HSSE Management Tours - BG Group

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Key Integrity Barriers
Topic 17 – Control of Ignition Sources
• Potential ignition sources at hydrocarbon handling
facilities must be strictly controlled. Areas of the
plant where there is the potential for a hazardous
(i.e. flammable) atmosphere to be present must
have suitably rated electrical equipment. This
may be intrinsically safe (incapable of providing
enough energy to cause ignition) or explosion
proof (sealed to prevent gas ingress, referred to as
“Ex” equipment). The emergency shutdown (ESD)
system will isolate all non-essential electrical
equipment in the event of a major gas release, but
equipment that is required to continue to function
in an emergency must be appropriately rated. All
electrical equipment requires periodic inspection,
testing and maintenance to ensure that it is
not damaged or degraded such that its rating is
compromised.
HSSE Management Tours:
Asset Integrity Guide
• Earth bonding is provided on equipment to prevent
sparks due to stray current or static build-up.
Lightning protection systems are provided to earth
the currents from lightning strikes. Hot surfaces
may also cause auto-ignition of flammable gas/air
mixtures and so maximum surface temperatures
are controlled in hazardous areas. Earth bonding
and insulation materials require periodic inspection
to ensure their integrity.
• The activities of personnel present potential
ignition sources. Non-sparking tools must be
used. Hot work must be strictly controlled by the
permit-to-work system. All temporary and portable
equipment must be inspected and certified before
being brought onto site, and either periodically
recertified or removed.
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