Injury Rate and Safety Culture Improvement in the Construction Industry

The subject of the study are the components of the corporate safety culture of a construction enterprise. The analysis was conducted related to the state of occupational safety, elements of its management system at one of the construction and installation trusts typical for the oil and gas industry (Surgut Construction and Installation Trust № 1 of «Surgutneftegas» PJSC). The existing problems in the field of occupational safety at the enterprise are considered, the level of maturity of the safety culture, the reasons for the deviant behavior of employees are determined. According to the Bradley Scale using the company DuPont Sustainable Solutions methodology, the enterprise is in a transition stage from a «dependent» to an «independent level». A number of the documents was developed and presented as a component of the safety culture elements. The package of documents is prepared in the form of an information notebook containing: «An act of the refusal to perform the work in case of danger to the life and health of an employee», «Procedure for the actions of an employee in case of danger to his life and health during the performance of work», «The procedure for the actions of engineering and technical employee in case of refusal of an employee to perform the work and execution of the «Act of refusal», «The list of violations of the occupational safety requirements, in the presence of which an employee has the right to refuse to perform the work in case of danger to his life and health». The algorithm of actions proposed in the prepared documents will allow the employees to refuse to perform the work in case of disputable situations on the legal grounds if there is a danger to their life and health. The recommendations presented in the paper will allow to create prerequisites for improving the level of safety culture, enhancing the teamwork in safety issues, and, in the future, the formation of an interdependent level of safety culture.

Improvement of the Thermocouple Method for Testing Energy-Intensive Emulsions for Compatibility with the Sulfide Ores

The results are presented concerning improving the thermostatic method for studying the chemical compatibility of modern industrial emulsion explosives based on the ammonium nitrate with surrounding materials, the increased reactivity of which can lead to spontaneous ignition and even explosion. An assessment of the compatibility of emulsion explosives with sulphide ores was conducted using an original thermocouple methodology developed at the D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, fixation of the thermal effects of the interaction of shell-free explosives based on the ammonium nitrate with sulfide minerals. Improved thermocouple method allows to determine chemical compatibility of the industrial explosives with the reactive rocks. It is distinguished by the possibility of continuous recording of the thermocouple measurements during tests using an oscilloscope and combines the reliability of the results with small laboratory weights of the test samples (no more than 20 g, which ensures safety testing). Temperature measurement accuracy is ± 2 °С. It is concluded that the method used is able to identify the cases of the most dangerous interaction from the practice point of view using the emulsion explosives when the pyrite content in the ore exceeds 85 %. The results of experiments on the applicability of thermocouple measurements to testing low-activity rocks, highly reactive pyrite ores, mixed sulfide ores of medium activity, as well as on the identification of the main regularities of heat release during the interaction of emulsion explosives with the sulfide ores are considered.

Risk-Oriented Model of the Distribution of Buildings (Structures) by Categories of Risk of Causing Harm (Damage) as the Result of Fire to Substantiate the Frequency of Scheduled Inspections of the Buildings (Structures)

Normative legal acts of the Russian Federation establish that the criteria for assigning control objects to the categories of risk of causing harm should be formed based on the results of the assessment of the risk of causing harm. In the developed countries of the world, as a rule, the distribution of objects of control by risk categories and the substantiation of the frequency of their inspections are carried out depending either on the point risk assessment, or on the number and importance of the violations of mandatory fire safety requirements revealed during the inspection of the object of control. The purpose of this work is to substantiate the frequency of scheduled inspections of the objects of control by the state fire supervision bodies depending on whether the objects of protection belong to a particular category of risk of causing harm. As a criterion for assigning control objects to various categories of risk of causing harm, it is proposed to use the risk of causing harm (damage) as the result of fire in the buildings of various classes of functional fire hazard, which is understood as the product of the probability of fire occurrence, the probability of causing socio-economic harm (damage) as the result of fire and the value terms of socio-economic harm (damage). A mathematical model was developed to determine the risk of causing harm (damage) as the result of a fire in a building, and an assessment of its values for the buildings of various classes of functional fire hazard is given. Distribution of the buildings by categories of risk of causing harm (damage) was carried out depending on the calculated value of the risk of causing harm. It is shown that the distribution of control objects by risk categories significantly depends on the degree of detail in the fire record card of the characteristics of the building in which the fire occurred. The optimal terms for carrying out scheduled inspections of the objects of control are proposed depending on the category of risk to which they are assigned. Proposals are formulated concerning the improvement of the risk-oriented approach in the activities of the state fire supervision bodies of the EMERCOM of Russia.

