In today’s industrial environments, safety hinges on the details — especially when blast hazards are a daily reality. From refineries to petrochemical and manufacturing facilities, protective infrastructure plays a critical role in safeguarding people, systems and operations. Blast-resistant doors, in particular, serve as a vital line of defense. Even so, their performance depends as much on ongoing care as on initial design.
In a recent Hydrocarbon Engineering editorial, Hunter Director of Engineering Rutesh Patil focuses on the often-overlooked role blast-resistant doors play in industrial safety. He explores common misconceptions, the risks of deferred maintenance and why proactive inspection and lifecycle support are essential to ensuring these critical assets perform when it matters most. Read the full article text below.
In high-risk industrial environments, safety comes first. One hazard looms larger than most, however: the potential for blast events.
Blast risks are daily realities in facilities such as chemical and petrochemical plants, refineries, and manufacturing plants; places where volatile chemicals, high-pressure systems, and combustible compounds are in constant use. Among the protective measures operators put in place, blast-resistant doors serve as silent protectors.
Engineered to absorb, resist, and redirect explosive forces, these essential accessories safeguard lives and critical systems. Despite their important role, blast doors are often misunderstood, misused, and neglected following installation. And that can carry costly, sometimes life-altering, repercussions.
Even the strongest doors are only as reliable as the care that goes into operating and maintaining them. This article will explore the key issues surrounding these important assets, from critical components to common oversights and ways to ensure they continue performing effectively.
Not all entryway protection is equal
One of the most common misunderstandings in industrial safety is the assumption that reinforced doors offer similar protections across the board. This is particularly true as it relates to fire-rated options. Featuring steel skins, fire-resistant cores, and specialised seals, fire-rated doors are built to slow the spread of flames and heat, buying time for evacuation or suppression. While such safety benefits are vital, these doors are not designed to withstand blast overpressures, debris impact, or shockwaves.
Blast-resistant doors, by contrast, are tested against specific pressures and durations to confirm their ability to resist catastrophic failure. Hunter blast doors are tested to rigorous standards, with assemblies certified as a 3 hr fire-rated steel blast door and frame. They meet or exceed industry benchmarks including CAN / ULC S104 (2015) (R2020), UL 10(b) (2008) (R2020), UL 10(c) (2016) Ed. 3 (R:27 May 2021) and NFPA 252 (2022), ensuring reliable performance against both blast pressures and extended fire exposure.
In petrochemical environments where blasts are a credible threat, it is important to have the proper tools in place, and blast-resistant doors are that tool. Their procurement and installation are just part of the battle, however. Proper care and use are just as important.
The right support
Blast doors are not just heavier or thicker versions of standard doors; they are precision safety systems. Solid engineering cannot do its job if integrity is compromised. There are a number of issues that can come into play with even the strongest doors:
- Regular wear is inevitable: exposure to corrosive chemicals, moisture, or fluctuating temperatures wears down components. Hinges corrode, gaskets lose flexibility, and other by-products of regular use can result in misalignments that allow pressure or debris to bypass what should be a sealed, rigid barrier.
- Improper use eliminates protections: a blast door left propped open, blocked, or unlatched loses its purpose entirely – and such misuse is common in high-traffic areas or busy sites where convenience and shortcuts save time.
- Appearances can be deceiving: in a blast event, the ‘weakest link’ determines performance. A blast door may look solid, clean, and even recently installed, but hidden issues can reduce its effectiveness and leave sites vulnerable. Compliance at installation does not equal continued readiness.
Facilities often install blast doors as a means of meeting API RP 752/753 standards, or to satisfy insurance or regulatory requirements. It is important to remember that standards and guidelines exist for a reason: to protect lives. A failed blast door has the potential to result in injuries, fatalities, environmental contamination, costly downtime, and destroyed equipment.
