FACILITY SITING CHECKLIST
I. Space Between Process Components
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Have adequate provisions been made for relieving
explosions in process equipment?
2. Are operating units and the equipment within units
spaced to minimize potential damage from fires or
explosions in adjacent areas?
3. Are there safe exit routes from each unit?
4. Has equipment been adequately spaced and located to
safely permit anticipated maintenance (e.g., pulling heat
exchanger bundles, dumping catalyst, lifting with
cranes) and hot work?
5. Are vessels containing highly hazardous chemicals
located sufficient far apart? If not, what hazards are
introduced?
6. Is there adequate access for emergency vehicles (e.g.,
fire trucks)?
7. Can adjacent equipment or facilities withstand the
overpressure generated by potential explosions?
8. Can adjacent equipment and facilities (e.g., support
structures) withstand flame impingement?
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II Location of Large Inventories
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are large inventories of highly hazardous chemicals
located away from the process area?
2. Is temporary storage provided for raw materials and for
finished products at appropriate locations?
3. Are the inventories for highly hazardous chemicals held
to a minimum?
4. Where applicable, are reflux tanks, surge drums, and
rundown tanks located in a way that avoids the
concentration of large volumes of highly hazardous
chemicals in any one area?
5. Where applicable, has special consideration been given
to the storage and transportation of explosives?
6. Have the following been considered in the location of
material handling areas:
fire hazards?
location relative to important buildings?
safety devices (e.g., sprinklers)?
slope of the area (is it level)?
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III. Location of the Motor Control Center
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Is the motor control center (MCC) located so that it is
easily accessible to operators?
2. Are circuit breakers easy to identify?
3. Can operators safety open circuit breakers? Have they
been trained?
4. Is the MCC designed such that it could not be an
ignition source? Are the doors always closed? Is a no-
smoking policy strictly enforced?
5. Is the MCC designed and meant to be a safe haven?
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IV Location and Construction of the Control Room(s)
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Is the control room built to satisfy current corporate
overpressure and safe-haven standards?
2. Does the construction basis for the control room satisfy
acceptable criteria (e.g., the Factor Mutual
recommendations)?
3. Are the workers in the control room (or escape routes
from the control room) protected from all of the
following?
toxic, corrosive, or flammable sprays, fumes, mists, or
vapors?
thermal radiation from fires (including flares)?
overpressure and projectiles from explosions?
contamination from spills or runoff?
noise?
contamination of utilities (e.g., breathing air)?
transport of hazardous materials from other sites?
possibility of long-term exposure of employees to low
concentrations of process material?
odors?
impacts (e.g., from a forklift)?
flooding (e.g., ruptured storage tanks)?
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IV Location and Construction of the Control Room(s) (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
4. Are vessels containing highly hazardous chemicals
located sufficiently far from the control room?
5. Were the following characteristics considered when the
control room location was determined:
types of construction of the room?
types/quantities of materials?
direction and velocity of prevailing winds?
types of reactions and processes?
operating pressures and temperatures?
ignition sources?
fire protection facilities?
drainage facilities?
6. If windows are installed, are they of rigid construction
with sturdy panes (e.g., woven-wire reinforced glass)?
7. Is at least one exit located in a direction away from the
process area? Do exit doors open outward? Are
emergency exits provided for multistory control
buildings?
8. Are the ends of the horizontal vessels facing away from
the control rooms?
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IV Location and Construction of the Control Rooms (s) (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
9. Are critical pieces of equipment in the control room
well protected? Is adequate barricading provided for
the control room?
10. Are open pits, trenches, or other pockets where inert,
toxic, or flammable vapors could collect located away
from control buildings or equipment handling
flammable fluids?
11. Where piping, wiring, and conduit enter the building, is
the building sealed at the point of entry? Have other
potential leakage points into the building been
adequately sealed?
12. Is the control room located a sufficient distance from
sources of excessive vibration?
13. Is a positive pressure maintained in control rooms
located in hazardous areas?
14. Could any structures fall on the control room in the
event of an accident?
