Plant Safety, Fire Systems, and Hazardous Materials Management

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering industrial plant safety, hazardous materials handling (WHMIS/GHS), equipment isolation (LOTO), portable fire extinguishers, standpipe/sprinkler systems, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Combustion

An exothermic, self-sustaining chemical reaction that can occur even within an inert atmosphere.

Fire Tetrahedron

A four-sided model representing the four components required for flaming combustion: fuel (reducing agent), heat energy, oxygen (oxidizing agent), and an uninhibited chain reaction.

Reducing Agent

The fuel supply in a combustion reaction, such as hydrocarbons, metals, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and non-metals like carbon or sulfur.

Oxidizing Agent

A substance that supports burning through oxidation by reacting with fuel; common examples include atmospheric oxygen, acids, and hydrogen peroxide.

Class A Fire

A fire fueled by ordinary combustibles including wood, paper, cloth, plastics, rubber, and coal, most commonly extinguished by cooling with water.

Class B Fire

A fire fueled by flammable liquids such as solvents, greases, gasoline, and oil (excluding cooking oils); extinguished by smothering or dry chemicals. Water must not be used as it spreads the floating fuel.

Class C Fire

A fire involving energized (live) electrical equipment where electrocution is a hazard; extinguished using non-conductive, residue-free agents such as $CO_2$. Once de-energized, it reverts to a Class A or B fire.

Class D Fire

A fire involving combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, and uranium; extinguished using specialized dry powder agents, graphite powder, or granular sodium chloride.

Class K Fire

A fire involving commercial cooking media such as kitchen greases and oils; extinguished by cooling and smothering with wet chemical agents to exclude oxygen.

Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF)

A low-viscosity synthetic foam that spreads rapidly across hydrocarbon fuel surfaces, producing an under-film water barrier that cools the fuel and stops flammable vapor production; unsafe for Class C fires due to electrical conductivity.

Halotron

A non-corrosive, non-conductive, and environmentally safe halon replacement used in control and computer rooms that interrupts the uninhibited chain reaction without leaving a residue.

Spontaneous Combustion

Combustion resulting from internal exothermic chemical reactions (self-heating), which accelerates into thermal runaway and culminates in auto-ignition, often occurring in improperly stored oily rags.

Electrically Classified Areas

Hazardous locations classified by ignition risk: Class I contains flammable gases, Class II contains combustible dusts, and Class III contains easily ignitable airborne fibers.

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)

A comprehensive Canadian safety system legislated in October 1988 designed to communicate hazardous material hazards through classification, labelling, safety data sheets, and employee education.

Globally Harmonized System (GHS)

An international chemical classification and hazard communication standard incorporated into WHMIS 2015 to harmonize labeling and safety documentation globally.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A standardized 16-section document mandated under WHMIS 2015 (replacing the 9-section MSDS) provided by suppliers to detail chemical hazards, handling, storage, and emergency response.

Workplace Label

A simplified label prepared within a facility containing basic product identification, safe handling instructions, and an SDS reference, used when a chemical is transferred into another container or when the supplier label is damaged.

Cylinder Foot Ring

The circular base attached to LP gas cylinders that serves as legs to ensure vertical orientation, prevents cylinder corrosion from direct ground contact, and prevents liquid propane from entering the relief valve.

Flash Point

The minimum temperature at which a volatile liquid gives off sufficient vapor to form an ignitable vapor-air mixture near its surface when an ignition source is introduced.

Fire Point

The temperature at which a volatile liquid produces sufficient vapors to continuously sustain combustion after being ignited.

Ignition Temperature

The lowest temperature to which a fuel in air must be heated to start self-sustained combustion without an external spark or flame.

Flammable Range (Explosive Limits)

The concentration range of fuel vapor in air bounded by the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) and Upper Explosive Limit (UEL) within which a mixture will burn.

PASS

The standardized acronym describing portable fire extinguisher operation: Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep at the base of the fire.

Stored Pressure Fire Extinguisher

An extinguisher containing extinguishing agent and propellant gas ($N_2$) together under permanent pressure ($12\text{ to }17\text{ kPa}$), requiring hydrostatic testing every $5\text{ years}$ and replacement every $20\text{ years}$.

Cartridge/Cylinder Operated Fire Extinguisher

An unpressurized fire extinguisher holding only extinguishing agent until an external gas cylinder ($CO_2$ or $N_2$) is punctured, requiring pressure testing every $12\text{ years}$.

Self-Expelling Fire Extinguisher

An extinguisher containing an agent (such as $CO_2$ or Halotron) that naturally exerts sufficient vapor pressure at normal ambient temperatures to expel itself without a separate propellant gas.

Standpipe System

A dedicated fire protection piping system installed in buildings higher than three stories that acts as an internal network of hydrants to provide quick water access for fire suppression.

Wet Pipe Sprinkler System

An automatic sprinkler system filled with pressurized water at all times that discharges instantly when heat melts an individual sprinkler head element, applicable only where temperatures stay above $4^\circ\text{C}$.

