For those of us in the process safety arena, we hear about “pre-planning” almost daily (or maybe we should hear it that often!). But when we actually start looking into what “preplanning” looks like, most facilities are lost at what they should be doing. Once again, I turn to the International Fire Code (IFC) to establish a baseline of activities that should be done when “preplanning”. The IFC (I’m using the 2015 edition) establishes some baselines for the different types of occupancies, of which I will be discussing Group H Occupancies, which is what most PSM/RMP facilities would fall under. To be more specific, I will be using Group H-5 occupancy requirements from my semi-conductor days. Here is a breakdown of the topics we should consider covering in our “preplanning”…
403.7 Group H occupancies. An approved fire safety and evacuation plan in accordance with Section 404 shall be prepared and maintained for Group H occupancies. This section requires that all Group H occupancies have a fire safety and evacuation plan.
These occupancies, regardless of size or type, tend to contain significant hazards that make the need for preplanning critical. Semiconductor facilities have more specific requirements found in Section 403.7.1.
403.7.1 Group H-5 occupancies. Group H-5 occupancies shall comply with Sections 403.7.1.1 through 403.7.1.4.
Group H-5 occupancies are semiconductor fabrication facilities. These types of facilities are unique in that they have a very large allowable area and house a significant amount of hazardous materials. Essentially, the building is divided into fabrication areas, hazardous production materials (HPM) rooms (which are Group H occupancy storage rooms) and networks of service corridors and spaces. The area of the building needs to be large to incorporate all of the operations needed by the semiconductor industry. To facilitate these operations, a special package of requirements and occupancy classification was created. This package is found within the occupancy requirements in the IBC and Chapter 27 of the code. As part of the package, special emergency preparedness and preparation are also required. Sections 403.7.1.1 through 403.7.1.4 provide specific requirements for emergency preparedness and preparation. These requirements are in addition to others pertaining to hazardous materials found in Section 407.
403.7.1.1 Plans and diagrams. In addition to the requirements of Section 404 and Section 407.6, plans and diagrams shall be maintained in approved locations indicating the approximate plan for each area, the amount and type of HPM stored, handled and used, locations of shutoff valves for HPM supply piping, emergency telephone locations and locations of exits.
The requirements for plans and diagrams are in addition to those required in Sections 404, FIRE SAFETY, EVACUATION AND LOCKDOWN PLANS and 407, HAZARD COMMUNICATION. More specifically, the additional details required include the approximate plan for each area of the building. This includes the amount of HPM stored, handled and used in both the fabrication areas and the HPM rooms. Additionally, since it is typical that such facilities tend to pipe HPM throughout the building for efficiency, ALL shutoff valves MUST be identified.
Finally, exits MUST be clearly marked. This is specifically necessary because many service corridors for the transport of materials are not considered part of the means of egress. These details will assist both the occupants and the emergency responders.
403.7.1.2 Plan updating. The plans and diagrams required by Sections 404, 403.7.1.1 and 407.6 shall be maintained up to date and the fire code official and fire department shall be informed of major changes.
Semiconductor facilities are constantly changing because of the needs of new technology; therefore, the types and amounts of materials and their application are constantly changing. These changes must be accounted for within the plans and diagrams required in Sections 403.7.1.1 and 407; otherwise, the critical information needed by the emergency responders may not be available.
403.7.1.3 Emergency response team. Responsible persons shall be designated as an on-site emergency response team and trained to be liaison personnel for the fire department. These persons shall aid the fire department in preplanning emergency responses, identifying locations where HPM is stored, handled and used, and be familiar with the chemical nature of such material. An adequate number of personnel for each work shift shall be designated.
This section is similar to Section 407.4, but has some specific requirements unique to semiconductor facilities. More specifically, liaisons familiar with the location of HPM and hazards related to those materials must be on site. For example, semiconductor facilities make use of silane gas, which is a pyrophoric material—it will instantly ignite when exposed to atmospheric conditions. Knowing the characteristics of the material, where it is located and the quantity used is critical to the responding emergency personnel.
403.7.1.4 Emergency drills. Emergency drills of the on-site emergency response team shall be conducted on a regular basis but not less than once every three months. Records of drills conducted shall be maintained.
This section requires employees to conduct drills EVERY 3 MONTHS to practice specific emergency procedures for the facilities. Again, this requirement is specific to semiconductor facilities because of their unique layout and contents. The emergency responders rely heavily on the on-site actions of the employees because of their intimate knowledge of the site and the complexity of these buildings. Records MUST be maintained.