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Pressure Vessels Safety and Health Topics:
Pressure Vessels
Generally, a pressure vessel is a storage tank or vessel that has been designed to operate at pressures above 15 p.s.i.g. Recent inspections of pressure vessels have shown that there are a considerable number of cracked and damaged vessels in workplaces. Cracked and damaged vessels can result in leakage or rupture failures. Potential health and safety hazards of leaking vessels include poisonings, suffocations, fires, and explosion hazards. Rupture failures can be much more catastrophic and can cause considerable damage to life and property. The safe design, installation, operation, and maintenance of pressure vessels in accordance with the appropriate codes and standards are essential to worker safety and health.

Related Safety and Health Topics Recognition Evaluation
  • Pressure Testing. LLNL (2001, April 1 revised), 9 pages. Section 18.3 from LLNL's Health and Safety Manual. This is a copy of the test procedures that LLNL uses for their pressure vessels.
Control
  • Pressure Vessel and System Design. LLNL (2000, February 1), ES&H Manual 18.2, 110 pages. This supplement contains all the requirements for the design of pressure vessels and systems at LLNL. This is a useful reference if you are designing (or analyzing) a pressure vessel system. Also available as a 1 MB PDF file.
Compliance

Currently there is no one specific standard for pressure vessels. However, some OSHA standards require a pressure vessel to be built in accordance with the industry codes and standards. (e.g., 29 CFR 1910.106(b)(1)(v)(b) Flammable and Combustible Liquids requires that pressure vessels be built in accordance with the Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels, Section VIII of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code 1968). Some standards with requirements for pressure vessels or other related requirements are listed below:
  • OSHA Standards
    Construction
    • 1926.29, Acceptable certifications (pressure vessels and boilers).
    • 1926.152, Flammable and combustible liquids.
    • 1926.153, Liquefied petroleum gas.
    • 1926.306, Air receivers.
    • 1926.603, Pile driving equipment.
  • OSHA Standards
    Shipyard Employment
    • 1915.172, Portable air receivers and other unfired pressure vessels.
    • 1915.173, Drums and containers.
  • Standard Interpretations and Compliance Letters
    • Search for Interpretations and Compliance Letters related to pressure vessels.
  • Other Standards
    • ASMENET. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) homepage. Codes and standards, accreditation, and other technical information, including search capabilities.
    • American Petroleum Institute (API). Information on codes, standards, and inspections, including search capabilities. The following pressure vessel-related documents can be ordered from the API:
      • API 510, Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: Maintenance Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration, Eighth Edition (1997, June 1).
      • API 572, Inspection of Pressure Vessels, First Edition (1992, February).
      • API 920, Prevention of Brittle Fracture of Pressure Vessels, First Edition (1990, March 1).
      • API 910, Digest of State Boiler, Pressure Vessel, Piping & Aboveground Storage Tank Rules and Regulations, Eighth Edition (1997, November 1).
      • API 620, Design and Construction of Large, Welded, Low-Pressure Storage Tanks, Ninth Edition (1996, February 1). Addendum 1 (1996, December 1) and Addendum 2 (1997, December 1) also available.
      • API 941, Steels for Hydrogen Service at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures in Petroleum Refineries and Petrochemical Plants, Fifth Edition (1997, January). Supplement 1 (1998, April 1) also available.
      • API 945, Avoiding Environmental Cracking in Amine Units, Second Edition (1997, October).
    • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). More codes and standards.
    • American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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Revised: 14 January 2003
 
 
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