OIL INDUSTRY SAFETY DIRECTORATE

• Oil industry safety directorate, OISD is an advisory body under the ministry of petroleum
and natural gas. Set up in the 1986 after Bhopal disaster, the directorate advises the oil
and gas industry in India on all matters of health , safety and environment.
• All public sector ( PSU) oil companies are members of OISD. Private oil companies can
also become members in case they desire.
• Unlike other regulatory agencies, OISD helps the member oil and gas companies to
enhance the level of safety through self regulation. OISD has published a number of
standard/ recommendations practice in sitting of petroleum operation , philosophies,
inspection, maintenance, fire protection etc. it is obligatory for the member companies to
use these standard and recommended practices for new installations and installation in
operations. Many other statuary agencies like CCE and others cite OISD
standards/recommended practices in their procedure and requirements.
• OISD has also published guidelines for internal and external safety audits. Based on
these guidelines, formal safety audits of oil/gas installations of various PSUs under
Ministry of P & NG are conducted periodically by an external team under the leadership
of OISD.
• Petroleum organizations can use these guidelines for their own internal audits. OISD has
also made a model disaster management plan that can be used by an installation as
guidelines for developing its own disaster/ emergency management plan.
 OIL INDUSTRY SAFETY DIRECTORATE:
The main responsibilities OISD are:
• Standardization;
• Formulation of the disaster management plan;
• Accident analysis;
• Evaluation of safety performance.
OISD has framed rules and guidelines for safe distances to be
observed for various facilities in an oil installation. All the new
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants in India are
designed based on the guidelines of OISD. Further, The LPG
plants can be started only after the approval of OISD.
OISD has also issued guidelines for the safe operations of petrol
stations and standards related to petroleum installations.
 Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation
(PESO)
• As a statutory authority, PESO is entrusted with the responsibilities under the following
acts and rules made there under
– Explosives Act, 1884;
• Explosive rules 2008
• Gas cylinder rules
• Static and mobile pressure vessels Rules
• Ammonium Nitrate rules
– Petroleum Act, 1934;

– Inflammable Substances Act, 1952,

– Environment (Protection Act), 1986
• Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur is the nodal Organization to
look after safety requirements in manufacture, storage, transport and use of explosives
and petroleum. The Organization is headed by Chief Controller of Explosives with its
headquarter located at Nagpur (Maharashtra). It has five Circle Offices located in
Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Faridabad and Agra and 18 Sub-circles Offices in the country
• www.peso.gov.in
 PETROLEUM ACT, 1934

• An Act to consolidate and amend the law

relating to the import, transport, storage,
production, refining and blending of
petroleum
Arrangement of Sections

• 4 Chapters
• 31 Sections
• Preliminary
• CHAPTER I : CONTROL OVER PETROLEUM
• CHAPTER II : THE TESTING OF PETROLEUM
• CHAPTER III : PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE
• CHAPTER IV : SUPPLEMENTAL
“petroleum" means any liquid hydrocarbon or mixture of hydrocarbons, and any
inflammable mixture containing any liquid hydrocarbon;
"flash-point" of any petroleum means the lowest temperature at which it yields a
vapour which will give a momentary flash when ignited,
“petroleum Class A" means petroleum having a flash-point below twenty-three
degrees Centigrade;
"petroleum Class B" means petroleum having a flash-point of 23 Centigrade and
above but below 65 degrees Centigrade
"petroleum Class C" means petroleum having a flash-point of 65 degrees
Centigrade and above but below 93 degrees Centigrade;
‘Excluded Petroleum’ Flash point above 93
Chief Controller” means the Chief Controller of Explosives
OISD” means “Oil Industry Safety Directorate” a technical body assisting the Safety
Council constituted under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
“Tank” means a receptacle for petroleum exceeding 1,000 litres in capacity;
Tank wagon” means a railway carriage with a tank mounted thereon.
“Tank truck” means a single self-propelled vehicle with a tank mounted thereon
Well-head tank” means a tank into which crude petroleum flowing or being pumped
from an oil well is first discharged;
• A person need not obtain a licence for the import,
transport or storage of petroleum Class A not
intended for sale if the total quantity in his
possession does not exceed thirty litres.
• petroleum Class B if the total quantity in his
possession at any one place does not exceed two
thousand and five hundred litres and none of it is
contained in a receptacle exceeding one thousand
litres in capacity;
• petroleum Class C if the total quantity in his
possession at any one place does not exceed forty-
five thousand litres and such petroleum is
transported or stored in accordance with the rules
 Receptacles of dangerous petroleum Class A to show a warning

• All receptacles containing petroleum Class A shall have

a stamped, embossed, painted or printed warning,
either on the receptacle itself or, displayed near the
receptacle with the words "Petroleum A" or "Motor
Spirit",
• Provided that this section shall not apply to-
• Any securely stopped glass, stoneware or metal
receptacle of less than ten liters capacity
• Tank incorporated in motor conveyance, or attached
to an internal combustion engine
• a pipe-line for the transport of petroleum,
• any tank which is wholly underground
 Inspection and sampling of petroleum

