Application of engineering principles to chemical plant safety by professionally trained personnel. Following is a checklist of the more important items.(1) Plant construction: separate buildings or outdoor location of hazardous reaction vessels, storage tanks, etc.; interior fire walls and doors, exterior blow-out walls, sprinkler systems, enclosed stairways, explosion vents and safety valves, scram alarm systems, color-coded pipelines.(2) Fire and explosion prevention, dust control, proper storage of flammable liquids, grounding of electrical equipment, accessibility of extinguishers and hose lines, leak detection of reaction vessels, adequate ventilation of storage rooms, accumulation of solid wastes, static spark control (metal-free shoes, static bars on friction-generating machinery).(3) Toxic hazards: workroom concentration of toxic agents must conform to OSHA and ACGIH tolerances.(4) Protective equipment: goggles and gloves, acid-proof clothing, face masks and respirators, lifelines, eye-wash fountains, flooding showers. For hot labs and plants handling radioactive materials; decontamination equipment, glove boxes, and remote-control devices.(5) Accident prevention: emergency shutoffs on machines with moving parts; housing on gears, lathes, rotors, etc.; operator-restraining devices; proper handling of chain hoists, carton stackers, pallets; training personnel in safety practice.
