The newly released EEMUA 249 (Edition 1) brings together guidance for operators to consider when managing the risk posed by piping dead-legs in all types of process plants and storage facilities.
The new publication, ‘Factors to consider when managing the mechanical integrity of dead-legs on industrial facilities’, supplements existing guidance by challenging assumptions, highlighting specific learning points identified by members of EEMUA (Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association) and providing examples of inspection needs.
EEMUA 249 has been developed by front-line engineers from major companies in EEMUA membership with extensive experience of managing the integrity of dead-legs across petrochemical, chemicals and gas facilities. The starting point was the learning from a catastrophic failure of a dead-leg that released boiling hydrocarbon from a full-bore discharge into an operating plant – the incident was the subject of a safety alert issued by the UK regulator, the Health and Safety Executive. The learning was addressed and sparked a wider review of the whole management process for the integrity of dead-legs.
The guidance in EEMUA 249 can be used by companies that are establishing their management process for dead-legs and equally by companies with existing policies and procedures, to challenge that they meet good practice in this area.
