Current through Reg. 49, No. 12; March 22, 2024
(a) Stationary
LP-gas installations, including LP-gas transfer systems, dispensing systems,
and storage containers, shall be protected from tampering and damage as
specified in this section.
(b)
LP-gas storage containers located on a rural consumer's property from which
motor or mobile fuel containers are filled are not required to comply with the
fencing and vehicular barrier protection requirements in subsections (c) and
(d) of this section.
(c) In
addition to NFPA 58, §§6.21.4.2, 6.22.3.2(3), 6.27.3.7, 8.2.1.1, and
6.5.4.5, fencing at LP-gas installations shall comply with the following:
(1) Uprights, braces, and cornerposts of the
fence shall be composed of noncombustible material and shall be anchored in
concrete a minimum of 12 inches below the ground.
(2) Gates in fences where bulkheads are
installed shall be located directly in front of the bulkhead. Gates shall be
locked whenever the area enclosed is unattended. Gate posts on gates installed
directly in front of the bulkhead shall be located at 45-degree angles to the
nearest corner of the bulkhead.
(3)
ASME containers or manual dispensers originally manufactured to or modified to
be considered by AFS as self-contained units are exempt from the fencing
requirements. Self-contained units shall be protected as specified in
subsection (d) of this section.
(4)
LP-gas containers located at a private residence are exempt from the fencing
requirements.
(d) In
addition to NFPA 58, §§6.8.1.2, 6.8.6.1(A)-(E), 6.8.6.2(F), 6.27.3.13
and 6.27.3.14, vehicular barrier protection at LP-gas installations, except as
noted in this section, shall comply with the following:
(1) Vertical supports for vehicular barrier
protection shall be at least three-inch schedule 40 steel pipe or other
material with equal or greater strength. The vertical supports shall be capped
on the top or otherwise protected to prevent the entrance of water or debris;
anchored in concrete at least 18 inches below the ground; and rise at least 30
inches above the ground. Supports shall be spaced four feet apart or
less.
(2) The horizontal
guardrailing for vehicular barrier protection shall be secured to the top of
the vertical supports at least 30 inches above the ground. The railing shall be
at least three-inch schedule 40 steel pipe or other material with equal or
greater strength. The railing shall be capped on the ends or otherwise
protected to prevent the entrance of water or debris; and welded or bolted to
the vertical supports with bolts of sufficient size and strength to prevent
damage to the protected equipment under normal conditions, including the nature
of the traffic to which the protected equipment is subjected.
(3) Locations which have a perimeter fence
prohibiting public traffic to the container or cylinder storage area shall not
be required to have guardrailing if the vertical supports are located no more
than three feet apart.
(4) Openings
in horizontal guardrailing, except the opening that is permitted directly in
front of a bulkhead, shall not exceed three feet. Only one opening is allowed
on each side of the guardrailing. A means of temporarily removing the
horizontal guardrailing and vertical supports to facilitate the handling of
heavy equipment may be incorporated into the horizontal guardrailing and
vertical supports. In no case shall the protection provided by the horizontal
guardrailing and vertical supports be decreased. Transfer hoses from the
bulkhead shall be routed only through the 45-degree opening in front of the
bulkhead or over the horizontal guardrailing.
(5) Clearance of at least three feet shall be
maintained between the vehicular barrier protection and any part of an LP-gas
transfer system or container or clearance of two feet for retail service
station installations. The two vertical supports at the ends of any vehicular
barrier protection which protects a bulkhead shall be located a minimum of 24
and a maximum of 36 inches at 45-degree angles to the nearest corner of the
bulkhead.
(6) Vehicular barrier
protection shall extend at least three feet beyond any part of the LP-gas
transfer system or container which is exposed to collision damage or vehicular
traffic.
(7) Installations which
have highway barriers located between vehicular traffic and the container and
material handling equipment shall not be required to have vehicular barrier
protection installed.
(e) If exceptional circumstances exist or
will exist at an installation which would require additional protection such as
larger-diameter horizontal railing, then the licensee or operator shall install
such additional protection. In addition, AFS at its own discretion may require
an installation to be protected with added safeguards to adequately protect the
health, safety, and welfare of the general public. AFS shall notify the person
in writing of the additional protection needed and shall establish a reasonable
time period during which the additional protection shall be installed. The
licensee shall ensure that any necessary extra protection is installed. If a
person owning or operating such an installation disagrees with AFS'
determination made under this subsection, that person may request a public
hearing on the matter. The installation shall either be protected in the manner
prescribed by AFS or removed from service with all product withdrawn from it
until AFS' final decision.
(f) In
addition to NFPA 58 §5.2.8.1, LP-gas installations shall comply with the
sign and lettering requirements specified in Table 1 of this section. An
asterisk indicates that the requirement applies to the equipment or location
listed in that column.
Attached Graphic
(1) Unless colors are specified, lettering
shall be in a color that sharply contrasts to the background color of the sign,
and shall be readily visible to the public.
