion at the Guan-Cheng
Loading Factory in Shi Lin of Taipei County and
the gas truck explosion at the Yin-Yuan Bei-Yi
Xing-Ye Ltd. L.P.G. loading factory in Kaohsiung
were both examples of disasters that occurred due
to the negligence of gas truck driver. The
driver moved the truck away from the filling
platform without noticing that the filling
mechanism on the rear of the truck had not been
removed, which caused the gas lines to snap,
leaking large amounts of gas. The snapped
connector scraped against the ground as the truck
moved forward, producing sparks, which then
ignited the L.P.G. When heated, the contained
L.P.G. rapidly expanded into gas, causing the
container to burst. The great amount of L.P.G.
resulted in the explosion tragedy. - Analysis of related regulations
- A. The person in charge at the L.P.G.
loading factory should provide a safe and
sanitary workplace for employees following
employee safety and sanitary regulations. - B. The person in charge should provide
safety and sanitation planning, as required by
the Examination Measures for Dangerous
Workplaces, as well as complete plans in
production safety evaluation, emergency protocol,
and examination. Operations may only be conducted
after examination by a workplace examination
institution.
6- 3. L.P.G. transport vehicle drivers and loading
factory personnel should prevent disasters by
conducting regular training following employee
safety and sanitation training regulations. - 4. L.P.G. loading industries that are larger than
the regulation scale should conduct fire
prevention measures as required by fire
prevention regulations. Such industries should
hire fire prevention managers, and establish fire
prevention plans. In addition, they should
conduct fire escape facility inspections every
month, maintain fire safety equipment, and
conduct fire drills for factory employees at
least once every six months (including
extinguishing the fire, report of the fire, and
evacuation). - 5. The fire prevention institution should conduct
regular inspection of fire safety equipment and
container storage facilities, and remove expired
items or items in violation of the law according
to fire safety regulations, fire safety equipment
standards, and other regulations regarding
storage standards and management policy for
dangerous and flammable high pressure gasses.
73. Problem Analysis
- Lack of training for L.P.G. container truck
drivers - There should be personnel specifically
responsible for the loading and unloading of
L.P.G. - Employers and personnel should adhere to Article
86 of High Pressure Employee Safety Regulations
by safeguarding against gas leakage or
explosions, as well as verify that the
container vehicles do not leave the platform
before the containers have been disconnected from
the unloading equipment. - There have been no applications for safe
connecting equipment or safety measures for the
loading of L.P.G. - There should be personnel specifically
responsible for coordination with fire safety
personnel, providing disaster information in an
effort to facilitate emergency measures.
84. Policy Planning and Suggestions
- Improve risk control system
- A. The Ministry of Interior, Ministry of
Economic Affairs, Council of Labor Affairs, and
local government should gather information
regarding disasters and causes of disasters for
the purpose of research in the areas of possible
disaster prevention measures, risk management,
and other disaster prevention techniques. - B. The Ministry of Interior, Council of
Labor Affairs, and local government should
organize a monitoring system for the purpose of
conducting examinations in the areas of employee
safety and sanitation and fire safety management.
- Improve the promotion and guidance for loading
factories and personnel. - A. Local governments should establish
disaster prevention measures, and should promote
such systems, conduct related seminars, or
provide other related assistance. - B. Fire prevention institutions should
improve promotion of compliance with L.P.G.
expiration dates and should conduct regular
container inspection, as well as promote fire
prevention protocol.
9- C. Employee inspection institutions should
verify that L.P.G. container trucks are not in
motion before conducting loading and unloading
procedure at loading plants (for example parking
the vehicle, removing the keys, pulling the
emergency brake, as well as use of a tire wedge
to prevent the vehicle from moving). - D. All related institutions should promote the
installation of safety pipe connectors. - 3. Improve emergency personnel training Fire
prevention institutions should be completely
familiar with the locations of stored L.P.G. and
fire safety equipment, conduct disaster training
for disasters that could possibly occur, and draw
up plans including emergency deployment diagrams,
emergency measures, and vehicle deployment
methods. This shall enable them to quickly take
control of disaster situations.
105. Standard Procedure in Related Topics
- Situation Determination
- The L.P.G container truck began to move away from
the loading area before the tubing had been
disconnected after the completion of L.P.G
storage in the loading plant. Due to the fact
that there was no safety connector attached, nor
were there any other safety measures, the loading
tube became torn, causing L.P.G to leak in great
amounts. The broken connecter then scraped
against the ground as the truck moved forward,
creating sparks, and igniting the L.P.G. - When the workers were loading the L.P.G into
containers, they neglected to first verify the
inspection date of the canister or conduct an
examination of the exterior of the canisters. In
addition, the workers left the working platform
during loading. At this time, L.P.G began to leak
in large amounts from the base of the containers.
