China: SAWS Releases Ten Provisions on Hazardous Chemicals Enterprise Production Safety Assurance and Ten Provisions on Oil and Gas Tank Fire Protection

The State Administration of Work Safety released two sets of provisions in late March 2017. The first is in regard to hazardous chemicals production, and the second provides requirements for oil and gas fire tank protection.
 
The Ten Provisions on Hazardous Chemicals Enterprise Production Safety Assurance includes the following requirements:
 

1. Entities must be established legally and hold complete and valid licenses;
2. Entities must establish a sound and strict work safety responsibility system and a strict implementation of work schedules with leadership present;
3. Entities must ensure all employees are qualified, certified, and trained;
4. Entities must strictly control and manage major hazards and respond to emergencies scientifically;
5. Entities must rectify all hazardous risks by following the Guidance for Hazardous Chemicals Entity on the Implementation of Investigation and Management of Hazardous Risks;
6. Entities must avoid having employees operate facilities and equipment while ill or turn off the alarm system without proper authorization;
7. Entities must ensure that flammable and toxic gas leaks and other alarm systems stay within normal conditions;
8. Entities must ensure authorization before engaging in activities involving in hot work, limited space, height, hoisting, temporary electricity, earthwork, inspection and maintenance.
9. Entities may not force anyone to engage in high risk work; and
10.  Entities are forbidden to engage in illegal work or conduct activities irrelevant to work duty.

 
The Ten Provisions on Oil and Gas Tank Fire Protection includes the following requirements:
 

1. Entities are forbidden to over-heat, over-pressurize, and over-fill oil and gas storage tanks or change storage materials at will;
2. Operating personnel are forbidden to leave the site of the oil and gas tank area while conducting manual water pipe and tank cutting, or loading and unloading trucks;
3. Entities are forbidden to close the safety valve in oil and gas tanks or build a blind plate in the pressure relief system;
4. Entities are forbidden to disable the alarm and reporting system for monitoring oil and gas tank temperature, pressure, level, flammability, and toxic gas levels;
5. Entities may not operate in oil and gas tank facilities without gas inspection and operations permit;
6. For tanks with floating tops, entities must avoid the floating plate falling during transportation;
7. Entities must avoid adding an unknown substance or substances that could cause severe reactions inside of oil and gas storage tanks or pipes connecting oil and gas storage tanks;
8. Entities are forbidden from using lighting, electrical equipment and industrial equipment that are not explosion-proof in oil and gas tank areas;
9. Entities may not allow personnel that are untrained and uncertified, unrelated to oil and gas operations, or vehicles without permits to enter the oil and gas tank area; and

 Entities may now allow employees to operate in oil and gas tank areas while ill or operate faulty or incomplete oil and gas equipment.