15. Is the roof of the control room free from heavy
equipment and machinery?
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V. Location of Machine Shops, Welding Shops, Electrical Substations, Roads, Rail Spurs, and Other Likely Ignition
Sources
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are likely ignition sources (e.g., maintenance shops,
roads, rail spurs) located away from release points for
volatile substances (both liquid and vapor)?
2. Are process sewers located away from likely sources of
ignition?
3. Are all vessels containing highly hazardous chemicals
or components containing material above its flash point
located away from likely sources of ignition?
4. Are the flare and fired heater systems located to
minimize hazards to personnel and equipment, with
consideration given to normal wind direction and wind
velocity, as well as heat potential?
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VI. Location of Engineering, Lab, Administration, or Other Buildings
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are administration buildings located away from
inventories of highly hazardous chemicals?
2. Are administration buildings located away from release
points for highly hazardous chemicals?
3. Are workers in administration buildings protected from
all of the following:
toxic, corrosive, of flammable sprays, fumes, mists, or
vapors?
thermal radiation from fires (including flares)?
overpressure and projectiles from explosions?
contamination of utilities (e.g., water)?
contamination from spills or runoff?
noise?
transport of hazard materials from other sites?
flooding (e.g., ruptured storage tanks)?
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VII. Unit Layout
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are large inventories or release points for highly
hazardous chemical located away from vehicular traffic
within the plant?
2. Could specific siting hazards be posed to the site from
credible external forces such as high winds, earth
movement, utility failure from outside sources,
flooding, natural fires, and fog?
3. Is there adequate access for emergency vehicles (e.g.,
fire trucks)? Are access roads free of the possibility of
being blocked by trains, highway congestion, spotting
of rail cars, etc.?
4. Are access roads well engineered to avoid sharp curves?
Are traffic signs provided?
5. Is vehicular traffic appropriately restricted from areas
where pedestrians could be injured or equipment
damaged?
6. Are cooling towers located such that fog that is
generated by them will not be a hazard?
7. Are the ends of horizontal vessels facing away from
personnel areas?
8. Is hydrocarbon-handling equipment located outdoors?
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VII. Unit Layout (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
9. Are pipe bridges located such that they are not over
equipment, including control rooms and administration
buildings?
10. Is piping design adequate to withstand potential liquid
loads?
VIII. Location of Unit Relative to Onsite and Offsite Surroundings
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Is a system in place to notify neighboring units,
facilities, and residents if a release occurs?
2. Are there detection systems and/or alarms in place to
assist in warning neighboring units, facilities, and
residents if a release occurs?
3. Do neighbors (including units, facilities, and residents)
know how to respond when notified of a release? Do
they know how to shelter in place and when to
evacuate?
4. Are large inventories or release points for highly
hazardous chemicals located away from publically
accessible roads?
5. Is the unit, or can the unit be, located to minimize the
need for offsite or intrasite transportation of hazardous
materials?
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VIII. Location of the Unit Relative to Onsite and Offsite Surroundings (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
6. Are workers in adjacent units and neighboring plants,
and the public and environmental receptors, protected
from all of the items listed below? In addition, are
workers in this unit protected from the effects of
adjacent units or facilities for all of the items listed
below?
releases of highly hazardous chemicals?
toxic, corrosive, or flammable sprays, fumes, mists, or
vapors?
thermal radiation from fires (including flares)?
overpressure from explosions?
contamination from spills or runoff?
odors?
contamination of utilities (e.g., sewers)?
transport of hazardous materials from other sites?
impacts (.e.g., airplane crashes, derailments)?
flooding (e.g., ruptures storage tank)?
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IX. Location of Firewater Mains and Backup (e.g., Diesel) Pumps
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are firewater mains easily accessible?
2. Are firewater mains and pumps protected from
overpressure and blast debris impact?
3. Is an adequate supply of water available for
firefighting?
4. Are the firehouse doors pointed away from the process
area so the doors will not be damaged by an explosion
overpressure?