Dry Pipe Sprinkler System

A sprinkler system filled with pressurized air or nitrogen above a dry pipe valve, installed where freezing temperatures (below $4^\circ\text{C}$) exist, which permits water into the system only after air escapes through an open head.

Deluge Sprinkler System

A fire protection sprinkler system equipped with permanently open nozzles connected to a deluge valve that floods an entire designated zone simultaneously upon detection of a fire.

Preaction Sprinkler System

A dry-piped sprinkler system requiring activation of a supplemental detection device (smoke or heat detector) to open a preaction valve and charge the lines with water before sprinkler heads release water.

Jockey Pump

A small auxiliary pump connected to a fire sprinkler piping network to maintain static pressure and prevent main fire pumps from starting spuriously; rapid on-off cycling signifies system leakage.

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety (CCOHS)

The Canadian federal body responsible for providing information and referencing federal legislation, codes, and regulations applicable across all provinces and territories.

Stop Work Order

A legal injunction issued by an authorized jurisdictional health and safety inspector suspending worksite operations following a serious incident until hazards are investigated and eliminated.

Monogoggles

Heavy-duty protective safety goggles providing complete, sealed facial contact around the eyes to guard against chemical splashes, airborne mists, and dust particles.

Nomex

A flame-resistant (FR) synthetic material manufactured into shirts, pants, and coveralls that prevents secondary burn injuries caused by clothing catching fire.

Fall Arrest Safety Harness

A body-worn personal protective harness mandatory when working at heights of $3\text{ m}$ or higher, connected to an anchor point with an energy-absorbing lanyard allowing a maximum free fall of $2\text{ m}$.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

An atmosphere-supplying respirator with a portable air cylinder that maintains positive mask pressure for $30\text{ minutes}$ (alarm bells trigger after $25\text{ minutes}$), required when oxygen falls below $19.5\%$.

Supplied Air Breathing Apparatus (SABA)

A breathing apparatus fed by an external air line paired with a compact 5-to-15-minute auxiliary escape bottle, requiring an external bottle watch and suited for extended maintenance in tight quarters.

Hierarchy of Hazard Controls

A structured ranking of hazard mitigation strategies arranged by decreasing effectiveness: Elimination/Substitution, Engineering Controls, Administrative & Work Practice Controls, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Scaffold Tagging System

A safety labeling system on scaffolds where a Green tag indicates safe for all work, a Yellow tag permits access only when wearing a personal fall arrest harness, and a Red tag indicates the scaffold is unsafe and prohibited.

Danger Tape

Red barricade tape delineating high-risk physical hazards such as suspended loads, overhead cutting/grinding, open floor holes, and confined spaces; entry is strictly prohibited under any circumstances.

Caution Tape

Yellow barricade tape identifying physical or health hazards like trip hazards, spills, or defective machinery; entry is permitted after reading the tag and adhering to stated precautions.

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A safety method that analyzes job tasks by ranking them by risk, breaking each into sequential steps (ideally a maximum of 10), identifying specific hazards per step, and developing preventative controls.

Right to Refuse Unsafe Work

A legal workplace right allowing workers to refuse any job task or condition they deem dangerous without fear of reprisal, disciplinary action, or loss of employment.

Joint Workplace Health & Safety Committee

A mandated safety committee consisting of both worker and management representatives who conduct inspections, investigate incidents, and resolve workplace health and safety concerns.

Confined Space

An enclosed or partially enclosed space large enough for a person to enter that is not intended for continuous occupancy and features restricted points of entry and exit, presenting atmospheric and physical hazards.

Hydrogen Sulfide ($H_2S$)

A dangerous, toxic industrial gas known for its rotten egg odor that quickly desensitizes the sense of smell and can cause rapid unconsciousness and death; requires SCBA and gas monitors.

Ground Disturbance

Any excavation, trenching, post pounding, or drilling exceeding $30\text{ cm}$ in depth that could damage underground utilities or piping, requiring a dedicated excavation permit.

Safety Moment

A brief, concise discussion on a specific safety topic (also called a tailgate meeting, toolbox brief, or safety minute) presented at the start of a work shift or meeting.

Safe Work Permit (SWP)

A formal, legally binding written contract between Operations and Maintenance authorizing a defined scope of work for up to $12\text{ hours}$ that establishes required PPE, hazards, and isolation measures.

Hot Work

Work capable of generating heat, open flames, or sparks in potentially flammable environments, categorized as high energy (welding, cutting, grinding) or low energy (battery-powered tools, cameras, mobile phones).

CSA Z460

The Canadian standard governing the Control of Hazardous Energy, defining the lockout procedures, tags, and isolating devices required to protect personnel from accidental machine energization.

Bump Test (Electrical Isolation)

A momentary attempt to start or energize a piece of equipment following electrical lockout to physically confirm that the equipment has been de-energized and cannot operate.