• Published: March 2023
• REF/ISBN: 9781787253605
• Edition: 5th
• Status: Current

The 5^th edition of Model Code of Safe Practice Part 11: Safety, health and environmental aspects of design, construction, operation, inspection and maintenance of bitumen manufacture, blending, storage, distribution, product handling and use, and sampling (a.k.a. Bitumen safety code) was developed jointly by the EI and Eurobitume.

The Bitumen safety code is applicable to those with responsibility for the design, construction, operation, inspection and maintenance within the manufacturing, blending, storage, distribution and user sectors of the bitumen industry. It applies to all grades of bitumen, bituminous binders and bituminous materials meeting internationally recognised specifications, such as can be found via European standards, and it aims to be widely applicable both within and outside the United Kingdom.

This 5^th edition of the Bitumen safety code supersedes the 4^th edition. Whilst amendments have been made throughout this technical publication code, major changes include:

• A restructuring of the document to follow the life cycle of bitumen from manufacturing to end user, followed by generic health, safety and environmental sections.
• Alignment to Eurobitume documents wherever applicable.
• Increased international applicability, by removing UK-specific legislation and guidance, and substituting international requirements where relevant.
• A bibliography including relevant UK-specific legislation and guidance.
• Removal of reference to the use of flame tubes.
• Including a section on the long-term storage of bitumen within the chapter on storage.
• Including new sections for preventing boil-over/froth-over during loading, and loading compatibility within the chapter on distribution.
• Including new sections on ground-based pumps (GBPs), and delivery site inspections within the chapter on product handling and use.
• Extending the chapter on health management, to comprise general health and safety management.
• Including a section on fire risk assessment within the chapter on fire prevention.
• Including a section covering ground pollution, and another section on recovery and reuse of bitumen within the chapter on environmental protection.