Top Guide To Fire Safety In The Oil and Gas Industry

Fires tend to be the most commonly reported incident in the oil and gas industry, making ongoing protection critical.

But fire prevention isn’t just about avoiding fires; it’s about understanding the types of fires that could impact your business and the varying degrees of risk in each workplace.

Common Fire Types and Classifications

The first thing to know is that there are five different fire classifications: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class K. The assigned letter depends on the fire’s cause. It also helps determine the best method for extinguishing it.

In the oil and gas industry, Class B fires are most common as they involve flammable liquids.

Generally, there are four types of Class B fires to be aware of:

• Confined Space Fires: As the name implies, these fires occur in confined spaces like tanks. A build-up of flammable vapor can cause the fire to explode. They are especially dangerous because firefighters find it more difficult to extinguish them.
• Flash Fires: These quick fires can last seconds and sometimes be confused with explosions. They are not explosions, however, because there is no pressurization. Instead, a flash fire is created by mixing a heat source with fuel and oxygen. Despite being short-lived, these fires can still cause significant damage or even death.
• Jet Fires: These are caused by a release of fuel, like a gas leak, which ignites and continues burning as the flammable substance leaks. It is similar to the functionality of a blow torch; the flame will continue burning as long as the fuel is fed to it.
• Pool Fires: Also known as hydrocarbon fires, these fires are caused by the ignition of flammable liquids. As the fuel pools, it catches fire and spreads quickly, causing a significant amount of radiant heat.

Though the above are the most common fires, they aren’t the only kinds the oil and gas industry is susceptible to.

It’s possible to see Class A fires, which concern organic materials like wood or paper. You could also run into Class C fires. These are either electrical-based or they involve flammable gas.

Common Fire Ignition Sources

Just as there are common fire types, there are also a handful of common ignition sources in the oil and gas industry. Examples include:

• Human error
• Equipment failure
• Natural disasters
• Electrical malfunction

Several of the common sources of fire in the industry can be avoided by following oil and gas fire regulations and safety regulations. While not perfect, following through with training, safety procedures, and equipment checks are important to maintaining industrial fire protection.

Regulatory bodies like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have many protections in place for fire prevention or emergency response. For instance, the NFPA has a dozen gas-related codes and one for oil.

Some of these NFPA regulations include:

• The Standard for the Installation of Oil-Burning Equipment
• The National Fuel Gas Code
• The Standard for the Control of Gas Hazards on Vessels
• The Standard for the Design and Installation of Oxygen-Fuel Gas Systems for Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes

These standards largely outline operations for fire safety in the oil and gas industry, such as fire and explosion prevention. It is vitally important for companies to follow these fire regulations to protect their employees and property.

Regular audits should be conducted by fire safety professionals to ensure that the business is compliant and operating safely. Per the NFPA 25 standard, these inspections should take place once per quarter or four times per year.

If OSHA or the Fire Marshal’s Office inspectors discover non-compliance, a business can expect a write-up and a fine. These fines can vary, increasing if compliance is not met or the violation is ignored. There can be serious, life-threatening consequences for dismissing safety regulations.

For a regulatory body like OSHA, the maximum penalties are as follows:

• Serious or Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements: $16,131 per violation
• Failure to Abate (or fix the problem): $16,131 per day after abatement date
• Willful or Repeated Offense: $161,323 per violation

Risks of Avoiding Fire Safety In The Oil and Gas Industry—Real-World Examples

The oil and gas industry has a high fire risk since it deals with flammable and explosive substances.

Therefore, it should be no surprise that the largest OSHA penalties in history are rooted in the oil or gas industry. Many of these companies suffered explosions and were fined millions for safety issues. The largest penalty was $81,340,000 against BP Products North America after a massive explosion at their Texas refinery killed 15 employees and injured 170 more.

Safety issues need to be handled with the utmost care, especially in relation to fire prevention. Here are a few other examples of fire incidents that have happened in different oil and gas industry capacities.

• In February 2024, Seneca Resources National Fuel Gas in Pennsylvania was totally lost after a three-alarm fire broke out. Though no one was hurt, the Pine Creek Township Fire Department reported that fire and numerous explosions were caused by propane tanks inside the building. In addition to the town fire department, they were joined by 13 other area fire departments to extinguish the blaze.
• An oil refinery in Texas had to reduce its output in March 2024 after one of its reformers caught fire. TotalEnergies’ reformer caught fire in the early hours, putting the machine out of commission. Sources told Reuters that it would take up to a month for the machine and affected pipework to be repaired.
• A fire that took over 10 hours to extinguish killed one and left four others injured in Bangkok, Thailand. In early May 2024, a chemical storage tank at the Mab Ta Phut Industrial Estate caught fire. Because of the blaze, 400 workers and residents had to be evacuated from the area. Three years prior, the same company had to shut down temporarily after a different tank caught fire, killing three and injuring two.

