Biogas Safety first!

General requirements
Danger to persons and the risk of fire inside or outside
the biogas plant through thermal radiation or
convection must be precluded by appropriate positioning
of the emergency flare. In this regard consideration
must be given to buildings, plant components,
transport routes and public areas.
Protective wall: The safety distance can be reduced
through sufficient covering with earth or
an adequately dimensioned protective wall or fire
insulation (i.e. firewall). Doors in protective walls
must be fireresistant and self-closing. A protective
wall can also be an appropriately designed building
wall without openings. The height and width of the
protective wall must comply with the requirements
of the respective national guidelines.
fire brigade should use appropriate personal protective
equipment, a gas detector (CH 4
, CO 2
, H 2
S, etc.)
must be kept ready for use, attention must be paid to
the wind direction when approaching the site, a safe
distance must be maintained, the formation of ignition
sparks must be avoided (e.g. electrical switches!),
and the operator on site must be consulted.
As far as possible, all necessary safety and health
protection signage should be considered during the
planning of workplaces (for example when drawing
up escape and rescue plans). It is also important to
appoint first aiders. Extinguishing agents (fire extinguishers,
supply of fire-fighting water) must be made
available according to the fire loads, in consultation
with the fire brigade.
6.2. Organisational fire protection
Within the safety distances there should not be combustible
materials stored in quantities of over 200
kg without additional protective measures, and there
should neither be buildings that do not belong to the
biogas plant nor public roads or paths. Additional
protective measures may include fire prevention
measures, fire protection measures and fire-fighting
measures (see section on protective walls, for example).
Besides this, the following conditions apply:
transport routes essential for operation of the
plant are permissible;
no vehicles may be parked within the safety
distance area;
machinery and activities that can cause danger
to the gas storage tank (e.g. welding or cutting)
are not permitted without additional protective
measures;
no gas flares may be operated;
fires, naked flames and smoking are prohibited.
Employees and external companies must be instructed
periodically, as and when appropriate, on
measures to be taken in the event of operational
faults, accidents and emergencies and how to prevent
these.
It has proven worthwhile to discuss and coordinate
fire protection considerations at the plant with the
responsible fire brigade prior to commissioning and
at regular intervals. Close coordination with the
leaders of the local fire brigade units is essential in
advance of tactical deployment of the fire brigade
in the event of fire or for other forms of technical
assistance. It is recommended to hold an exercise
in order to ensure that correct action is taken in the
event of a deployment. In case of deployment, the
!
TIP
The latest rescue and fire safety symbols
are specified in ISO 7010.
photo: fotolia _Oktay Ortakcioglu
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