(2) Items 1, 2, and 3 in Table 1 may be
combined on one sign.
(3) Items 1,
2, and 3 in the column entitled "Licensee or Non-Licensee ASME 4001+ Gal.
A.W.C." in Table 1 apply to installations with 4,001 gallons or more aggregate
water capacity protected only by vehicular barrier protection as required in
subsection (d) of this section, and bulkheads as required by §
RSA
9.143 of this title (relating to Bulkhead,
Internal Valve, API 607 Ball Valve, and ESV Protection for Stationary LP-Gas
Installations with Individual or Aggregate Water Capacities of 4,001 Gallons or
More) for commercial, bulk storage, cylinder filling, or forklift
installations.
(4) Item 7 in the
column entitled "Storage Racks for DOT Portable or Forklift Containers" in
Table 1 may be met with lettering only one rack when multiple racks are
installed.
(5) Item 11 in the
column entitled "Requirements" in Table 1 applies to facilities which have two
or more containers.
(6) Item 13 in
the column entitled "Requirements" in Table 1 applies to outlets where an
LP-gas certified employee is responsible for the LP-gas activities at that
outlet, when a licensee's employee is the operations supervisor at more than
one outlet as required by §
RSA
9.17<subdiv>(a)</subdiv> of this
title (relating to Designation and Responsibilities of Company Representative
and Operations Supervisor).
(7) Any
information in Table 1 of this subsection required for an underground container
shall be mounted on a sign posted within 15 feet horizontally of the manway or
the container shroud.
(8) Licensees
and non-licensees shall comply with operational and/or procedural actions
specified by the signage requirements of this section.
(9) Any 24-hour emergency telephone numbers
shall be:
(A) monitored at all times;
and
(B) be answered by a person who
is knowledgeable of the hazards of LP-gas and who has comprehensive LP-gas
emergency response and incident information, or has immediate access to a
person who possesses such knowledge and information. A telephone number that
requires a call back (such as an answering service, answering machine, or
beeper device) does not meet the requirements of this section.
(g) In addition to NFPA
58, §8.4.2.2, storage racks used to store DOT cylinders in the horizontal
position located in areas frequented by the public shall be protected against
vehicular damage by:
(1) the use of concrete
curbs and/or wheel stops provided:
(A) the
cylinder storage rack is located a minimum of 48 inches behind a curb or wheel
stop that is a minimum of five inches in height above the grade of the driveway
or parking area;
(B) if the
requirements of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph cannot be met, the cylinder
storage rack must be installed a minimum of 48 inches behind a curb or wheel
stop that is a minimum of four inches in height above the grade of the driveway
or parking area, and a wheel stop at least four inches in height must be
installed at least 12 inches from the curb or first wheel stop; and
(C) if wheel stops are used, all wheel stops
must be secured against displacement; or
(2) if curbs and/or wheel stops are not
installed, guard posts or vehicular barrier protection shall be installed a
minimum of 18 inches from each storage rack, and:
(A) consist of at least three-inch schedule
40 steel pipe, capped on top or otherwise protected to prevent the entrance of
water or debris into the guard post, no more than four feet apart, and anchored
in concrete at least 12 inches below ground and rising at least 30 inches above
the ground;
(B) constructed of at
least four-inch schedule 40 steel pipe capped on top or otherwise protected to
prevent the entrance of water or debris into the guard post, and attached by
welding to a minimum 8-inch by 8-inch steel plate at least 1/2 inch thick. The
installed height of the post must be a minimum of 30 inches above the ground.
The guard posts and steel plate shall be permanently installed and securely
anchored to a concrete driveway or concrete parking area; or
(C) meet the requirements of subsection (d)
of this section.
(h) Fencing, guardrails, and valve locks
shall be maintained in good condition at all times in accordance with this
chapter.
(i) Self-service
dispensers shall be protected against vehicular damage by:
(1) vehicular barrier protection that
complies with subsection (d) of this section; or
(2) vertical supports that comply with
subsection (d) of this section; or
(3) where routine traffic patterns expose
only the approach end of the dispenser to vehicular damage, support columns,
concrete barriers, bollards, inverted U-shaped guard posts anchored in
concrete, or other protection acceptable to AFS, provided:
(A) the cylinder storage rack is located a
minimum of 48 inches behind a concrete curb or concrete wheel stop that is a
minimum of five inches in height above the grade of the driveway or parking
area;
(B) if the requirements of
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph cannot be met, the cylinder storage rack
must be installed a minimum of 48 inches behind a concrete curb or concrete
wheel stop that is a minimum of four inches in height above the grade of the
driveway or parking area, and a concrete wheel stop at least four inches in
height must be installed at least 12 inches from the curb or first wheel
stop.
(j)
Self-service dispensers utilizing protection specified in subsection (i)(2) -
(3) of this section shall be connected to supply piping by a device designed to
prevent the loss of LP-gas in the event the dispenser is displaced. The device
must retain liquid on both sides of the breakaway point and be installed in a
manner to protect the supply piping against damage.