These examples help illustrate why fire safety in the oil and gas industry is paramount for businesses. Fire incidents happen, but when businesses are prepared, they can better protect their buildings, employees, and the general public.

Fire prevention is key to protecting employees and facilities in oil and gas businesses. There are many ways to protect your business from damage or loss of functionality, but flammable materials pose a greater risk than in other industries.

A few key fire prevention strategies include:

Source a Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification

Fire safety professionals can provide a full fire risk assessment for your facility. These assessments consider the materials handled at the facility along with many other factors, while strategizing how to prevent incidents.

Store Flammable Materials Safely

In the same vein as the risk assessment, identified flammable materials must be stored in a secure manner. NFPA and OSHA regulations outline ways to store these materials to mitigate fire risk. A fire safety company can also advise on the appropriate ways to store this material during an audit or new site consultation.

Implement Safety Protocols and Procedures

This step includes providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees to keep them safe even outside of fire risk, such as masks to avoid hazardous gasses. It is also important for employees to know how to use protective equipment like fire extinguishers or to activate other fire suppression systems.

Conduct Employee Training and Fire Drills

Emergency response in oil and gas businesses is critical. Employees who know exactly what to do during a fire incident can save lives and potentially reduce facility damage. A well-oiled internal process also allows firefighters and first responders to do their jobs more effectively.

Maintain Equipment and Facilities

Faulty equipment is a major issue for fire safety in the oil and gas industry. Maintaining the equipment as well as the facility, following audit protocols, and making repairs as needed will help prevent accidental fires in the future.

These strategies cannot guarantee that a fire will never happen. Fire prevention in the oil and gas industry is a big piece of the success puzzle, but it is not the whole picture. When incidents do happen, it is just as important to have systems in place to mitigate damage and prevent loss of life.

When the unexpected occurs, fire detection and suppression systems can make all the difference. These systems step in when prevention measures aren’t enough to protect property and people alike.

Although they work together, detection and suppression systems are separate entities. Knowing the difference is part of a successful industrial fire protection plan.

What Are Fire Detection Systems?

A fire detection system is an electronic program that activates when a fire begins. Depending on the type of system, it is set off when a variance occurs, such as smoke or a sudden rise in temperature.

There are a range of systems to choose from, particularly for use in the oil and gas industry:

Flame Detectors

• Infrared: An infrared flame detector can pick up on radiation readings fires emit when burned. Keep in mind that these can have a higher false positive reading.
• Ultraviolet: This detector identifies when a fire is present based on ultraviolet levels. It is particularly good for businesses working with hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and metal.
• UV-IR: A combination of the other two, the UV-IR detector can read infrared and ultraviolet emissions. Since it can detect both, the likelihood of false readings is lower than either one on its own.

Gas Detectors

• Catalytic Bead Sensors: These detectors can mitigate the risk of explosion by monitoring the levels of flammable gasses or vapors. For example, they’re constantly watching out for gas leaks.
• Electrochemical Sensors: There are three primary kinds of these detectors: potentiometric, conductometric, and amperometric/voltammetric. These sensors utilize the reactions of electrodes and analytes to detect gasses like oxygen, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide.
• Infrared Gas Sensors: These detectors use infrared transmitters to detect the presence of combustible gasses. It does so by measuring the absorption of infrared light by any present gasses. Although reliable, they are heavily influenced by humidity.
• Photoionization Detectors: In addition to identifying a gas leak, photoionization detectors can detect other leaks, like gasoline. They work by sending ultraviolet photons at the volatile compound and reading the electric current of the resulting charged ions.

Heat Detectors

• Fixed Temperature Detector: Sensors are set to alarm when the heat in an area rises above the fixed temperature—commonly 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rate-of-Rise Heat Detector: Unlike a fixed temperature sensor, a rate-of-rise detector goes off when there is a sudden increase in temperature around it. Typically, the detector will signal if the heat in an area jumps by about 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Smoke Detectors

• Ionization Smoke Detector: One of the more common smoke detectors for in-home use, an ionization smoke detector is best for flaming fires. When smoke enters the system, the ions between two electrically charged plates are interrupted, which causes the detector to go off.
• Photoelectric Smoke Detector: Also a common in-home smoke detector, these are best for smoldering fires since they rely on light sources to trigger. Smoke will reflect into the light source, causing a detection alert.

Different fire detectors will offer different coverage options. They can be used together for optimal protection, lessening the likelihood of a false alarm.

How many of these detectors are required in your building depends on occupancy, size, industry, and materials used.

What Are Fire Suppression Systems?

