Operation of gas pipelines and gas equipment of non-production service organizations, administrative and public buildings

Currently, gas-using equipment (installations) has become an integral part of our daily lives. Natural gas is the most accessible fuel, has a high calorific value, and in terms of environmental impact, it is the cleanest type of organic fuel, as its combustion produces significantly fewer harmful substances compared to other types of fuel. These reasons explain the choice made by owners, tenants, and landlords of equipment operating on this energy source for cooking, heating, and hot water supply needs. However, many of them forget that gas pipelines and gas equipment of non-production service organizations, administrative and public buildings are potentially hazardous facilities.

In accordance with Appendix 2 to the Law of the Republic of Belarus of January 5, 2016 No. 354-Z "On Industrial Safety," these facilities are potentially hazardous gas consumption facilities and are subject to registration with the Department for Supervision of Safe Industrial Operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus (Gospromnadzor) in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure for Registration of Potentially Hazardous Facilities, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus on August 5, 2016 No. 613.

Operation of potentially hazardous gas consumption facilities is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Industrial Safety Rules in the field of gas supply of the Republic of Belarus, approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus of February 2, 2009 No. 6 (hereinafter referred to as the Rules).

A gas consumption facility is a production and technological system that includes a network of internal gas pipelines, gas equipment and gas-using installations, a system for safety automation, interlocks, signaling, regulation and control of the gas combustion process, buildings and structures located on a single production territory (site).

Gas-using equipment (installation) is equipment where gas is used as fuel in the technological process. Boilers, turbines, furnaces, gas piston engines, technological lines and other equipment can be used as gas-using equipment.

As fuel, gas consumption facilities of public buildings can use both natural and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from reservoir and group cylinder installations. It should also be remembered that liquefied gas is heavier than air and, in case of leakage, accumulates in the lower part of rooms, basements, and ground floors.

In the Vitebsk region, over 500 business entities operate approximately 2000 potentially hazardous objects of the gas distribution system and gas consumption for non-production consumer services organizations, administrative and public buildings.

The equipment of the aforementioned organizations, by type of operation, can be conditionally divided into two types: seasonal, solely for heating needs, and year-round, for heating and hot water supply.

During the operation of seasonal installations, prior to their commissioning, a person responsible for the safe operation of gas distribution system and gas consumption objects shall be appointed by order of the business entity from among technical managers or specialists who have undergone training and knowledge verification of the Rules in the established manner.

In organizations where gas is used for heating premises and hot water supply in administrative and public buildings, and which do not have a position for a department head or a specialist with technical education in their staff, the responsibility for the safe operation of gas distribution system and gas consumption objects may be assigned to an employee who has undergone training in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 2 of the Rules regarding industrial safety.

During the absence of the responsible person (vacation, business trip, retraining, illness, and other cases), the performance of their duties shall be assigned by an order of the organization to another specialist who has passed a knowledge test.

To perform maintenance and repair of gas consumption facilities, a contract must be concluded with an organization licensed to carry out activities in the field of industrial safety in the relevant part. The contract must clearly define the scope and volume of maintenance and repair work, regulate the obligations of the parties involved in ensuring the safe operation of gas distribution and gas consumption systems, including the conditions for maintaining and storing operational documents. Maintenance of gas equipment and pipelines by specialized organizations shall be carried out at least once every 3 months.

Owners and (or) their authorized representatives, organizations providing maintenance services for building engineering equipment, shall:

provide comprehensive assistance to gas supply organizations in carrying out maintenance of gas consumption facilities, as well as in promoting safe gas usage rules among the population;

ensure that rooms equipped with gas-using equipment are fitted with a gas leak detection system with automatic shutdown of gas supply when gas concentration exceeds 10% of the lower flammability limit, and a carbon monoxide concentration monitoring system with automatic shutdown of gas supply at the gas pipeline entry into the building;

maintain gas pipelines, basements, technical corridors, and crawl spaces in proper condition, ensure the continuous operation of lighting and ventilation systems; monitor the integrity of seals at the entry points of underground utility lines into building basements,
as well as at points where gas pipelines intersect building structural elements; paint gas pipelines;

ensure unimpeded access for employees of gas supply organizations to all basements, technical corridors, crawl spaces, ground floor rooms, and other building premises at any time of day, as well as during emergency situations;

timely conduct inspections of the condition of chimneys and ventilation ducts, and chimney outlets by specialized organizations, and monitor the scope of work performed;

immediately notify the gas supply organization of the need to disconnect gas-using installations upon detection of faulty chimneys and unauthorized gas equipment;

in case of change of building owners, ensure the disconnection of gas-using installations from the gas distribution system under the supervision of the gas supply organization.

Seasonally operated gas-using installations, after the end of the heating period, upon applications from owners and (or) their authorized representatives, must be disconnected with the installation of a plug and its sealing by gas supply organizations. The disconnection from the gas pipeline of faulty and seasonally operated equipment must be documented by an act.

It should be remembered that gas-using installations that are operated with gas leaks, have faulty safety automation, chimneys, ventilation ducts, destroyed chimney heads, as well as unauthorizedly connected ones, are subject to disconnection from the operating gas pipeline with the installation of a plug.

We also remind you that internal gas pipelines in operation for more than 30 years must undergo technical diagnostics to determine their residual service life
with the development of measures to ensure safe operation for the entire extended service life or to justify the need for replacement.

If gas equipment and internal gas pipelines are unfit for operation, building owners and (or) their authorized representatives shall replace them with serviceable ones.

Compliance by owners with the requirements of the Industrial Safety Rules will ensure uninterrupted and accident-free operation of gas pipelines and gas equipment of non-production-related public service organizations, administrative and public buildings.

Vitebsk Regional Department of the State Industrial Supervision.