Development of a Methodology for Model Testing of Utor Welded Joints of a Vertical Cylindrical Tank

The methodology of laboratory modeling of the loading of utor welded joint of the tank is presented. The methodology is based on testing of the special design sample. It allows under uniaxial tension on the typical servo-hydraulic machines to reproduce in the zone of a utor welded joint the combined action of bending and shear forces, similar to that which occurs during the operation of a vertical cylindrical tank. To assess the distribution of the stress-strain state in the proposed design of the sample under its loading, the finite element modeling was performed in the ANSYS software package. It showed the fundamental correspondence of the stress distribution in the zone of the utor node in the sample and in the real tank. The experimental studies consisted in carrying out tests for the durability of a series of 16 samples loaded with the maximum force in the cycle, causing the calculated stresses in the zone of the welded utor node in the range of 100–200 % from the maximum permissible ones. The obtained results showed that the maximum loaded zone, where the destruction of the samples occurred, is the near-seam zone of the utor welded joint on the inside of the tank. This corresponds to the statistics of the real tank failures. It is established that the developed methodology ensures the possibility of carrying out correct resource tests of the tank utor welded joints. It is also possible to vary the stress-strain state scheme within a wide range in the area of the utor welded joint by changing the design parameters of the test sample. In compliance with the regulated welding technologies and the absence of unacceptable defects in the welded joint, the utor node has a high resource, which significantly exceeding 50 years of the tank operation.

Study and Development of the Components of Gas Generator Compositions Based on the Ammonium Nitrate to Improve Blasting Operations Safety

The article is devoted to the study and development of the components of gas generator compositions based on the ammonium nitrate to improve safety of blasting operations. This is primarily due to the low cost of ammonium nitrate, low sensitivity to mechanical and detonation effects and a significantly lower content of harmful compounds in the combustion products compared to the analogues. PA-4 aluminum powder was used as fuel, carbon black powder — as a gas-forming agent. The effect was studied concerning different amounts of aluminum powder on the combustion characteristics of a gas generator composition based on the ammonium nitrate. Calculated and experimental data showed that it is unreasonable to introduce more than 5 % of aluminum into the composition. According to the results of the conducted study, a gas generator composition based on the ammonium nitrate was developed to increase blasting operations efficiency and safety. Laboratory and polygon studies confirmed the efficiency and safety of using gas generator compositions at the destruction of stone. Destruction of the stone occurred without scattering of individual fragments, formation, and propagation of an air shock wave. Thus, the urgent task is to ensure blasting operations safety using gas generator compositions, which will allow to eliminate the formation of harmful, toxic gases and the high explosive effect.

On the Methodology for Assessing the State of Industrial and Fire Safety at the Enterprises of Oil and Gas Complex of Russia

The statistics of fires and accidents at the enterprises of oil and gas complex of Russia is presented. The choice of the method for assessing the state of industrial and fire safety is substantiated. It allows to transform the input information presented in the form of a characteristic description of the assessed event into an output dana that has a weighted numerical value. It is shown that the stable functioning of industrial enterprises depends on the safety margin of industrial and fire safety systems. Their maintenance at a certain level requires the allocation of resources (material, human, temporary, etc.), which are limited and insufficient to meet all the requests from the service managers. It is required to scientifically substantiate the targeted provision of activities that have a high index of risk. The purpose of the article is to obtain the result of the assessment of these measures in the form of a weighted risk indicator. This will allow to normalize each event included in the checklists (control sheets) of the enterprise for both industrial and fire safety. A pairwise comparison of the factors and alternatives using the selected method of hierarchy analysis makes it possible to identify the indicators of local and global priorities for each element under study. The weighting coefficients obtained in the form of local priorities relate to the event being tested. Global priorities are directly related to the services and structural units that ensure the sustainable functioning of the industrial and fire safety systems. Use of the methodology for assessing the state of industrial and fire safety at the objects of oil and gas complex of Russia will allow to transfer the management system of these enterprises to a new qualitative level.

Application of the Holt — Winters Model and the Exergetic Method for Predicting Safe Waste Management in the Russian Federation

The problem of waste management is acute in the Russian Federation. Not enough attention is paid to the systematic studies of their composition and properties. The purpose of the work is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of data on waste generated, to select models for predicting their mass, composition, and properties, to substantiate the feasibility of using exergetic analysis to assess safety and make informed decisions on the management of solid municipal waste management. To predict the volume of waste generation, the following were used: an integrated autoregression model — a moving average and exponential smoothing models. The study of changes in the composition and properties of the municipal solid waste, the choice of technology and the assessment of safety in waste management were carried out using the exergetic method. Its advantages are determined by the possibility of conducting a comprehensive energy-ecological assessment and determining the fire hazard of waste and the processes of handling them. The application of the Holt-Winters model for predicting the mass of the generated waste is substantiated. The analysis of changes in the morphological composition of waste, their distribution by types of economic activity is carried out. The values of chemical exergy of municipal solid waste are determined, and a forecast of its further growth is constructed. The dependences of chemical exergy on the heat of combustion of waste are found. It is determined that it is advisable to consider chemical exergy as a heat engineering characteristic and an indicator of fire and environmental hazard of waste. It is proved that the exergetic efficiency of the incineration process is higher than that of composting and burial. Transportation of garbage from the large cities by road and rail transport for subsequent disposal and recycling can be considered as a forced temporary measure during the development of the branch of industry and the formation of a waste management culture. For the application of the exergy method in the system for ensuring safety when handling solid municipal waste, a data mining system was developed. It is advisable to use the obtained results for the development of safety requirements for the management of production and consumption waste in the Russian Federation.

