Biogas Safety first!

General requirements
8. Documentation
The following items must be documented, in accordance
with national requirements:
Responsibilities / rights to issue instructions: list
of phone numbers of persons to contact (both
internal and external, e.g. authorities, agencies).
Emergency plan (operating instructions for procedures
in the event of accident, fire, explosion, the
release of substrate, power outage, prevention of
unauthorised persons from gaining entry etc.)
Hazard assessment/explosion protection
document
Operating instructions for the employees
Instruction manuals from the manufacturer
Hazardous substances register
Safety data sheets
Release/briefing forms
Maintenance and repair plan (including schedule
according to manufacturer’s instructions)
Regular tours of inspection and operation diary
Evidence of recurring tests (electrical tests,
tests of work equipment)
Evidence of initial and recurring training courses
Plans of present inventory of facilities and equipment
(floor plan for firefighting, piping and instrumentation
diagram, piping layout plan, etc.)
Process management matrix
Fire protection certificate
!
TIP
Maintenance contracts with specialist companies
are particularly advisable for parts of
the plant that are of relevance to safety and need
to be regularly calibrated (e.g. gas warning system,
gas analyser, gas detector, personal protection
monitor, fire detector).
As a rule, the plant operator is responsible for proper
documentation, i.e. ensuring that the documentation
is complete, up-to-date, of the appropriate
quality and in conformance with the respective legal
provisions in the country concerned. In individual
cases it should be clarified what consequences there
would be under liability law in the event of an infringement
of the applicable law.
The documentation should be readily available at all
times; it should be kept at the biogas plant. A backup
copy of the documents should be kept at alternative
locations. This is particularly important in emergencies
or in the event of faults. In such instances the
operator must make arrangements for deviations
from normal operation in order to ensure that the
plant reverts to normal operation as quickly as possible
or to minimise the extent of the disruption.
30