Engineering Standard

SAES-B-053 15 August 2017

Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding
Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee

Contents
1 Scope ................................................................ 2

2 Conflicts and Deviations ................................... 2

3 References........................................................ 2

4 Definitions ......................................................... 3

5 Mechanical Hazard Guards............................... 5

6 Protective Shields ............................................. 6

Revision Summary................................................... 6

Previous Issue: 7 October 2012 Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020

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Contact: Ghamdi, Salem S. (ghamss1i) on phone +966-13-8729642

©Saudi Aramco 2017. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee SAES-B-053
Issue Date: 15 August 2017
Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020 Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding

1 Scope

This standard provides the minimum mandatory requirements for the protection of
employees to prevent accidental contact with extremely hot and cold surfaces and the
movement of parts of all rotating equipment, prime movers, industrial elevators,
escalators, material conveyors related equipment and other points of power machine
transmission, and protective shields on piping and equipment handling high health
hazards. Marine vessels are considered out of the scope of this document and should
follow the requirements of SOLAS.

This standard may be attached to purchase orders.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

Any conflicts between this document and other applicable Mandatory Saudi Aramco
Engineering Requirements (MSAERs) shall be addressed to the EK&RD Coordinator.

Any deviation from the requirements herein shall follow internal company procedure
SAEP-302.

3 References

The selection of material and equipment, and the design, construction, maintenance, and
repair of equipment and facilities covered by this standard shall comply with the latest
edition of the references listed below, unless otherwise noted.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure

SAEP-302 Instructions for Obtaining a Waiver of a Mandatory
Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirement

Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards

SAES-B-017 Fire Water System Design
SAES-M-100 Saudi Aramco Building Code
SAES-N-001 Basic Criteria, Industrial Insulation

Saudi Aramco Manual

Environmental Protection Department Chemical Hazard Bulletins (CHB)

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Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee SAES-B-053
Issue Date: 15 August 2017
Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020 Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

Process Industry Practice

PIP INEG1000 Insulation Design Guide

American National Standards Institute

ANSI/ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators
ANSI/ASME B11.0 Safety of Machinery, General Requirements, and
Risk Assessment
ANSI/ASME B11.8 Manual Milling, Drilling
ANSI/ASME B11.9 Grinding Machines
ANSI/ASME B11.15 Pipe, Tube, and Shape Bending Machines
ANSI/ASME B20.1 Safety Standards for Conveyors and Related
Equipment

American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) International

ASTM F1138 Standard Specification for Spray Shields for
Mechanical Joints (2014)

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

SOLAS International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea

International Standards Organization

ISO 13631 Package Reciprocating Gas Compressors
ISO 10441(API 671) Flexible Couplings for Mechanical Transmission-
Special Purpose Applications
ISO 14691 Flexible Couplings for Mechanical Transmission-
General Purpose Applications

National Safety Council

Accident Prevention Manual, Engineering and Technology, National Safety
Council, Itasca, Illinois; ISBN 978-087912-281-2

4 Definitions

Accessible Area: An area in which personnel can safely have proper access by full
body or partial protection mechanisms to perform work duties as designated.

Cold Surface: For the purposes of this standard, a cold surface is any object, piping,

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Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee SAES-B-053
Issue Date: 15 August 2017
Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020 Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding

wall, or other accessible place that is at or below minus 7°C.

Conveyor: A horizontal, inclined, or vertical device for moving or transporting bulk

material, packages, or objects, in a path predetermined by the design of the device, and
having points of loading and discharge, fixed or selective. Included are skip hoists,
vertical reciprocating and inclined reciprocating conveyors. Items not included are
trucks, tractors, cranes, hoists, manlifts, and other items as specified in ANSI/ASME
B20.1.

Elevator: A hoisting and lowering mechanism, equipped with a car that moves within
guides and serves two or more landings and is classified according to ANSI/ASME
A17.1.

Escalator: Power-driven, inclined, continuous stairway used for raising or lowering

passengers.

Flammable Liquid: A liquid that has a flash point equal to or less than 54°C (130°F).
Examples would be fluids such as stabilized crude, gasoline, Jet A-1, Jet JP-4, Jet JP-8,
C6 and lighter feed and blending stocks, and methanol. For purposes of this standard, a
combustible liquid stored or processed at a temperature equal to or higher than 8°C
(15°F) below its flashpoint shall be considered to be a flammable liquid.

Full Protective Equipment: Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as PVC gloves,
boots, coveralls, approved respirator, goggles, and /or other items as required by the
Saudi Aramco Chemical Hazard Bulletin (CHB).