To the Problem of Minimizing the Volume of Mobile Dust in the Development of Pits

Technogenic factors that have a negative effect on the environment and humans are analyzed. The integrated effect of negative impact on the environment aggravated by the number of factors is revealed. These factors include the following: gorges, river valleys and mountain landscapes. From the previously conducted studies it was concluded that the main source of negative effects on living organisms is the mineralized dust. The actual task of the study is determined, which consists in detailing the mechanisms and methods of the mineralized dust formation for improving the methods of minimizing its formation. Using the example of an open pit development of a dolomite deposit the relationship is established between the indicators of atmospheric dusting by the products of rock technological crushing and grinding. Dependence is established related to the dust emission intensity on the air flow velocity and dust concentration. It is proved that all the dust-like products formed as the result of mining and processing of the mineral raw materials have dimensions that allow them to move with the help of air masses. The results of the experiments on solving the problem of reducing dust by minimizing the output of mobile dust classes are presented (studies of the granulometric composition of rocks of various types with differentiation by type of the dust source, the mechanism of pollution using trapping screens and the development of directions for minimizing dusting of the atmosphere of the quarry and the surrounding area). The measures to reduce dust formation are proposed. The model for assessing the potential of environmental pollution by gas and dust products is developed. The proposed measures and the developed model will allow to minimize the effect of mining production on the environment of the region and the health of the workers of the mining enterprise and the residents of the region. The results obtained may be in demand when improving existing and developing new methods for improving occupational safety in the mining industry.

Assessment of the Thermal Radiation Spread in Special Conditions

Increase of the requirements for the safety of hazardous production facilities stimulates the development and improvement of the methodological approaches to accidents consequences assessment on the main gas and other pipelines. Existing models for determining heat fluxes from radiating flame surfaces are focused on assessing damage under standard conditions when the epicenter of the accident is at the same altitude level with potential recipients and there are no barriers between them. In practice, special conditions are often implemented, in particular: fires on the pipelines located in the mountainous areas, safe passage of aircraft near the burning site, protection of objects from thermal radiation by installing impenetrable screens. Approaches are proposed related to assessing heat fluxes at the receiving sites located at different altitude levels with the fire source, as well as during accidents with ignition on the gas pipelines in the presence of screens protecting against thermal radiation. A parameter is introduced that describes the effect of the multilevel location of the source and the recipient on radiation — the coefficient of change in the thermal radiation flux from the side surface of a column-type fire in the absence of a wind, depending on the location height and distance in relation to the ground source of combustion of the site receiving the radiation. An expression is given for determining safe height of the flight of aircraft over a column-type fire in the range of flame heights from 50 to 850 m. Isolines of the fields of heat fluxes from the flame of a high-speed flat jet are calculated when the radiation is screened by a wall located at a normalized distance. The results obtained make it possible to predict the consequences of accidents on the main gas pipelines with gas ignition considering the relief, to assess the boundaries of safe corridors for flights of the aircraft near gas pipelines, and to efficiently develop means of protecting objects surrounding the main pipelines from thermal radiation from a flat torch.

Analysis of the Machine Tool Equipment as a Segment of Risk Management

Despite the industrial revolutions, optimization of production processes, the use of robotics and other advances of science and technology, the share of machine-tool equipment in the execution of the plan at industrial enterprises is large. Human-machine interaction is also invariable. In this regard, the injury rate of machine operators from year to year remains above average. To manage the employee occupational risks, it is required to carefully analyze the source of the risk — the machine-tool equipment used. To manage the professional risks of a machine operator, it is required to assess the following parameters of the machine-tool complex: traumatic factors in accordance with the current legal requirements, and the data obtained as a result of the equipment practical application; completeness and content of the technical documentation for the machine-tool equipment; equipment life cycle stage, equipment operation period; fulfillment of the scheduled preventive maintenance schedule; the number and nature of emergency equipment failures; ergonomic indicators of the machine. The analysis carried out according to the specified parameters can be presented visually in the form of a diagram reflecting the condition of machine equipment on six elements and on three levels using generally accepted signal colors: green - corresponds, yellow — partially corresponds, red — does not correspond. Thus, the results of the conducted analysis are visualized on a color chart, and mathematically evaluated as a percentage. Comprehensive assessment of the state of machine-tool equipment makes it possible to more efficiently determine the risks for those working on the machine-tool equipment, as well as develop measures for the modernization or replacement of the machine-tool park.