Surface treatment: Reinforcement of fire risk regulations for classified facilities

Installations classified under the registration regime under headings n° 2564 or n° 2565 or under the authorization regime under heading n° 3260

An order dated April 20, 2023(https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000047584832) modifies the general prescriptions applicable to installations classified under the registration regime under headings no. 2564 or no. 2565, or under the authorization regime under heading no. 3260, respectively:

• arrêté du 9 avril 2019 modifié relatif aux prescriptions générales applicables aux installations relevant du régime de l'enregistrement au titre de la rubrique n° 2564 (nettoyage, dégraissage, décapage de surfaces par des procédés utilisant des liquides organohalogénés ou des solvants organiques) ou de la rubrique n° 2565 (revêtement métallique ou traitement de surfaces par voie électrolytique ou chimique) de la nomenclature des installations classées pour la protection de l'environnement ;
• arrêté du 30 juin 2006 modifié relatif aux prescriptions générales applicables aux installations relevant du régime de l'autorisation au titre de la rubrique n° 3260 de la nomenclature des installations classées pour la protection de l'environnement.

The main purpose of the changes introduced is to tighten up the requirements applicable to these facilities to guard against the risk of fire. These stricter requirements were in part recommended by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses des Risques Industriels (BEA-RI) in its 2022 activity report(Le bureau d'enquêtes et d'analyses sur les risques industriels (BEA-RI) | IGEDD - https://www.igedd.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/).

Existing installations (*)

The main new features introduced by the order of April 20, 2023 are as follows:

RequirementDeadline

Electrical installations

- New requirement for at least annual inspections, including hot-spot detection (thermography or equivalent). Inspection reports must be made available to the inspection authority.

- New requirement for electrical installation inspection reports to be filed in a register. The register must specify the date on which corrective action was taken in response to the auditor's remarks.

July^1, 2024

Fire-fighting equipment

The system must be equipped with :

- A fire detection system that triggers a fire alarm that can be heard at any point in the building, and automatically shuts down systems likely to spread fire (bath fume extraction system, bath heating):

- In premises where flammable liquids (with hazard symbol H224, H225 or H226) are stored or used and ;

- In the premises housing the surface treatment plant.

- A probe installed in each suction system to detect an abnormal rise in vapour temperature. This probe triggers a fire alarm.

The operator must draw up :

- A list of fire detectors, including justification of their sizing;

- An emergency procedure specifying what to do if the fire alarm goes off.

He must set up an annual inspection of this installation as part of a maintenance contract.

These checks are recorded in a register that includes a list of anomalies and the corrective measures taken to remedy them.

July^1, 2024

Liquid level detection in heating system-controlled process plants

The operator must set up a weekly test of this device. This test is recorded in a register.

July^1, 2024 for installations classified under heading no. 3260

Immediately for facilities classified under heading no. 2565

Does not apply to installations classified under heading no. 2564

Hazardous premises

- Premises housing equipment at risk of electrical failure (at least the low-voltage main switchboard and power cabinets for bath heating and electrolytic treatments) must systematically be considered as high-risk premises.

è As such, they must be identified as such on the risk location plan.

è If potentially explosive atmospheres are present, all electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic installations must comply with the provisions applicable to these areas.

Immediately

(*) For installations classified under the registration regime under headings n° 2564 or n° 2565, existing installations are those duly authorized prior to April 12, 2019 and covered by the registration regime since then, or duly registered prior to April 12, 2019.

For installations subject to authorization under heading 3260, existing installations are those duly authorized before September 6, 2006, or for which the complete authorization application file was submitted before September 6, 2006.

New installations

For newly authorized (heading no. 3260) or registered (headings no. 2564 or no. 2565) facilities, in addition to the novelties presented in the previous paragraph, other new requirements have been added.

In particular, premises housing equipment at risk of electrical failure (at least the low-voltage main switchboard and power cabinets linked to bath heating and electrolytic treatments) must have :

• walls made of class A1 or A2s1d1 materials,
• exterior walls and dividing walls REI 120,
• floors REI 120 and fire-resistant doors and closures (including those with glazing and hardware) and their closing devices EI 120.

Failing this, the equipment is protected by an automatic extinguishing system adapted to the risk (electrical fire).

For newly-authorized facilities (heading no. 3260), smoke extraction requirements have been tightened:

• Minimum smoke extraction area of 2%.
• Rearming from the ground.
• Sufficient fresh air supply
• Automatic opening after automatic shutdown if available
• Reinforcement of minimum technical specifications for smoke extraction and confinement systems (dimensions of hatches and confinement systems, reliability requirements, materials required, compliance with standards, etc.).
• For buildings housing a processing line: division into 1,600 m² sections with a maximum length of 60 m.