Unlike fire detection, fire suppression systems actively fight back against an active fire. These systems can stop a fire spread or limit it by extinguishing certain areas. A simple form of fire suppression is a fire extinguisher.

Let’s review some examples of special hazard fire suppression systems. 

Clean Agent Systems

Without water, these systems are less damaging to facilities and equipment. They use gas to suppress the fire by denying it access to oxygen, an action known as “total flooding.” This method floods the room with gasses like carbon dioxide to extinguish the fire.

Dry Chemical Suppression

Another way to prevent a fire from accessing oxygen is dry chemical suppression, which uses dry chemical powder to choke the fire. This method is less damaging to facilities and equipment.

Foam Systems

A means of smothering the fire while also reducing heat quickly, foam systems are a messy but effective option for fire suppression. They release a foam with fluorinated surfactants that can be dispensed in a larger sprinkler-like system or from a handheld fire extinguisher.

Water Sprinkler Systems

These systems are commonly known as they are present in most commercial buildings. They spray water down onto the flames to extinguish them. These aren’t as effective as industry fire suppression systems, and are not appropriate for fire and gas facilities as water does not work against oil fires or gas fires.

What Are Fire Protection Systems?

Fire protection systems aim to protect a building and its occupants against fire risks and damages. There are a couple of approaches, each focusing on a different area: passive and active fire protection systems.

Passive fire protection does not require further action once a fire is indicated, while an active fire protection system needs an event to trigger it. They should both be used as part of an emergency response plan in the oil and gas industry.

Examples of Active Fire Protection Systems:

• Emergency lighting
• Fire extinguishers
• Sprinkler systems
• Ventilation systems

Examples of Passive Fire Protection Systems:

• Dampers
• Fire doors/walls
• Fire-resistant coating or intumescence

Because oil and gas facilities contain such high-risk materials, they require special hazard consideration. Often, this means utilizing foam suppression systems to attack fires efficiently, reducing damage elsewhere or further harm to employees.

Having an emergency response plan in place is the only way for detection or suppression systems to do the most good. Employee preparation is critical to keeping everyone safe, no matter the circumstances.

To build an effective response plan, you need to have thorough evacuation procedures in place. All employees should know what routes to take in the event of an emergency and partake in quarterly fire drills, as laid out by OSHA for high-risk facilities.

For high-risk fire locations, it is also vital to have a few key roles in place:

• Fire Warden: A workplace’s fire warden knows the response plan like the back of their hand. They enact all necessary protocols, helping other employees get out safely. Fire wardens may also use a fire extinguisher if the fire is of a small, manageable size.
• Emergency Response Team: This group of individuals will assist the fire warden with coordinating the response plan. They can help communicate with emergency personnel, direct employees, and help keep everyone on track with the evacuation. These individuals should also be at the designated assembly area to assist others however they can.

For evacuation maps, OSHA recommends using color coding and arrows to indicate emergency exit routes. These routes should have first and secondary exits and funnel people away from rooms holding hazardous materials.

Fire safety in the oil and gas industry is ripe with technological advancements. There are many new ways to prevent, detect, and suppress fires. Now more than ever, these emergencies are becoming easier to navigate, avoiding costly damage or loss of life.

Let’s take a look at a few key innovations:

Technology

• AI-based Fire Detection: Using cameras to monitor a facility, AI-based fire detection identifies any abnormalities in the image. It can spot small fires or smoke quickly, alerting the company or authorities of the fire danger.
• Inspection Drones: Thermal camera drones are used to locate and map fires. In doing so, these inspection drones provide a more thorough analysis of where the fire or heat is going without putting anyone at further risk.
• IoT Systems: Also known as the Internet of Things, this interconnected system is a huge advancement in preventing fire emergencies. IoT systems link with other network devices to monitor the area for fire risk indicators.

Physical

Outside of technology, there are many innovations in fire prevention and suppression, including:

• Elevator Smoke Curtains: These keep smoke and fire from spreading through elevator shafts.
• Photoluminescent Exit Path Markings: These pathway markers are highly visible to the naked eye, even in smoke-filled rooms. They allow safe passage for evacuations.

Environmental

Fire suppressors can be ecologically draining. As in other industries, eco-friendly or green alternatives are emerging. Using gasses like nitrogen and argon to fight fires is becoming more popular for the oil and gas industry.

In any workplace, preventing and fighting fires is important to keeping everyone safe. For anyone in the oil and gas industry, that can’t be overstated. When workplaces, in general, see 200 fires every day (according to OSHA), it’s doubly important to have plans in place when working in a high-risk facility.

With emergency plans in place alongside prevention and suppression systems, you can be better prepared for the unexpected. When you need a fire risk assessment, equipment inspections, or new systems installed, be sure to contact trusted fire and life safety professionals to help.