Glossary of NR-20

Classified areas – an area in which an explosive atmosphere is present or likely to occur to the extent that special precautions and criteria are required for the selection, installation, and use of electrical equipment.

Commissioning – a set of engineering techniques and procedures applied integrally to an installation or part of it, aiming to make it operational according to the specified project requirements.

Continuity of operations – the general functioning of business activities, such as services, operations, and work.

Contractor – an individual or legal entity that enters into a contract with a service provider related to any of its activities, including its main activity.

Coordination – the action of assuming technical responsibility.

Deactivation of the installation – the process to make the installation inoperative, whether partially or completely, temporarily or permanently, always observing the safety and health aspects provided in Regulatory Standards, national technical standards, and, in their absence or omission, international standards, as well as other relevant regulations in force.

Enclosed – a product sealed in the packaging process in a watertight manner to prevent leaks under normal handling, storage, or transport conditions, as well as under conditions resulting from temperature, humidity, or pressure variations or the effects of shocks and vibrations.

Fugitive emissions – releases of flammable gas or vapor that occur continuously or intermittently during the normal operation of equipment. These include releases from pump seals or gaskets, valve packing, flange seals, compressor seals, and process drains.

Gas piped distribution – the activity of supplying fuel gas through pipelines to consumer establishments (residential, commercial, industrial, others) via the distributor’s network.

General layout plan – a plan showing the location of the installation within the site, indicating the distances between the site boundaries and an initial point of the installation.

Handling – the activity of moving flammable materials contained in containers, portable tanks, drums, jerrycans, bottles, boxes, cans, and similar. The act of handling the packaged, bottled, or sealed product.

Industrial activity – the activity of extracting, producing, storing, transferring, handling, and manipulating flammable (liquids and gases) and combustible materials, on a permanent or temporary basis.

Installation – a unit for extracting, producing, storing, transferring, handling, and manipulating flammable (liquids and gases) and combustible liquids, on a permanent or temporary basis, including all necessary equipment, machines, structures, pipelines, tanks, buildings, depots, terminals, and others for its operation.

Leakproof – a product that has a seal and/or quality and/or tamper-evident guarantee.

Manipulation – the act or effect of handling. Preparation or manual operation with flammables, with the aim of mixing or fractionating the products. It is considered manipulation when there is direct contact of the product with the environment.

Modifications or expansions of installations – any alteration of an industrial installation that:

  • changes the process or processing technology employed;
  • changes the safety conditions of the industrial installation;
  • physically adapts installations and/or equipment from existing industrial plants from other production segments;
  • increases the processing capacity of any inputs;
  • increases the storage capacity of inputs or products;
  • changes the production profile or the final quality of the products.

Operational procedures – a set of clear and sufficient instructions for developing operational activities of an installation, considering safety, health, and environmental aspects that impact the physical integrity of workers.

Packaging – a flammable liquid or gas stored in a container, whether sealed or not.

Process flow diagram – a document containing, in graphical representation, the material and energy balance of the flows of raw materials, products, by-products, and wastes of a specific production process.

Process or processing – an integrated sequence of operations. The sequence may include physical and/or chemical operations. The sequence can involve, but is not limited to, preparation, separation, purification, or change of state, energy content, or composition.

Proficiency – competence, aptitude, capacity, and skill combined with experience. For proficiency evaluation, the professional’s curriculum can be verified based on the program content they will deliver. Theoretical knowledge can be proven through diplomas, certificates, and teaching materials prepared by the professional. Experience can be assessed by the time the professional has worked in the area and services rendered.

Professional qualification – a professional with legal attributions for the activity to be performed and who assumes technical responsibility, having registration in the professional class council.

Psychosocial risks – influence on workers’ mental health caused by daily life tensions, work pressure, and other adverse factors.

Safety distance – the minimum free distance, measured on the horizontal plane, to minimize damage in case of accidents (fires, explosions).

Separated by wall – a storage installation located in the manufacturing installation but separated from it by a masonry wall. A storage installation located in another installation and/or building.

Service station – an installation where the retail supply of flammables (liquids and gases) and combustible liquids is carried out.

Simulated exercises – practical exercises simulating the most realistic possible accident scenario, during which the efficiency of the emergency response plan is tested, focusing on procedures, team training, functionality of installations, and equipment, among other aspects.

Storage – retention of a quantity of flammables (liquids and/or gases) and combustible liquids in a fixed installation, in depots, surface, elevated, or underground reservoirs. Retention of a quantity of flammables, packaged or bottled, in depots or warehouses; surface tanks for diesel oil consumption mentioned in item 2 of Annex III are not included in this definition.

Storage tank – a tank directly or indirectly connected to engines or thermal equipment, aiming at feeding them.

System for managing changes – a continuous and systematic process that ensures that permanent or temporary changes are evaluated and managed so that the risks arising from these changes remain at acceptable and controlled levels.

Trained workers – workers who possess the necessary qualifications and training for performing the activities outlined in the operational procedures.

Transfer – the activity of moving flammables between containers, such as tanks, vessels, drums, jerrycans, and similar, through pipelines.

Single-family residential buildings – buildings intended exclusively for residential use, consisting of a single residential unit.

Unit of process – a productive organization that achieves the objective for which it is intended through the processing and/or transformation of materials/substances.