Periodic assessments, testing, maintenance, and proper use play a critical role in ensuring these tools are up to the task in the event of a blast. Amid busy daily operations, however, maintenance often gets put to the back burner, as inspections are limited and issues are tolerated, rather than fixed. The resulting impacts can be devastating.complex challenges while still supporting efficient daily operations.
The high cost of complacency
Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not prescribe specific blast resistance standards, its General Duty Clause mandates that employers provide a workplace free from recognised hazards. This requirement extends beyond simply installing safety hardware. Failure to maintain safety components such as blast doors, especially considering widely acknowledged best practices, can be interpreted as negligent. Taking a proactive approach to prevention is far less costly, and for reasons that extend beyond finances, such as:
- Injuries or fatalities: when a blast door fails in an event, the people working inside control rooms or shelters are the ones most at risk. A single compromised door can turn a safe haven into a point of vulnerability.
- Loss of critical systems: control rooms, electrical panels, IT infrastructure, and other systems that keep operations running smoothly are often housed behind blast doors. If protection fails, entire facility functions can collapse.
- Environmental contamination: explosions and equipment failures often lead to chemical releases or spills. A failed blast door can increase the scale of such incidents, compounding damage to the environment and the community.
- Operational downtime: repairing damaged assets and restarting operations following a blast is far more expensive and time-consuming than the routine maintenance that could have prevented it. Getting operations back on track often takes weeks or months – and costs millions in lost productivity.
- Reputational damage: incidents involving neglected safety equipment do not just make headlines; they erode stakeholder trust, trigger lawsuits, and invite regulatory scrutiny that can follow a company for years.
History shows what ignoring safety costs. Consider the 2005 explosion at a Texas City refinery, US. That disaster, which killed 15 people, injured nearly 200 more, and severely damaged plant infrastructure, resulted in more than US$2 billion in settlements, repair costs, lost production, and fines. Lessons from that tragedy, based on US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board analysis,1 centre on deferred maintenance, ignored system weaknesses, and mismanaged risk – elements analogous to what can happen when safety components sit neglected. Put simply, a blast door that is not maintained is a liability – not a safeguard.
The encouraging news is incorporating and maintaining safety accessories can be relatively simple.
Hunter was recently commissioned to replace the main door of a control room for a major refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, US. Although the company that manufactured and installed the original door in 1973 was no longer in business, Hunter’s engineering and site services departments worked together to build a door that met requisite safety needs while fitting into the original frame. That collaboration resulted in quicker, simpler installation. The project reached completion just three days following on-site arrival, with no need to cut into the control room’s walls.
Proactive steps
A robust maintenance programme transforms blast-resistant doors from static assets into living safety systems, but it takes buy-in from team members at every level. Best practices include:
- Routine inspections: conduct visual checks quarterly or biannually for cracks, corrosion, or loose hardware.
- Functional testing: verify that closing and latching mechanisms engage properly.
- Professional audits: engage manufacturers or qualified service providers for annual performance checks. Training and awareness: educate personnel on proper door use – including the critical rule of never propping them open.
- Documentation and action: keep detailed records of inspections and act on small issues before they escalate.
Because blast doors are complex, safety-critical systems, their upkeep is best entrusted to professionals with proven experience. Partnering with a trusted firm helps ensure inspections are thorough, adjustments are precise, and hidden issues are identified and addressed before they become liabilities.
In industries where milliseconds matter and margins for error are razor-thin, blast-resistant doors are more than capital expenditures (CAPEX). Even so, their ability to perform in critical moments depends on what happens every day in between. With carefully engineered blast-resistant doors and a commitment to proactive lifecycle maintenance, facilities can safeguard their people, their operations, and their future.
Reference
1. ‘CSB Investigation of BP Texas City Refinery Disaster Continues as Organizational Issues Are Probed’, CSB, (30 October 2006), https://www.csb.gov/csb-investigation-of-bp-texas-city-refinerydisaster-continues-as-organizational-issues-are-probed/