The moving of the canisters to the loading
machine by the workers caused sparks, which
ignited the L.P.G. into flames.
111. Disaster Prevention
- Safety Management in the Loading Area
- 1. The county and city governments shall
investigate all equipment and safety distances
in the site location during application for
establishment for a L.P.G. loading plant to make
sure that they adhere to Chinese Country
Standards - L.P.G. Loading Plant Facility Safety
Standards by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology,
and Inspection. Licenses shall be granted only to
passing inspections. - 2. Local fire prevention institutions
shall conduct regular and surprise inspections in
the loading plants of their jurisdiction. The
National Fire Administration shall also conduct
surprise spot checks, making the appropriate
arrangements upon discovery of violations. Should
there be a reoccurrence of a severe violation
more than four times, the local fire prevention
institution shall report the matter to the county
(or city) government, who shall then punish the
violator by commanding them the cease operation
or usage of the item in violation. The main
examination points are as follows
12- a. Does the fire safety equipment follow related
regulations? - b. Are there any canister expiration date
violations? - c. Are the size, structure, and equipment of the
storage area all in accordance with regulations? - d. Is a L.P.G. storage area certification being
used in the storage area, as required by law? - e. Is container storage area management being
utilized? - 3. Consideration shall be given to the amount of
space appropriated for L.P.G. container trucks to
enter and exit the loading area. The trucks
should not negatively affect the traffic and
procedure of the surrounding pathways. - 4. Loading plants shall establish and conduct
regular container testing and automatic
examination systems in L.P.G. storage and
manufacture plants. In addition, they should also
follow L.P.G. related transport safety
regulations.
13- Employee Safety in the Loading Plant
- A. The responsible party in loading plants
shall establish organizational structure for
emergency response teams and notification
systems. - 1. Suitable emergency response teams
shall be established during normal operations to
quickly and appropriately respond in the
occurrence of a disaster. - 2. Suitable emergency notification
systems and training shall be established during
normal operations. In addition, frequent contact
shall be made with the police and fire prevention
authorities so that assistance may be sought
quickly when it is required. - B. Local labor inspection institutions shall
be responsible for conducting employee safety and
health examinations for loading plants under
their jurisdiction, and shall handle any
violations according to law. - C. Local labor inspection institutions
shall be responsible for monitoring the safety
and health training in loading plants, as
required by law. -
14- 3. Disaster Prevention Training and Promotion
- A. Professionals designated by the parties
responsible for loading plants shall be
responsible for a training program providing
training to new employees. - B. The safety training for new employees
should be conducted by the shift (team) director.
- C. L.P.G. loading Plants shall conduct
training for normal employees at least once a
year. - D. The responsible party of a L.P.G. loading
plant shall establish an emergency plan, as
required by Chinese Country Standards- L.P.G.
Loading Plant Facility Safety Standards, and
should conduct at least one training session a
month, which should be recorded and filed. -
15- E. Loading plant workers shall verify that the
exterior of canisters are acceptable in
appearance, and that they have not reached their
expiry date before the loading of L.P.G., as to
avoid danger during loading. - F. L.P.G. loading plant personnel safety training
shall be conducted as following - a. Select training topics and locations
- b. Conduct examination verify content of
the safety training - c. Compose evaluation standards and safety
training plan. - d. Conduct training including accident
indication, where trainees must think about
deployment procedure, as well as on-site
training. - e. Compose emergency response plan
-
16- 2. Local labor inspection institutions and fire
prevention institutions shall plan disaster
situation and response measures in advance for
loading plants under their jurisdiction, and
conduct regular training and simulation exercises
for personnel in related institutions and
factories. - 3. The Council of Labor Affairs shall improve
disaster prevention training, specifically in the
areas of loading risks and dangers, as to improve
the promotion and guidance of disaster prevention
in the industry. - 4. Local labor inspection institutions shall
conduct promotion, seminars, or provide other
assistance in coordination with employee safety
and health report examinations. In addition, they
shall oversee the composition of disaster
prevention manuals in specially designated
loading plants so that they may establish an
independent disaster prevention system. Fire
prevention institutions shall conduct regular
evaluation of disaster prevention in L.P.G.
loading plants, as well as provide guidance when
necessary.
