Facility Siting
The siting of hazardous processes and personnel in a facility is a critical element of process risk management. Personnel who are sited outside of potential hazard zones don’t need to be protected, but space is limited, and process areas must be accessible to personnel. Facility siting studies provide confidence that appropriate steps have been taken to protect personnel and are required by process safety regulations around the globe.
Siting studies under the API Recommended Practices 752, 753, and 756 evaluate process hazards and the potential impacts or risks to permanent onsite occupied buildings, temporary buildings (e.g. trailers), and tents. AcuTech is a member of the API Facility Siting Committee and a member of the API Facility Siting Task Force. Our consultants have assisted in the development of these standards, and are well-versed in their requirements and application. Additionally, AcuTech’s team has conducted hundreds of facility siting studies across the globe and across the process industries.
AcuTech’s tailored approach to facility siting combines our extensive expertise in process engineering, PSM program development, hazard analysis, and inherently safer design with industry leading consequence modeling and frequency analysis. We leverage this knowledge, gained through numerous PSM audits and hazard analyses, to offer a comprehensive approach to facility siting. Our focus is on evaluating hazards and risks comprehensively, encompassing process considerations, safeguards, and potential impacts. Furthermore, we help operators to identify effective risk reduction strategies including not only building modifications/relocation, but also process safeguards that prevent catastrophic accidents at the source. These measures include detection, isolation, vapor mitigation, safety systems, blowdown, and emergency response planning.
AcuTech works with each organization to tailor services to meet their unique needs and safeguard their operations, personnel, and surrounding communities. Engage AcuTech’s proven expertise in process safety and risk management and unlock the full potential of your facility’s safety and security.
- Hazard identification studies (HAZID)
- Development of accidental release scenarios
- Development of recommendations for hazard mitigation
- Quantitative frequency analysis
- Event Tree
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
- Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
- Consequence modeling (PHAST, CFD) for fire, explosion, and toxic vapor dispersion
- Cost-benefit analyses
- Presentation of results (impacts, risk, damage)
AcuTech’s consultants are well versed in codes and standards developed by industry bodies and will refer to these as well as each client’s local jurisdiction codes and standards. A sampling of the relevant codes and standards can be found below.
- Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Guidelines for Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis, Guidelines for Evaluating Process Plant Buildings for External Explosions, Fires and Toxic Releases
- Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Guidelines for Facility Siting and Layout
- OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM). In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) \ outlines regulations for the management of processes involving highly hazardous chemicals. Facility siting is addressed as part of the overall process safety management requirements.
- EPA Risk Management Program (RMP). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires facilities handling certain hazardous substances to develop a risk management program. This program includes considerations for facility siting to prevent and mitigate potential risks.
- NFPA 30 – Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides guidelines for the storage, handling, and use of flammable and combustible liquids, which may include considerations for facility siting.
- API RP 752 – Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Permanent Buildings. Published by the American Petroleum Institute (API), this recommended practice provides guidance for the management of hazards associated with the location of permanent buildings in the petrochemical industry.
- API RP 753 – Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Portable Buildings. This recommended practice focuses on hazards associated with the location of portable buildings in the process industries.
- API RP 756 – Safe Refueling of LNG-Fueled Vessels. This additional recommended practice provides guidelines for the safe refueling of LNG-fueled vessels in marine operations.
AcuTech consultants have contributed to the following standards, codes, and programs.
- Member of the API 752 Facility Siting Task Force
- Serve on the API Facility Siting Committee for the development and revision of API RPs 752/753/756
- Lead author of the AIChE CCPS Guidelines for Chemical Transportation Safety, Security and Risk Management, 2008
- Expert users of the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) PHAST and SAFETI software, including the 3-D explosion extension, including contributions to the DNV User Seminars.
This webinar offers a summary of the updated standards, outlines the changes you need to know, and discusses solutions to meet the new guidance and requirements.