Immediately Dangerous, At Risk, and situations that aren't unsafe

The Unsafe Situations Procedure has two categories. Which one you choose decides what you do next, so you need to be able to tell them apart quickly and explain your choice.

Broadly, ID covers installations that fail a tightness test, appliances that fail a spillage test, and serious problems with flueing, ventilation or combustion. Typical examples are a gas escape, or products of combustion coming into the room. A typical AR example is inadequate ventilation.

Examples from the procedure

Table 1 of IGEM/G/11 lists the common situations. A few of them, in summary:

Use the full table in your own copy of the procedure. It isn't exhaustive, and the final decision rests on your own assessment of the site.

Immediately Dangerous: what to do

With the responsible person's agreement, try to put it right there and then. If you can't:

1. Explain that it's Immediately Dangerous and why, that it must not be used, and that it must stay disconnected until it is put right. Using it would break the law (GSIUR regulation 34).
2. Disconnect and seal the supply to it with an appropriate fitting, with their permission.
3. Label it "DANGER DO NOT USE", and complete a warning notice (see 14.4).

If nobody is there, disconnecting and sealing it is recommended.

At Risk: what to do

Again, with agreement, try to put it right. If you can't, explain that it's At Risk and why, that it could become dangerous at any time, and that it mustn't be used until it's put right. Then, with permission, turn it off in this order:

1. Turn off the gas isolation valve. Only if that isn't possible, go to step 2.
2. Remove the electrical fuse. Turning down the room thermostat or setting the clock to off isn't acceptable. Only if removing the fuse isn't possible, go to step 3.
3. Turn off the appliance control and fix a warning label to the appliance's gas control.

Label it "DANGER DO NOT USE" and complete a warning notice. If the responsible person refuses to let you turn it off or to sign the notice, or isn't there, record that.

At Risk, where turning off doesn't help

In a few cases, turning off doesn't remove the risk. Examples are a building put up over a plastic (PE) gas service pipe, an LPG bulk storage vessel in the wrong place, and an ECV that can't be reached or has no handle outside an emergency. Table 1 shows these cases in italics.

For these: explain why it's At Risk and why turning off won't help; don't fix a "DANGER DO NOT USE" label; and complete a warning notice that tells the responsible person who to contact for further investigation.

Situations that aren't unsafe

Because the procedure only has two categories, something that doesn't meet today's standards but isn't unsafe isn't classified under it at all. ACS CCN1 §8 still asks you to explain how you'd deal with such situations. The site doesn't yet have a primary source for that, so this lesson doesn't teach a method.

Sources: IGEM/G/11 Ed. 2 Section 6 intro, 6.1categories IGEM/G/11 Ed. 2 6.2.1–6.2.2AR actions IGEM/G/11 Ed. 2 Table 1examples IGEM/G/11 Ed. 2 5.3turning off won't help CCN1 Issue 16 §8assessed

▸Tutor notes

• Before learners see the table, read out each situation and ask for ID or AR, then compare with the procedure.
• Ask why the turn-off order puts the gas valve first and rules out the thermostat and clock.
• Ask what an engineer should do if the customer refuses disconnection of an ID appliance, and what they need to write down.
• Situations that don't meet current standards but aren't unsafe (CCN1 §8, knowledge item 3) aren't covered by IGEM/G/11. Cover them from your own sources until the site has one.