High Health Hazard Materials: For the purposes of this standard, as defined herein,
include:
(a) Materials with a degree of Health Hazard rating of 3 or 4 per Saudi Aramco
Chemical Hazard Bulletin (CHB). Examples are phenol (carbonic acid), tetraethyl
lead compounds (TEL), and tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) which have Health Hazard
ratings of 3. For those materials which a CHB does not exist, contact the
Industrial Hygiene Unit of Environmental Protection Department for the Health
Hazard Rating.
(b) Highly Corrosive Materials: Materials which, on brief exposure, could cause
major injury or destructive damage with a pH level 1–3 (acid) or pH level 12–14
(base).

Hot Surface: For the purposes of this standard, a hot surface is any object, piping,
wall, or any other accessible place that is at or above 60°C.

Power Machine Transmission: Includes all mechanical parts, such as gears, cams,
shafts, pulleys, belts, couplings, clutches, brakes, and rods that transmit energy and
motion from a source of power to equipment or a machine.
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Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee SAES-B-053
Issue Date: 15 August 2017
Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020 Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding

Point of Operation: The area of a machine where material is positioned for processing,
where work is actually being performed on the material.

Protective Shields: Devices to prevent injury to personnel from fluid or gases spraying
from a leak by dissipating the velocity of the fluid and diverting the flow. Protective
shields are also used to direct oil releases downward from pump seals in high risk areas
of plants (see SAES-B-017) in order to reduce the risk of ignition. The description of
one type of protective shields (spray shields for mechanical joints) can be found in
ASTM F1138.

5 Mechanical Hazard Guards

5.1 Any machine, the use of which could conceivably involve point of operation
hazards, shall comply with proper guarding methods to meet ANSI/ASME
B11.0. For rules regarding “point of operation” guards, see the chapter on
safeguarding in the Accident Prevention Manual, Engineering and Technology.

5.2 Powered machine transmission guarding shall meet the guarding requirements
of applicable machine-specific standards such as ANSI/ASME B11.8,
ANSI/ASME B11.9, ANSI/ASME B11.15, ISO 13631, ISO 10441(API 671), or
ISO 14691.

5.3 Industrial elevators and escalators shall meet ANSI/ASME A17.1. For non-
industrial locations, e.g., buildings, refer to SAES-M-100.

5.4 Conveyors of materials and related equipment shall meet ANSI/ASME B20.1.

5.5 Revolving, oscillating, reciprocating or other moving parts located 2.5 m or less
above the floor or working level having projecting parts or hazardous accessible
interiors shall be permanently and securely protected with guards.

5.6 Fin fan cooler blades shall be guarded so that if the blades break, the blades do
not fall into any accessible personnel walking/working area, regardless of their
elevation.

5.7 Guards shall be non-combustible and shall be otherwise designed in such a way
not to create a potential source of ignition.

5.8 Counterweights shall be either enclosed with a guard or equipped with safety
chains or cable or otherwise protected against falling. If a counterweight is so
located that it is possible to walk under or crawl under the weight, it shall be
enclosed with a guard or barricaded to prevent access.

5.9 All accessible hot surfaces (greater than 60°C) or cold surfaces (lower than
minus 7°C) within 2.5 m vertical or 1 m horizontal from an elevated walkway or

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Document Responsibility: Loss Prevention Standards Committee SAES-B-053
Issue Date: 15 August 2017
Next Planned Update: 15 August 2020 Equipment and Piping Protective Guarding

on-grade accessible area and shall be covered with insulation, shields, guards, or
barriers to prevent contact injury to people. For insulation, refer to SAES-N-001
and PIP INEG1000.

6 Protective Shields

Protective shields shall be installed at the following locations.

6.1 Mechanical seal-drive coupling area of horizontal pumps over 150 kW (200 HP)
in flammable liquid service.

6.2 Packed stuffing boxes and mechanical seals of equipment such as pumps,
turbines, and agitators in high health hazard materials service.

6.3 Separate shielding may be omitted around mechanical seals where the housing
around the end plate or gland is of such shape that it forms a shield.

6.4 Packing glands of valves handling high health hazard materials.

6.5 Flanges in high health hazard material service.

6.6 In other locations, having high health hazard material service, as required by the
Industrial Hygiene Unit of Environmental Protection Department or the
Proponent Operating Department.

6.7 Protective shields are not mandatory in areas where personnel are required to
wear full protective equipment for entrance to the area.

6.8 Protective shields shall be of a type that can be replaced while the equipment is
in service.
Note: The above requirement is intended to provide guidance so that even if a shield
is removed or broken while the equipment is in service, there will be less
potential for an accidental release. Protective shields shall remain in place
while the equipment is on stream and operating.

6.9 Protective shields shall be non-combustible and shall be otherwise designed in

such a way not to create a potential source of ignition.

Revision Summary
7 October 2012 Revised the “Next Planned Update”. Reaffirmed the contents of the document, and reissued
with minor revision.
15 August 2017 Major revision incorporating the requirements of SAES-B-061 (SAES-B-061 to be cancelled).
Minor clarification changes on scope of document incorporated.

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