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On 20th May, the 2nd safety management committee held at the Oh Song office of Korea Environment Corporation, proposed an additional safety management program for existing hazardous chemical treatment equipment. The rationale underpinning the implementation of the additional safety management program is that existing hazardous chemical treatment equipment poses excessively high risks. More relevant details can be found on the news report of South Korea MoE Issues Additional Chemical Safety Management Program. Relevant industries have many concerns about how the new program will be implemented, compliance requirements, deadlines etc. In response MoE offered the following Q and A.
Q&A
What is the current status of chemical treatment equipment operational before the amendment of CCA in 2015?
A.There are about 7589 workplaces with chemical treatment equipment that was operational before 31th, December 2014, which accounts for around 70% of all the treatment equipment for hazardous chemicals.
Industry
Segmentation
Number of Workplaces
Metal manufacturing and processing industry
First metal manufacturing, Non-metallic mineral products manufacturing, metal processing products manufacturing, non-metallic minerals mining, and metal mining industries
1,721(23%)
Chemical manufacturing industry
Chemical substances/chemical products manufacturing, rubber/plastic products manufacturing, coking/carbon/petroleum processing products manufacturing, carboniferous/crude oil and natural gas mining industries
1,478(20%)
Electrical and electronic manufacturing industry
Electronic parts / computer / imaging equipment / audio-visual equipment / communication equipment manufacturing, and electrical equipment manufacturing industries
410(5%)
Waste treatment industry
Sewerage/waste water/manure treatment, waste collection, transportation, processing, and raw material recycling industries
383(5%)
Fiber industry
Fiber product manufacturing, clothing/accessories/fur products manufacturing industries
295(4%)
Others
Food and beverage manufacturing, wholesale, service, consulting, transportation and machinery industries
3,282(43%)
After practical implementation will the additional safety management program contribute to a significant improvement in the safety of existing equipment?
A.The expert group had more than 2 discussions on the risks associated with on-site operation and safeness of existing equipment. The additional safety management program is part of CCA’s additional safety standards for treatment facilities. Existing treatment facilities operational before 2015 should also conform with other standards. The new program is only one part in a larger framework which is being optimized to improve overall safety.
In addition to the 19 standards issued, are there any other standards that should be developed to bolster the safety of existing treatment facilities/equipment?
A. The development and implementation of the additional safety management program was precipitated by an unacceptably high number of accidents associated with existing equipment particularly in large-scale facilities. It is predicted that other standards will not be required.
(Other standards*: Collection equipment, door frame for entrance and exit, anti-corrosion, pipe construction/strength, safety valve, measuring device, emergency blocking device, static elimination, lightning rod, explosion-proof, leakage/leakage inspection and alarm equipment, safety valve discharge material treatment, warning sign, day lighting, lighting, ventilation, fire extinguishing equipment, etc.)
What will the government do after implementation of the 19 new additional safety management programs?
A. The relevant draft of additional safety management program will be released by the Chemical Safety Institute in June, and will be implemented after 31th, August.
