Technologies requiring additional safety provisions

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5. Technologies requiring additional safety provisions

5.1. General

5.1.1. Apart from routine safety and health provisions, special attention needs

to be paid to major hazard installations.

5.1.2. Major hazard installations possess the potential, by virtue of the nature

and quantity of dangerous substances present, to cause a major accident in one of the

following general categories:

(a) the release of toxic gases in tonnage quantities which are lethal or harmful at

considerable distances from the point of release;

(b) the release of extremely toxic substances in kilogram quantities which are lethal

or harmful at considerable distances from the point of release;

(c) the release of flammable liquids or gases in tonnage quantities which form a large

cloud that in turn burns or explodes;

(d) the presence of unstable or highly reactive materials which may explode.

5.1.3. Major hazard installations should be designed and built in accordance

with the following principles, which should be applied by both the technology-

exporting and the technology-importing country:

(a) critical systems and equipment should be based on a fail-safe design;

(b) the plant should include back-up safety devices and systems, and should embody

the concept of defence in depth;

(c) safety devices should be adequate to handle the most serious emergency that

could occur;

(d) critical systems should be isolated from each other in such a way as to prevent the

spread of an accident;

(e) where possible, dangerous chemical intermediates should be produced only in

small quantities for immediate use, in order to avoid long-term bulk storage.

5.2. Action by the technology supplier

5.2.1. The supplier of a technology which may store, process or produce

dangerous substances should indicate to the technology-receiving country whether the

technology involves activities which are classified as a major hazard in the supplier's or

any other country.

5.2.2. Where a technology is likely to create a major hazard, the technology

supplier should provide the technology-receiving country with information on the

following aspects:

(a) an identification of the dangerous substances, their hazardous properties, the

quantities involved and the manner in which they are stored, processed or

produced;

(b) a thorough assessment of the process in order to show –

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