A customer recently brought to my attention the fact that while petrochemical people are quickly becoming educated about blast-resistant building (BRB) specifications, there’s been very little conversation concerning the legal liabilities that can arise from a blast event.
Why is this? Perhaps it’s because the industry is still somewhat in the honeymoon phase with BRB technology. An increasing number of petrochemical professionals are making blast protection a standard part of their planning processes. There seems to be a belief that once a BRB has been specified and the job is in progress, their personnel will be safe and their company can feel confident all legal bases have been covered. But is this confidence always justified? Sadly, no. Just because a building is labeled blast resistant by its manufacturer doesn’t mean legal issues can’t arise after an event or every BRB is even safe for the application in which it is placed.
With all of the safety practices our industry undertakes as well as our strivings for perfect safety records and the high confidence we’re feeling from both internal and public perspectives, it’s time we moved on to the liability issue. BRBs are central to this discussion because there is still some confusion surrounding their design and use.
Blast pressure ratings are only part of the picture
The best liability coverage you can have is to know the BRB you lease or buy is truly designed properly. If not, you have a strong liability issue right out of the gate. You obviously spend a lot of time and resources performing a site study but, too often, the valuable information it yields is oversimplified when it comes to specifying a BRB. If you give only a cursory glance to the blast rating required for a given placement, you run the risk of leaving out key ingredients that could dramatically impact your liability in the event of an explosion.
Petrochemical facilities are adept at using their site studies, but a common mistake is to look at the blast pressure shown on the study and ask for a 5-psi or 8-psi building without evaluating other critical data. Yes, blast pressure is a key part of the equation, but two other factors are absolutely critical: duration and response level ratings. Only when all three components are evaluated do you have a clear picture of the BRB’s actual ability to save lives.
Some BRB manufacturers provide a building with a 5-psi or 8-psi rating, but a closer examination of the building’s specifications shows a high response level —and “high response” equates to high damage with a high risk of casualties. The bottom line is this type of building is not truly designed to do what the blast pressure sign implies. Here’s a breakdown of response level descriptions provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers:
• Low response — Localized building/component damage; building can be used, however, repairs are required to restore the integrity of structural envelope; and the total cost of repairs is moderate.
• Medium response — Widespread building/component damage; building cannot be used until repaired; and total cost of repairs is significant.
• High response — Building/component has lost structural integrity; building may collapse due to the environmental conditions; and total cost of repairs approach replacement cost of building.
Liabilities associated with a high response rating should be considered unacceptable risks. The final key is to combine the blast pressure and response level ratings with duration data, which predict the amount of time a BRB will withstand the specified blast pressure. Many factors have to be evaluated in order to fill in these blanks and minimize both risk to life and legal liability.
The good news is you don’t have to become an expert on the subject. When you lease or purchase a BRB from RedGuard, this in-depth consultation is part of the deal. Our team will analyze your site study data, along with location and usage data, to make determinations based on a variety of factors. These factors include:
• The probability of a blast event in the location.
• Predictions of blast pressures, durations and paths.
• Potential fire hazards.
• Areas of volatility.
• Toxic gas risks.
• Flying debris hazards.
• Fresh air intake points.
At this point, we can identify not only the right blast pressure and duration data but the need for additional systems such as redundant HVAC, explosive gas environment protection, pressurization systems, fresh air stacks with gas detection, breathing air supplies and special electrical classifications.
Blast testing, traceability and ISO 9001:2008
At present, no regulatory statutes are in place for BRB design, but this is because the technology is still relatively new. We can expect that to change in the future. Right now, the only manufacturing criteria are recommended practices provided by API. Still, there are steps petrochemical companies can take to minimize their legal exposure. As with any manufactured product, your best protection is a clear and extensive trail of documentation.
This begins with blast testing. There’s no reason to lease or purchase a BRB that has not been proven capable of protecting personnel under conditions that match or exceed those encountered under actual blast conditions. When we blast tested our design, we were very careful to document the procedure, which simulated a real work environment in a blast that exceeded anything you can reasonably expect to encounter during a real-world event. We furnished the BRB with a desk, a chair, computers, office equipment and a crash test dummy. When we subjected the front of the building to a 22-psi high explosive blast, it caused no structural damage to the building, the furnishings or the test dummy.
This data is available to our customers should they ever need to demonstrate the extensive measures undertaken to assure the safety of their personnel. The key here is even if you know a BRB has been blast tested, it’s important to make sure it has been successfully tested to the extent of demonstrating an ability to save lives. This is not the case with all brands.
This important documentation process extends into our manufacturing procedures as well. When we received our ISO 9001:2008 certification earlier this year, it was the result of clarifying practices and creating paper trails that leave no stone unturned in the traceability of everything from the integrity of engineering data to the quality of welds.
What to look for in a BRB
There are some simple features you should look for in a BRB design, such as close wall-stud spacing. RedGuard uses 11- to 12-inch spacing because this dense framework makes a huge difference in the structure’s ability to bounce back from a blast. Too much flat wall space between studs results in a much higher response rating. Another visible safety feature is corrugated wall material, which significantly improves the tensile strength of a BRB’s “skin.”
Also pay attention to the building’s nonstructural components; cabinetry should be tough and intelligently placed. Light fixtures should be redundantly enclosed. All storage areas above waste height should be latched shut to prevent displaced tools and equipment from injury of personnel inside.
Changing with the times
The blast protection industry is young and riddled with inconsistencies. This makes it all the more important to pin down as many specifics as possible when you make a lease or purchase decision. RedGuard is leading the charge to anticipate and stay ahead of the inevitable regulatory environment that is coming. In addition to conscientious testing and ISO 9001:2008 certification, we’re compiling standards for individual states and countries related to environmental standards, mechanical system regulations and energy codes. The more we can do to assure every conceivable type of compliance, the greater the legal safety margin we can provide our customers.
Our most important role in the petro-chemical industry is to keep personnel safe, but we’re also charged with the task of protecting both company resources and profits. BP paid out $1.7 billion in fines and settlements as a result of the 2005 Texas City, Texas, disaster. If you are a safety manager, an architect, an engineer or a project manager in charge of siting your facility, you don’t want to make a mistake that exposes you to these liabilities.
In a perfect world, no BRB will ever have to prove its strength in the field but should a blast ever take place, the right testing, the right paper trails and, ultimately, the right BRB design could make the crucial difference between low versus high legal exposure, not to mention life and death.
For more information, contact RedGuard at (877) 522-6948 or visit www.redguard.com.