19 New Additional Safety Management Programs
Number | Standard | Target | Risk | Additional Program(draft) |
1 | Anti-flow wall | Prevent harmful substances from flowing out/discharging | When the actual space is insufficient, a large-scale construction project is required. | 1)Set up sensors, CCTV (closed circuit TV), etc. 2)Retain monitoring results according to other regulations |
2 | Vehicle partition, anti-wave plate | Prevent large amounts of harmful chemical substances from leaking in case of accidents | Accidents may occur when cutting or welding a transport tank of a transport vehicle | 1) Emergency valve, transport tank water pressure test, X-ray inspection, thickness test, etc. 2) set up partitions in part |
3 | Building height | Easy to extinguish in case of fire accident happened | Large-scale renovation of buildings over 8m | 1) Set up Sprinkler, foam fire extinguisher, automatic fire detection equipment, etc. 2) Set up sensors and collection measures for substances that are free from fire and explosion hazards |
4 | Shock resistance | Protect storage equipment in case of earthquake happened | Security accidents may occur during equipment movement and foundation construction (excavation, drilling) | 1) For old safety and seismic equipment, a confirmation letter from a professional agency is required for regular inspection. 2)It should obey [Architectural Law] and [Earthquake, or Disaster Response Law] |
5 | Ground investigation | Protection of equipment in case of earthquake, surface subsidence happened, etc. | Accidents may occur in case of large-scale construction such as excavation or vibration. | 1) Confirmation of professional institutions in constructing safety and seismic equipment, periodic inspection 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
6 | Distance between indoor storage tanks | Minimum distance required for equipment inspection and maintenance | Insufficient physical space leads to large-scale reconstruction | 1) Detection of corrosion, damage, and aging using an endoscope camera 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
7 | Pipeline non-destructive testing | Check if the pipe joint is defective | Cutting off the double pipe, which may cause an accident when welding | 1) Interlock system such as presses and sensors for monitoring is installed inside the external pipe 2) Real-time monitoring of temperature, pressure, etc. |
8 | Pipeline internal pressure test | Confirm that the pipeline can withstand the working pressure | Need to deal with hazardous chemicals inside the pipeline | 1) Regularly measure thickness and strength, and perform thermal imaging inspection, air tightness test, etc. 2) Supervise temperature, pressure, etc., and install Interlock system 3) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
9 | Pipelined building outside the company | Prevent the spread of harmful chemicals when they leak | Safety accidents may occur, when excavating and welding of underground facilities, etc. | 1) Set up a warning bar, etc. externally 2) Regular thickness measurement |
10 | Pipeline foundation outside the company | Protect the pipeline from external influences | When it is under rivers or roads, it may cause accidents due to excavation. | 1) Protected buildings that can prevent damage caused by external forces such as vehicle conflicts 2) Regular thickness measurement, etc. |
11 | Pipeline emergency interrupt valve outside the company | Prevents the spread of harmful chemicals when they leak | Safety accidents may occur during construction such as pipe cutting | 1) Electrical corrosion check or thickness measurement 2) Management of records such as flow, temperature, pressure, and current 3) Set up double-layer pipes or reinforced concrete to protect buildings |
12 | Fire resistant structure, anti-fire door, wired sheet glass | Prevent the spread of harmful chemicals when they leak in the event of a fire or explosion, and prevent the expansion of the affected area | Buildings are being built to allow for safety incidents | 1) The application is limited to dangerous substances listed in the [Dangerous Goods Safety Management Law] and is also applicable to hazardous chemicals. 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
13 | Measuring underground storage equipment | Check the location of hazardous chemical liquids in underground storage tanks and check for leaks | Safety accidents may occur, when excavating and welding of underground facilities, etc. | 1) Manual measuring device 2) Record the log of the storage amount management, etc. 3) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
14 | Protection of underground storage equipment | Protect storage devices from internal and external influences | When excavating underground equipment, it may affect peripheral equipment, resulting in a safety accident. | 1) Mark the location of the underground storage device on the ground, set up the protection zone 2)Save inspection results according to other regulations |
15 | Distance of underground storage equipment | Minimize the impact between equipment and maintenance management in case of an accident happened | Large-scale reconstruction | 1) Mark the location of the underground storage device on the ground, set up the protection zone 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
16 | Overcharge protection for underground storage equipment | Prevent leakage accidents caused by overcharging | Safety accidents may occur, when excavating and welding of underground facilities, etc. | 1) Manual measuring device, automatic pressure device 2) Record the log of the storage amount management, etc. 3) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
17 | Inspection tube for underground storage equipment | Master the safety status of underground buried pipelines in advance | Safety accidents may occur, when excavating and welding of underground facilities, etc. | 1) Preservation of soil contamination test results 2) Automatic management of liquid location, temperature, pressure, etc. of the storage device 3) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
18 | Exposed access hole of underground pipeline | Check if the underground buried pipeline is exposed | Safety accidents may occur during construction such as excavation, cutting, welding, etc. | 1) Check temperature, pressure, current and make a record for that 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
19 | Protection tube and detection port of water pump | Detection of equipment exposed due to hazardous chemicals and external forces | Safety accidents may occur, when excavating and welding of underground facilities, etc. | 1) Check temperature, pressure, current and make a record for that 2) Save inspection results according to other regulations |
