Importance of Emergency Plans in terms of Occupational Health and Safety
Now, all businesses in any sector must make an emergency plan in accordance with the principles laid down in the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 6331. The emergency plan requires prior planning for the following situations that may be encountered mainly in work environments:
- Fire fighting method
- First aid principles
- Emergency evacuation of employees
- Serious and imminent hazards
According to the law, only specially appointed persons with the necessary equipment should enter into areas of serious and imminent danger. All employees except those listed are obliged to take a break from their work. If serious and imminent danger has become unavoidable, then all employees must leave the area.
Businesses should not just content themselves with emergency plans and provide practical training to all employees. In addition, enterprises may receive support from organizations outside the enterprise in matters such as emergency medical attention, first aid, rescue and fire fighting.
11 of emergency plans, fire fighting and first aid issues law. article. Under the law, businesses must identify possible and likely emergencies that may affect employees and the work environment before further risks arise, and how they will affect the work environment, materials used in production activities, machinery used in production, work equipment and environmental conditions. Emergency plans ensure the prevention of adverse effects of possible emergencies and limitation measures are taken.
Businesses are required to carry out the necessary measurements, analyzes and evaluations in order to be protected from the negative effects of emergencies. Factors to be considered in the fight against emergencies are: the size of the enterprise, the nature of the work performed, the special hazards it carries out in relation to its activities, the number of employees in the enterprise, and other persons outside the enterprise.
Taking these factors into consideration, enterprises must employ adequate and adequately equipped and adequately qualified personnel to prevent hazards, protection, evacuation of employees, fire fighting, first aid and so on. The teams responsible for this work are responsible for providing training and exercises to employees at certain times and being always available.
In the event of a serious, imminent and unpredictable hazard for any reason, the management's responsibilities are:
- To make the necessary arrangements and instructions in advance for the employees to quit the job immediately and leave the work place and go to a safe place.
- In the event that the danger persists, do not ask employees to continue their work, except for persons with the necessary equipment and specially appointed persons, unless it is a requirement.
In such cases, employees are not responsible for their interventions unless they are careless or neglected.
Boilers and Pressure Vessels What is and what are the principles of inspection?
Boilers and pressure vessels of different specifications and capacities are used for various purposes in various sectors. The first examples are: boiler, steam boiler, hot water boiler, hot oil boiler, compressor, air tank, pressure tank, autoclave, LPG tank, industrial gas cylinders and tanks.
Regular checks of the pressure receptacle shall be carried out by mechanical engineers and machine technicians or by high technicians according to the regulation. If these inspections are to be carried out by non-destructive testing methods, they must be trained in accordance with the TS EN ISO 9712 standard (TS EN ISO 9712 Nondestructive testing - NDT personnel qualification and certification - General specifications).
The period in which the boilers and pressure vessels should be checked is also explained in the regulation. For example, steam boilers, heating boilers, LPG cylinders in use and compressed air tanks should be inspected every year. Portable stitched or seamless gas cylinders and tanks and tanks containing hazardous liquids must be inspected every ten years.
Hydrostatic test method is generally used in the testing of pressure vessels. During these tests, unless otherwise specified in the relevant regulations and standards, the 1,5 level of the operating pressure is applied. However, if hydrostatic testing is not possible due to the characteristics of the pressure vessels or the operating conditions, then non-destructive testing methods are applied instead of hydrostatic testing in the pressure vessels as specified in the standards. In this case, the reports showing the test results should be mentioned together with the justification.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security issued the Regulation on Health and Safety in the Use of Work Equipment in 2013. Pursuant to this regulation, boilers and pressure vessels are evaluated to the group of vehicles at risk in terms of workers' health and property safety of enterprises. Within the scope of the Regulation, regular controls and inspections of boilers and pressure vessels are based on the following legal regulations:
- Pressure Equipment Regulation (in 2007)
- Portable Pressure Equipment Regulation (2012 yearn)
- Regulation on Simple Pressure Vessels (2006 year)
In addition to this, in Annex to the Regulation on Health and Safety in the Use of Work Equipment, Regarding the Maintenance, Repair and Periodic Inspections (Annex 3), the standards regarding each boiler and pressure vessel are listed without prejudice to the principles of the said regulation. For example,
- TS 2025 and TS EN 13445-5 standards for steam boilers
- TS EN 12952-6 standard for heating boilers
- TS EN 1442, TS 1445, TS 1446, TS EN 12817 and TS EN 12819 standards for liquefied LPG and similar gas tanks (aboveground)
- TS EN12817 and TS EN 12819 standards for liquefied LPG and similar gas tanks (underground)
- For compressed air tanks, TS 1203 EN 286-1, TS EN 1012-1, TS EN 13445-5 standards
- API 620, API 650, API 653 and API 2610 standards for tanks and tanks with hazardous liquids
