REGULATORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY OF PETROCHEMICAL FACILITIES

Abstract

The paper considers issues of industrial safety in the operation of petrochemical units with regard to the current regulatory requirements of the Russian Federation. The relevance of the topic is associated with the fact that petrochemical facilities handle flammable, explosive, toxic and chemically aggressive substances, while many technological processes are carried out at elevated temperatures and pressures. Under such conditions, loss of containment, deviation of process parameters or insufficient production control may lead to accidents. The aim of the study is to analyze the main hazardous factors typical of petrochemical production facilities and to identify measures aimed at reducing the probability of accidents and limiting their consequences. The paper examines the provisions of federal legislation, technical regulations and federal industrial safety rules. The study is based on the analysis of regulatory documents, generalization of scientific publications and systematization of data on hazardous properties of substances, operating conditions of equipment and typical causes of accidents. It is shown that the most significant risk factors include depressurization of vessels and pipelines, leakage of flammable and toxic substances, disturbance of thermal conditions in reaction processes, corrosion and erosion wear of equipment, as well as failures of control and emergency protection systems. Particular attention is paid to organizational factors, including delayed elimination of defects, formal implementation of production control procedures and insufficient personnel training. Based on the analysis, technical, organizational and legal measures are proposed. These include regular diagnostics of equipment, control of joints and heat-exchange equipment, verification of measuring instruments, maintenance of alarm and interlock systems, personnel training and the use of a risk-oriented approach in the operation of hazardous production facilities. It is concluded that the safety of petrochemical units depends on the combination of regulatory requirements, technical condition of equipment and the quality of production control.