Control room as refuge in emergency - wise? 1

[JOM]

Sometimes control rooms are the designated mustering point for plant personnel in case of emergency. (I don't know how common this practise is.)

Has the wisdom of this practise been examined and written about? Does anyone have examples of a control room providing refuge during a real emergency? Did things work well or were there problems? Do emergency drills reveal anything interesting?

I know of one case where it didn't work well.

J.

J.

 

[epoisses]

Exactly - just a room with a coffee machine, a computer and a beamer so the operations management team can entertain themselves running powerpoint presentations on how to address the emergency while the operators are putting out the fire undisturbed

 

[EnvOp]

In my experience as an operator, it's extremely frustrating to have a room full of people in the control room talking and hanging about when the units are in upset, let alone an emergency. The control room should only be used as a muster point when the emergency conditions prevent contract workers and others to be able to evacuate the muster point(outside the fence line-pre-designated safe zone). I'm sure those of you that have any experience working in a refinery control room would agree. Also, refineries are phasing out the control rooms that are located deep within the process although the plant I still work in has them, because in the event of an explosion or fire, there would be no control over the process at that point.

 

[EdStainless]

From a non-chemical/petro point of view. In many manufacturing plants the in-plant control locations are considered safe, but they rarely are. If you are dealing with external issues (tornados) they are fine, but for in plant issues (fires) they don't work. The problem with wiring and other control line penetrating walls is huge. You can't protect the air supply.
Some plants that I know of (steel mills) that take this seriously have been building hardened rooms next to control rooms for safe locations.

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[BigInch]

"Control room as refuge in emergency - wise"

Is it possible for all those words to appear together in the same sentence? Sounds kinda' like "military intelligence" to me.

BigInch-born in the trenches.

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[JOM]

BigInch,

Yeah, I think the discussion helped to show up the conflicting purposes of a CR and a refuge.



J.