The ever-present threat associated with hazards from accidental material releases is inherent to all industrial facilities processing hazardous chemicals.
Operating safely and efficiently is a critical component to the success of every company, and Blast Resource Group (BRG) is at the forefront of risk management and asset protection in the petrochemical industry. Its mission is to provide economically engineered blast-resistant solutions for clients faced with hazardous operational environments, while creating safe working structures designed to protect life and critical property. With its blast-resistant metal buildings and recent expansion into engineering services, BRG is a solutions-focused partner to the industry, serving as a single-source provider for process safety and hazardous risk management, covering fire, toxic hazards and explosions.
Facility siting study per OSHA 1910.119
Founded in 2015, BRG’s expansion into engineering services is vital to the company’s mission, which now includes explosion, fire and toxic hazard evaluations known as facility siting studies. These studies are conducted by recognized experts with decades of experience in accordance with applicable regulations for process safety management-covered facilities, API Recommended Practice (RP) 752 and management of change procedures for new processes/buildings. BRG prides itself in offering competitive pricing and value to its clients by providing a solutions-focused approach to consulting without the opacity associated with proprietary technology.
One key focus of the committee tasked with updating API RP 752, of which BRG was a member, was to provide additional guidance related to fire and toxic refuges. Its engineers are experts in evaluating the performance of safe havens and refuges, ensuring their performance meets standards during shelter-in-place situations. Toxic refuges are commonly assessed through infiltration evaluations such as fan pressurization testing, also known as blower door testing, to measure the natural outdoor air leakage rate into a building. When combined with toxic dispersion modeling and infiltration calculations, BRG helps its clients determine the duration that a building or room could be safely used as a toxic refuge during a chemical release — and offers building-specific guidance to improve its performance.
Toxic refuge evaluation case study
In response to a chlorine release that occurred previously in the vicinity, a client wanted to understand the potential impact this release could have had if the wind directed the chlorine gas cloud toward its facility. BRG’s engineers visited the plant to perform blower door testing on two buildings the client uses to shelter in place. Vapor cloud dispersion calculations were performed to simulate the extent of the chlorine release using actual data from the release to calibrate the model. Additionally, the scope of the project included the following:
- Calculating each building’s air change or leakage rate as a function of the pressure differential across the building envelopes
- Toxic gas infiltration calculations and correlating the toxic exposure data to personnel impacts
- A diagnostic assessment of leaky areas of the building identified during testing that could be further sealed to improve the building’s performance
- Designing the client’s emergency response plan to minimize the potential toxic hazard impacts to personnel during such an event
The ultimate goal for all process safety professionals is zero accidents and no lost time incidents. In support of this effort, BRG offers a full spectrum of products and services to help its clients manage the risk from threats related to explosions, fire and toxic hazards to workers in the facility. From the initial assessments to final design implementation, BRG’s team of professional engineers and construction experts offers turnkey solutions to fortify a company’s operational safety and resilience.
For more information, visit blastresourcegroup.com.