172. Emergency Response
- Emergency Procedure in L.P.G. Loading Plants
conduct emergency response procedure and
immediately notify related institutions to deal
with the situation. - 1. Response to large container leaks in
loading plants. - 2. Response to pipe or valve leaks in
loading plants. - 3. Response to leaks in the loading
devices. - a. small leaks
- b. large leaks
- 4. Response to fires caused by gas
leakage. - B. Local Fire Prevention Institution Duties
- 1. Disaster relief, dispatch from the
rescue command center - 2. Initial mobilization of fire chief and
personnel
18- 3. Initial communication and report to fire
chief request for support when necessary - 4. Deployment of vehicles and equipment by fire
chief priority should be given to search and
rescue duties. - 5. Disaster prevention and alert by disaster
relief personnel. - 6. Command authority designation and transfer
regulation. - 7. Respond to items that should be given
attention during gas leaks in large containers or
gas trucks in L.P.G. loading plants. S - 8. Container truck accidents response to
situations in which there was no leakage or fire. - 9. Container truck accidents response to
situations in which there was gas or vapor
leakage, yet no fire. - 10. Response to gas leaks that have set afire.
- 11. L.P.G. leak incidents Cool the storage
temperature, and stop the leakage of gas. In
situations where it is necessary to extinguish
fire on victims, dry fire extinguishing powder
may be used, however the gas leak problem still
exists. -
19- 12. In cases where the surface of the container
is exposed to radiated heat or other sources of
heat, one should apply a sufficient amount of
water to cool it down. Approach the container
laterally and cool off the container body,
hosing, and valves. - 13. Response guidelines for leakage which has
caught fire. - 14. In cases where the valve that can stop the
leakage is surrounded in flames, large amounts of
mist can be used to protect the emergency relief
crew as they attempt to shut it off. During this
procedure, emergency personnel should proceed
slowly and carefully, as to prevent being
surrounded by spreading flames. - 15. B.L.E.V.E. usually occurs in twisted metal
structures or thinning vapor environments even
during a fire, except in instances in which the
container has tipped over or relief valve has
been damaged. - 16. Cautionary items during circumstances in
which the fire is located above or below the
containers. - 17. Canisters that have already been tipped over
should not be placed upright unless the L.P.G.
has already been completely removed.
20- 18. Fire prevention personnel should adhere to
the following procedure when dealing with L.P.G.
canister leaks and fires - a. Verify the status of leakage and fire
- b. Look for symptoms of canister
explosion - c. Reactionary measures to fires caused
by L.P.G. canister leakages in the loading
plant. - d. Reactionary measures to fires caused
by L.P.G. canister leakages in vehicles. - e. Reactionary measures to fires caused
by L.P.G. canister leakages in homes.
21- C. Labor Inspection Institution Duties Labor
institution disaster intervention, report, and
case registration procedures - Labor inspection institutions should immediately
fill out the Major Work-Place Disaster Report
Form, and fax it to the Council of Labor Affairs
after receiving report or otherwise discovering
an instance of a major industrial disaster. - Inspection institutions shall notify personnel as
required by Emergency Disaster Report Protocol
based on the severity of the disaster. Personnel
shall be dispatched to the disaster site
immediately to fill out the Initial Disaster
Examination Report, and e-mail it back to the
Council of Labor Affairs. - Inspection personnel shall make an hourly report
of disaster status and cleanup results.
22- 4. Disasters occurring on non-working days that
are reported by digital media should be reported
immediately. In addition, personnel should be
dispatched to compose the initial disaster
examination report, and send it to the home of
the director of the Department of Labor
Inspection, Council of Labor Affairs. - 5. The inspectors shall submit the major disaster
report to the chief inspector, and the chief
inspector shall immediately dispatch personnel to
the site for inspection. - 6. The Major Disaster File Collection System
Form shall be created in the registered files
computer for upkeeping.
23- D. Other Related Intervention Matters
- The Environmental Protection Bureau shall be
responsible for undertaking environmental
pollution tests the Bureau of Public Health
shall conduct medical treatment for the victims
police bureaus shall keep order on the disaster
site, and conduct traffic local labor inspection
institutions shall conduct storage safety tests.
In addition, other related institutions or
private organizations shall be called upon for
related tasks based on the severity of the
situation.
242. Caution lines shall be drawn around the
disaster area. Reporters shall be prohibited from
using items which are fire hazards, to prevent
explosion. The surrounding crowd may be
immediately dispersed if necessary. In severe
disasters where there are injured personnel, the
emergency medical treatment and county/city
support systems shall be activated. If the
disaster is still unable to be contained, the
Ministry of Interior (National Fire Assembly)
shall be notified immediately for coordinated
personnel dispatch.
