This Published Document discusses the European Union (EU) and
United Kingdom (UK) legislation intended to minimize the risk of fire
and explosion in the process industries. It provides a comprehensive
guide to the standards, draft standards and other documents that
contain the technical, practical and organizational information to
ensure compliance with EU Directives and UK regulations. This
legislation specifies a risk assessment approach to dealing with fire and
explosion hazards, so the procedures adopted in performing a risk
assessment are used in this document as a framework with which to
guide the reader to the information required to prepare the assessment.
The fire and explosion hazards covered in this code arise from use in the
workplace of dangerous substances, as defined in the Dangerous
Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) [1], and
combustible substances that do not fall under the DSEAR definition of
Dangerous Substances but which are capable of burning and thus
participating in a fire.
NOTE 1 Fire and explosion hazards fall into two types in the process
industries; those associated with the use of dangerous substances and the
operation of equipment in explosive atmospheres, and those associated
with chemical reaction hazards and uncontrolled exothermic reactions
and decompositions. This Published Document concentrates on the first of
these fire and explosion hazards. The second, although part of DSEAR [1],
is not the subject of standards, but needs to be considered in the overall
risk assessment. Although such topics are not comprehensively covered in
this code, some further reading is listed in the bibliography.
This Published Document is not applicable to the offshore industry or
to the mining industry.
It is not applicable to oxidizing substances or preparations, or to
substances that are used or manufactured solely for their explosive
properties.
NOTE 2 Some further reading on such substances and preparations is
listed in the bibliography.
NOTE 3 This Published Document refers only to standards or other types
of document that are published by recognized standards bodies. Some fire
and explosion hazards, chemical reaction hazards, for example, are not
the subject of standards, but need to be considered in the overall risk
assessment. Although such topics are not comprehensively covered in this
code some further reading is listed in the bibliography.