X. Location and Adequacy of Drains, Spill Basins, Dikes, and Sewers
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are spill containments sloped away from process
inventories and potential sources of fire?
2. Have precautions been taken to avoid open ditches, pits,
sumps, or pockets where inert, toxic, or flammable
vapors could collect?
3. Are process sewers that transport hydrocarbon closed
systems?
4. Are concrete bulkheads, barricades, or berms installed
to protect personnel and adjacent equipment from
explosion and/or fire hazards?
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X. Location and Adequacy of Drains, Spill Basins, Dikes, and Sewers (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
5. Are vehicle barriers installed to prevent impact to
critical equipment adjacent to high traffic areas?
6. Do drains empty to areas where material cannot pool?
7. Can dikes hold the capacity of the largest tank?
8. Is there a means of access in and out of dikes, pits, etc.?
XI. Location of Emergency Stations (Showers, Respirators, Personal Protective Equipment, etc.)
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Are emergency stations easily accessible?
2. Are first aid stations prudently located and adequately
equipped?
3. Are safety showers heated/freeze protected/wind
protected?
4. Is there a control room alarm?
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XII. Electrical Classification
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. Is there an electrical classification document?
2. Does the electrical classification appear correct and
complete?
3. Has the electrical classification document been recently
revised?
4. Have significant changes made since the system was
originally constructed been included in the electrical
classification document?
addition of new materials?
new sources of flammable gases or vapors?
new low points (e.g., sumps or trenches) at grade?
areas that have been enclosed since the system was
constructed?
5. Are the design and maintenance of ventilation systems
adequate?
safeguards to alert operators when a ventilation system
fails?
ventilation systems being properly maintenance, and
alarms and interlocks on these systems periodically
function checked?
adequate maintenance being done to function check
natural ventilation systems?
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XII. Electrical Classification (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
technical basis for design changes to the ventilation
system?
ventilation systems verified to be adequate for new gas
or vapor loads?
6. Are there adequate controls to ensure that electrically
qualified equipment is replaced with equipment of equal
or higher classification?
7. Are boundaries between electrically classified areas
physical boundaries? If not:
are the boundaries marked?
are workers adequately informed of the boundaries of
electrically classified areas and their significance?
8. Are Division 1 areas necessary (if there are any)?
9. Are there adequate controls (e.g., a hot work permit
system) on repair and construction activities, including
work by contractor personnel?
10. Does the electrical classification adequately reflect the
effects of different modes of operation (e.g., normal
operation, maintenance, startup, infrequent operating
modes such as reactor regeneration or operation with a
portion of the system bypassed)?
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XIII. Contingency Planning
No. Question Response Recommendations
1. What expansion or modification plans are there for the
facility?
2. Can the unit be built and maintained without lifting
heavy items over operating equipment and piping?
3. Are calculations, charts, and other documents available
that verify facility siting has been considered in the
layout of the unit? Do these documents show that
consideration has been given to:
normal direction and velocity of wind?
atmospheric dispersion of gases and vapors?
estimated radiant heat density that might exist during a
fire?
estimated overpressure?
4. Are appropriate security safeguards in place (e.g.,
fences, guard stations)?
5. Are gates located away from the public roadway so that
the largest trucks can move completely off the roadway
while waiting for the gates to be opened?
6. Where applicable, are safeguards in place to protect
high structures against low-flying aircraft?
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XIII. Contingency Planning (continued)
No. Question Response Recommendations
7. Are adequate safeguards in place to protect employees
against exposure to excessive noise, considering the
cumulative effect of equipment items located close
together?
8. Is adequate emergency lighting provided? Is there
adequate redundant backup power for this lighting?
9. Are procedures in place to restrict nonessential or
untrained personnel from entering areas deemed to be
hazardous?
10. Are indoor safety control systems (e.g., sprinklers, fire
walls) provided in buildings where personnel will
frequently be located, such as control rooms and
administrative buildings?
11. Are evacuation plans (from buildings, units, etc.)
adequate and accessible to personnel?
12. Are evacuation drills routinely conducted?
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