25- E. Government Institution Emergency Disaster
Report Duties (Emergency Disaster Report
Protocol) - Magnitude of disaster and report level
- Report related tasks
- a. Fire prevention report system
- b. Disaster authority report system
- Central Department Emergency Response Authority
- 1. Ministry of Interior
- 2. Ministry of National Defense
- 3. Ministry of Economic Affairs
264. Ministry of Transportation and
Communication 5. Government Information Office 6.
Department of Health, Executive Yuan 7.
Environmental Protection Administration,
Executive Yuan
273.Follow-up Investigation and Evaluation
- A. Fire Prevention Institution Follow-up
Investigation and Evaluation - County/City Fire Department Investigation and
Evaluation - a. Keep order in disaster site
- b. Assign duties
- c. Conduct site inspection
- d. Create dialogue record
- e. Evidence collection and analysis
- f. Determine starting point of fire
- g. Request the support of the Ministry of
Interior when necessary (National Fire
Administration, National Police Administration) -
28- 2. Investigation and Evaluation by the National
Fire Administration, Ministry of Interior - Cause of fire investigation standard procedure
- Disaster site evidence evaluation procedure
29- B. Inspection Institution follow-up
investigation and evaluation - Site inspection victim relief
- Disaster evaluation, designation, intervention
- Submit file and case report
-
306. Established Examination System and Procedure
- The Council of Labor Affairs shall determine
investigation targets and frequency based on the
frequency and trends of major industrial
disasters, as well as human resources in labor
inspectors. In addition, they shall announce the
major annual policy and reform cases each year.
The labor inspection shall organize employee
safety and health inspections for gas loading
plants. - Should the Council of Labor Affairs, county and
city governments, or inspection institutions
discover any items in violation of safety or
health regulations during loading plant
inspections, they shall inform the guilty party
of the violation, and grant a leniency period so
the violator may reform. If the leniency period
has been exceeded without reform, or there is an
occurrence or good possibility for occurrence of
a disaster during this period, the institution
may require the violator to partially or
completely cease operations.
31- C. Local fire protection institutions must
conduct at least one inspection per month, and
schedule surprise inspections. The National Fire
Administration shall also conduct surprise
inspections. The inspecting personnel shall
immediately report and process all items
discovered that are in violation of regulations.
In the case that a severe violation occurs 4 or
more times, the local fire department shall
report the violation to the county or city
government, which shall punish the violator by
commanding them to cease operations or usage of
the item in violation. - D. City and county fire departments shall submit
the statistical report of the examinations
conducted for that quarter to the National Fire
Administration, which shall then evaluate their
performance in the areas of implementation and
reporting at the end of the year. In addition,
the National Fire Administration may conduct
surprise inspection of L.P.G. loading plants
under their jurisdiction, based on the reported
information.
32- E. Labor inspection institutions and fire
prevention institutions shall conduct follow-up
investigations on violating loading plants, in
addition to punishment according to regulations.
In addition, they shall increase the amount of
inspection based on the frequency of violations
in a particular loading plant to avoid
reoccurrence. Likewise the amount of fines
assessed to the violator shall increase, as to
increase the effectiveness of the punishment.
337. Future Objectives and Vision
- Planned objectives
- 1. Short-term objectives There are currently
106 L.P.G. loading plants in the country to date.
We plan to have the fire prevention and labor
inspection institutions collect the fire safety
management schemes for all of the loading plants
under their jurisdiction, and post them on the
websites of each labor inspection institution or
county/city fire department by June 30, 2004. In
addition, they shall continue to conduct
inspections, as well as update and correct the
posted information. - 2. Mid-range objectives In 2003, the
National Fire Administration recorded 159 L.P.G.
loading plant inspections, and 40 violations
among them, including 1111 L.P.G. canisters in
violation of the expiration date. They shall
continue to increase surprise inspections, and
plan to reduce violations by at least 10-20 in
2004. -
34- 3. Long-term objectives We plan to collect
evaluations and opinions from each institution in
each area that need to be regulated more closely,
including current L.P.G. sales, storage plant
land distribution systems, selling gas by
container truck, L.P.G container shipment, new
and old L.P.G. containers, etc. We plan to use
this information to create L.P.G. Home Safety
Regulations, and pass these regulations in the
Legislative Yuan before December 31, 2007.
35- B. Future Vision
- 1. To decrease the frequency of disasters
through L.P.G. loading plant disaster prevention
measures. - 2. To effectively control disasters and reduce
the resulting financial and human losses through
disaster response systems - 3. To completely re-evaluate disaster
prevention and disaster response measures through
disaster investigation analysis, and use this
information to effectively prevent sudden changes
in disasters. -
36End of Report