Safety requirements shall comply with SAES-A-007 and G.I.- 2.102. Health, safety and environmental considerations, as well as general precautions shall be adhered to, before, during and after Lay-up:
SAFETY CONSIDERATION (HSE) DURING HYDROSTATIC TEST PROCEDURE
- Personal safety equipment including helmet, safety glasses, safety shoes, safety gloves and ear protection shall be worn.
- For works above 1.8 meters the use of safety harness and/or life lines will be required.
- Points of water outlet must be roped off and warning signs installed. Where no appropriate drainage is available or when a large water volume is used, this water will be properly canalized (for example, with plastic hoses) and area should be roped off. Waste Management Plan will be according to SAEP-327.
- Ensure that venting and depressurizing points are properly barricaded with safety ropel/tape. “Danger” and “Caution for high noise area, wear hearing protection” signs shall be clearly displayed in the area.
- In Systems to be Laid-up at the same time that construction activities are in progress, preventive actions should be taken (barricades, warning tags, communication, stoppage of work on the lines to be laid-up, etc.).
- Check that line supports and temporary connections near flow outlet are adequate to avoid line movements.
- Before removing any line accessories, it must be checked that line is fully depressurized and empty.
- Drain points should never be cleared with wire and/or other manual tools if line is not completely depressurized.
- AII points which require operations must be accessible.
- All activities will be covered by a work permit. Lay-up activities will be covered by a “Cold Work Permit”.
- Avoid water discharges or water splash on equipment such as rotating equipment. electrical motors. instrument or electrical boxes etc. Temporary protection roof or covers shall be installed to protect equipment near to water discharge points. All electric equipment (motors, junction boxes, etc.) which can be affected by water during dewatering of the system/TP should be protected with plastic covers and de-energized.
- During water displacement by means of nitrogen or sweet gas (Inert Gas Layup), design pressure of the system must not be exceeded. During water displacement, in case that operating pressure of source for supplying inert gas or sweet gas is higher than the design pressure of the system, specific procedures shall be developed indicating maximum pressure to be used and mitigations steps to be taken.
- Final positive pressure applied during Dry and Inert gas Lay-up will never exceed the design pressure of the system. Special attention should be paid for this subject.
- During filling and/or drainage of lines and equipment, vents should be maintained fully open in order to avoid overpressures or vacuum in lines and equipment.
- System to be laid-up shall be isolated from other adjoining systems.
- During performance of lay-up activities, design pressure of the system must not be exceeded. Specific information is included within test packages content.
- Caution must be exercised in the use of nitrogen. While nitrogen is not toxic, the exclusion of breathable air in confined spaces such as pipe trenches, vessel skirts, or vessels can lead to suffocation.