North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 02 - AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › Chapter 38 - CONSUMER STANDARDS › Section .0700 - STANDARDS FOR STORAGE, HANDLING AND INSTALLATION OF LP GAS › Section 38 .0701 - ADOPTION BY REFERENCE

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
The following are incorporated by reference, including
				  subsequent amendments and editions, as standards for storage, handling and
				  installation of liquefied petroleum gas:
(1) National Fire Protection Association,
				document NFPA 58 "Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code," with the following additions
				and exceptions:
(a) "Firm Foundation" means
				that the foundation material has a level top surface, rests on solid ground, is
				constructed of a masonry material or wood treated to prevent decay by moisture
				rot, and will not settle, careen or deteriorate;
(b) No person shall use liquefied petroleum
				gas as a source of pressure in lieu of compressed air in spray guns or other
				pressure operated equipment, except that liquefied petroleum gas may be used as
				a source of pressure for operating internal valves and emergency shutoff
				valves;
(c) Piping, tubing, or
				regulators shall be considered well supported when they are rigidly fastened in
				their intended position;
(d) At
				bulk storage installations, the bulkhead and the plant piping on the hose side
				of the bulkhead shall be designed and constructed so that an application of
				force from the hose side will not result in damage to the plant piping on the
				tank side of the bulkhead. In addition, the bulkhead shall incorporate a means,
				for instance, mechanical or pneumatic, to automatically close emergency valves
				in the event of a pull away;
(e) As
				an alternative to the requirement for a fire safety analysis, the owner, or his
				designee, of an LP-gas facility which utilizes individual storage containers in
				excess of 4,000 gallons water capacity, storage containers interconnected
				through the liquid withdrawal outlets of the containers with an aggregate water
				capacity in excess of 4,000 gallons, or storage containers interconnected
				through the vapor withdrawal outlets of the containers with an aggregate
				capacity in excess of 6,000 gallons, shall, for all installations of containers
				of such capacity or for additions to an existing LP-gas facility which result
				in containers in excess of such capacity, meet with fire officials for the
				jurisdiction in which the facility is located in order to:
(i) review potential exposure to fire hazards
				to or from real property which is adjacent to such facility;
(ii) identify emergency access routes to such
				facility; and
(iii) review the
				equipment and emergency shut-down procedures for the facility.
The owner of such facility or his designee shall document in
				  writing the time, date and place of such meeting(s), the participants in the
				  meeting, and the discussions at the meeting in order to provide a written
				  record of the meeting. This documentation shall be made available to the
				  Department not later than 60 days after installation of the new or additional
				  containers. Compliance with the availability requirement shall be met by having
				  a copy of the documentation kept on site or at the owner's office and available
				  for review by NCDA&CS inspection personnel as soon as it is requested. This
				  meeting, review, and documentation shall be repeated when the North Carolina
				  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services determines that the plant
				  design has changed or that potential exposures have significantly changed, so
				  as to increase the likelihood of injury.
(f) An LP-gas facility which utilizes storage
				containers that are interconnected through the vapor withdrawal outlets of the
				containers only with an aggregate water capacity in excess of 4,000 gallons,
				but not in excess of 6,000 gallons, is exempt from the requirements of a fire
				safety analysis; and
(g) A fire
				safety analysis as described in NFPA 58 may be prepared by the owner of an
				LP-Gas facility or by an employee of such owner in the course of the employee's
				employment, and the Department shall not require that it be prepared, approved,
				or sealed by a professional engineer. Note: This is in keeping with a formal
				interpretation (F.I. No.: 58-01-2) by the technical committee for Liquefied
				Petroleum Gases issued by the National Fire Protection Association on November
				7, 2001, with an effective date of November 27, 2001. However, the North
				Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors regulates the practice
				of engineering, and has taken the position that the preparation of a fire
				safety analysis constitutes the practice of engineering.