API RP 752 and API RP 753: Industry Standards for Siting Buildings to Manage Blast, Fire and Toxic Release Hazards

In industrial settings, the safety of personnel and the protection of critical assets are paramount. The American Petroleum Institute (API) developed API Recommended Practice (RP) 752 and API RP 753 to guide the siting and management of buildings to mitigate hazards associated with process plants, including blasts, fires and toxic releases.

What Are API RP 752 and 753?

API RP 752 and API RP 753 are comprehensive guidelines designed for facilities such as refineries, petrochemical and chemical operations, natural gas liquids extraction plants, natural gas liquefaction plants and other onshore facilities. They focus on assessing and mitigating risks from explosions, fires and toxic releases to ensure a safer working environment and protect critical assets.

Who Is the API and Why Did They Develop These Standards?

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is a national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Founded in 1919, API develops standards and guidelines to promote safety, efficiency and sustainability in the industry.
API RP 752 and API RP 753 were developed to comply with OSHA’s facility siting requirements as part of the 1910.119 Process Safety Management (PSM) standard. Since OSHA’s PSM standards are performance-based and do not specify how to safely site occupied buildings, these RPs provide effective guidelines for the safe placement and construction of buildings in potentially hazardous areas, focusing exclusively on building siting to enhance safety and compliance.

What Do They Specifically Cover?

Guiding Principles

The primary guiding principle is to locate personnel in buildings away from hazardous areas whenever possible, known as “The Golden Rule.” However, this isn’t always feasible due to process requirements or space limitations. When this is the case, occupied buildings should be designed, constructed and maintained to protect workers from facility hazards. Additionally, buildings near process areas should be minimized, especially during times of increased risk, such as unit start-up, testing or planned shutdowns.

Hazards Addressed

API RP 752 and API RP 753 focus on managing risks from:

• Explosions: Assessing potential blast impacts and implementing measures to minimize damage and injuries.
• Fires: Identifying fire hazards and establishing protocols to prevent and control fire incidents.
• Toxic Releases: Evaluating the risk of toxic gas releases and ensuring proper ventilation and evacuation procedures.

Siting Approach and Selection

Both standards provide detailed guidance on the safe siting of buildings within process plants, which includes the below. Facility owners can use one or more or any combination of these approaches to site their buildings, ensuring flexibility in achieving optimal safety.

• Consequence-Based Approaches: Evaluates the potential impact of hazardous events on buildings and their occupants. Focuses on understanding the severity of consequences if an event were to occur.
• Risk-Based Approaches: Combines the likelihood and consequences of hazardous events to assess the overall risk. Helps determine the probability of incidents and their potential impacts, allowing for informed decision-making on building placement and design.
• Spacing Tables: Establish minimum safe distances between hazardous equipment and occupied buildings. The goal is to reduce the risk of injury and damage by ensuring that buildings are located at a safe distance from potential sources of hazards.

Key Differences

The primary difference between API RP 752 and API RP 753 lies in the types of buildings they cover

API RP 752 applies to permanent buildings:

• New and existing permanent buildings
• New and existing portable buildings (other than light wood trailers) intended for long-term use in a specific, fixed location

API RP 753 pertains to portable buildings:

• New and existing light wood trailers
• New and existing portable buildings (other than light wood trailers) intended to be movable and not intended for long-term use in a specific, fixed location

Additional Considerations

Beyond Compliance

While compliance with standards like API RP 752 and API RP 753 is critical for ensuring safety, it is not sufficient on its own. These standards provide a foundational framework, but achieving comprehensive safety requires a holistic approach that integrates multiple layers of protection.
To ensure maximum safety for personnel and critical assets, facilities must adopt comprehensive protection strategies that address various hazards beyond what API RP 752 and API RP 753 cover.

The Knock-On Effect of Hazards

In industrial settings, it’s also crucial to understand how different hazards interconnect, setting off a chain reaction of potential threats. From blasts, fires and fragments to toxic gases and severe weather, each hazard has the potential to trigger others, escalating the overall risk and challenging safety protocols. Safeguarding against multiple threats is essential to providing a secure environment for personnel and critical assets.

Single Hazard Limitations

While protective buildings are often designed with blasts as the primary consideration, focusing solely on protection from a single hazard may not fully comply with recommended practices. Partial compliance with recommended practices may increase building vulnerability to other hazards—including the movement of contents inside the building, which can become deadly projectiles. It is imperative to address all potential hazards comprehensively to ensure optimal safety.

Given this complexity, it’s essential to regularly evaluate and ask the question:
Have all hazards been properly addressed in the building’s design (WHAT it can resist) and the siting of the building (WHERE it will be placed)?

FORTRESS Protective Buildings

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Ready to enhance the safety and protection of your facility?

Our experts at FORTRESS can help you determine the most appropriate building type and siting strategy to ensure comprehensive protection for your personnel and critical equipment. Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and achieve peace of mind.