This recommended practice (RP) provides guidance for managing the risk from explosions, fires and toxic material releases to on-site personnel located in new and existing buildings intended for occupancy. This RP was developed for use at refineries, petrochemical and chemical operations, natural gas liquids extraction plants, natural gas liquefaction plants, and other onshore facilities covered by the OSHA Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, 29 CFR 1910.119.

Buildings covered by this RP are rigid structures intended for permanent use in fixed locations. Tents, fabric enclosures and other soft-sided structures are outside the scope of this document.

This third edition of API RP 752:2009 supersedes all previous editions, including the technical data provided in those documents. Significant research and development of technology pertinent to building siting evaluations has been performed since the publication of the previous editions of API RP 752. Examples of updated technology include prediction of blast damage to buildings, determination of occupant vulnerabilities, and estimates of event frequencies. Prior versions of API RP 752 and the technical data included in them should not be used for building siting evaluations.

The second edition of API RP 752:2003 covered all building types both permanent and portable. This third edition of API RP 752:2009 does not cover portable buildings. Portable buildings are now covered by API RP 753:2007. It is recognized, however, that portable buildings specifically designed for significant blast load represent a potential area of overlap between API RP 753 and API RP 752. In accordance with 1.3 of this document:

Buildings described in API RP 753, Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Portable Buildings, First Edition, June 2007, as 'portable buildings specifically designed to resist significant blast loads' and intended for permanent use in a fixed location are covered in this document (API RP 752). All other portable buildings are covered by API RP 753.