• The Central Government may, by notification

in the Official Gazette, authorize any officer by
name or by virtue of office to enter any place
where petroleum is being imported,
transported, stored, produced, refined or
blended and to inspect and take samples for
testing of any petroleum found therein.
• Empty receptacles.
• All empty tanks which had petroleum Class A or petroleum
Class B and empty containers which had petroleum Class A
shall, except when they are opened for the purpose of
filling or cleaning and rendering them free from petroleum
vapour, be kept securely closed until they have been
thoroughly cleaned and freed from petroleum vapour.
• Repairs to receptacles.
• No person shall cause to be repaired or repair by the use
of hot work any tank or container which had petroleum
unless it has been thoroughly cleaned and freed from
petroleum and petroleum vapour or otherwise prepared
for safely carrying out such hot repair and certified, in
writing, by a competent person to have been so repaired
• Prohibition of employment of children and
intoxicated persons
• Prohibition of smoking, fires, lights, etc..-at any
time in proximity to a place where petroleum is
refined, stored or handled or in a vehicle’s carriage
or vessel in which petroleum is transported.
• Ports into which petroleum may be imported. -
Petroleum shall not be imported into India by sea
except through the ports which are duly approved
for this purpose by the Ministry of Shipping,
Government of India, in consultation with the
Chief Controller
• Restriction on passengers, combustible and
inflammable cargo- No ship, vessel or vehicle shall
carry petroleum petroleum Class A or petroleum Class
B and Class C in bulk if it is carrying passengers or any
combustible cargo other than petroleum:
• Restriction on loading and unloading by night. -
Petroleum shall not be loaded into, or unloaded from,
any ship, vessel or vehicle between the hours of
sunset and sunrise, unless.-
(a) adequate electric lighting is provided
(b) adequate fire-fighting facilities with personnel are
kept ready at the place of loading for immediate use in
the event of a fire.
• Restriction on electric installation and apparatus.
– No electric wiring shall be installed and no
electric apparatus shall be used in any refinery,
installation, storage shed, service station or in any
other place where petroleum is refined, blended,
stored, loaded or unloaded.
 Hazardous area

An area shall be deemed to be a hazardous area,

where –
• (i) petroleum having flash point below 65 Degree
C or any inflammable gas or vapour in a
concentration capable of ignition is likely to be
present.
• (ii) Petroleum or any inflammable liquid having
flash point above 65 Degreee C is likely to be
refined, blended, handled, stored at above its
flash point
 Classification of hazardous area

A hazardous area shall be deemed to be.-

(i) Zone “0” area, if inflammable gas or vapours are
expected to be continuously present in the area; or
(ii) Zone “1” area, if inflammable gases or vapours are likely
to be present in the area under normal operating
conditions; or
(iii) Zone “2” area, if inflammable gases or vapours are likely
to be present in the area only under abnormal operating
conditions or failure or rupture of an equipment.
 Fixed electric apparatus

• Zone 0 Area- No electric apparatus shall be allowed,

• Zone 1 Area- All electric apparatus installed or used shall
be either a flame proof or intrinsically safe apparatus of
a type or types approved in writing by the Chief
Controller.
• Zone 2 Area- non-sparking apparatus or a flame proof or
intrinsically safe apparatus approved by the Chief
Controller
• Intrinsic safety is a design technique applied to electrical
equipment and wiring for hazardous locations. The
technique is based on limiting energy, electrical and
thermal, to a level below that required to ignite a specific
hazardous atmospheric mixture.
 Earthing and bonding

• All electrical systems and equipment and all

structures, plants and other non-current-carrying
metallic parts of major electric apparatus or any
major metallic object in any place where
petroleum is refined, blended, stored, loaded or
unloaded shall be efficiently earthed.
• The resistance value of earthing system shall not
be more than-
• 4 ohms in the case of electrical systems
• 10 ohms in the case of all non-current-carrying
metallic parts
 Portable electric apparatus

• No person shall install or use in a hazardous

area any portable electric lamp or apparatus
other than a portable lamp or apparatus of a
type approved by the Chief Controller.
• No portable lamp shall be operated at a
voltage exceeding 25 volts
To access Petroleum Rules 2002
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/122472650/
 REGULATORY/ STATUTORY AGENCIES:
Since petroleum industry is hazardous industry, a number of regulations have been framed by
various statutory/regulatory authorities in the country to safeguard the interest of workers,
public and environment. Sustainable development and environmental safeguards. Following is
the list of various regulatory/statutory agencies having jurisdiction over the petroleum industry.
• Central Pollution Control Board ( CPCB), under the Ministry of Environment and Forest
• Respective State Pollution Control Board, under the Ministry of Environment and Forest of
The State
• Chief Inspector of Factories Of The Respective State (CIF), Under The Ministry Of Labor
• Chief Controller Of Explosives (CCE) , Ministry of Heavy Industry, Dept of Explosives
• Director General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) ,under The Ministry of Civil Aviation, National Air
Port Authority Of India
• Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC), Under the Association of Indian Companies
• Bhaba Atomic Energy Commission (BARC), Under Ministry of Atomic Energy
• Director General Mines Safety (DGMS), under the Ministry of Mines
• Regional Transport Authority (RTA) under the Ministry of Surface Transport
• Director General Of Dock Safety (DGDS), under The Ministry of Shipping
• International Maritime Organization (IMO), under United Nations
• Oil industry safety directorate (OISD), under the ministry of petroleum and natural gas