The State Industrial Safety Supervision Service informs about the safe conduct of works in the protection zones of gas pipelines.

The Vitebsk Regional Department for Supervision of Safe Industrial Operations reminds economic entities that by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated October 25, 2022 No. 726, the "Regulation on the Procedure for Establishing Safety Zones of Gas Distribution System Facilities, Their Sizes and Modes of Use" (hereinafter referred to as the Regulation) has been approved. In accordance with the Regulation, the following dimensions of safety zones are defined:

- along high-pressure gas pipelines of Category I - in the form of a land plot bounded by conditional lines running 10 meters from the pipeline axis on each side;

- along high-pressure gas pipelines of Category II - in the form of a land plot bounded by conditional lines running 7 meters from the pipeline axis on each side;

- along medium-pressure gas pipelines - in the form of a land plot bounded by conditional lines running 4 meters from the pipeline axis on each side;

- along low-pressure gas pipelines - in the form of a land plot bounded by conditional lines running 2 meters from the pipeline axis on each side;

- along underwater crossings of gas pipelines - in the form of a water area extending from the water surface to the bottom, enclosed between parallel planes located 50 meters from the axes of the outermost strands of the pipeline crossings on each side;

- around buildings of gas pressure regulating stations, cabinet-type regulating stations, territories of automobile gas filling stations, distribution devices, and group cylinder installations - in the form of a land plot bounded by a conditional line located 10 meters from the boundaries of the territories of the specified facilities in all directions.

Within the boundaries of hazardous zones, the following are prohibited:

- relocating, dismantling, burying, or damaging route markers of underground gas pipelines and locations of network structures thereon, control and measurement points;

- unauthorized opening of covers of gas wells and manholes, gates of distribution devices, and doors of gas pressure regulating stations, cabinet-type regulating stations, and corrosion protection stations for gas pipelines; opening and closing valves and stopcocks; disconnecting and connecting power supply and telemetry equipment for gas pipelines;

- establishing landfills, pouring out aggressive liquids, including solutions of acids, salts, and alkalis;

- store materials and equipment, including for temporary storage, along the route of the underground gas pipeline within 2 meters on either side of its axis;

- destroy structures and devices designed to protect gas pipelines and structures thereon from damage;

- drop anchors, pass with anchors, chains, leads, or sleds deployed; conduct trawling with rigid and semi-rigid trawls;

- ignite fires and locate any open or enclosed sources of ignition;

- hold any events involving large gatherings of persons not engaged in carrying out works authorized in the prescribed manner;

- construct buildings, structures, and facilities in violation of the minimum distances to gas distribution system objects established by technical regulatory legal acts, including building codes, and other regulations;

- plant, cultivate, or allow the growth of trees within:

1 meter on either side of the axis of an underground polyethylene gas pipeline with a diameter of up to 63 mm, inclusive;

2 meters on either side of the axis of an underground steel gas pipeline regardless of its diameter, or an underground polyethylene gas pipeline with a diameter exceeding 63 mm.

- carry out repair, construction, and earthworks without a permit issued by the gas supply organization (unless otherwise provided for in the Regulation).

An interested legal entity or individual entrepreneur intending to carry out repair, construction, or earthworks within the protection zone of a gas distribution system object shall submit to the gas supply organization or its structural subdivision, in writing or electronically via the Unified Portal of Electronic Services, the following documents to obtain a permit:

an application for a permit to carry out repair, construction, and earthworks within the protection zone of a gas distribution system object;

a work execution plan conforming to the requirements of legislation on architectural, urban planning, and construction activities.

The gas supply organization (or its structural subdivision) shall review an application for the performance of works and a work execution plan, and shall make a decision on issuing a permit to a legal entity or individual entrepreneur, or on refusing to issue such a permit (or on refusing to perform the administrative procedure), within the timeframe set forth in sub-item 3.15.1 of paragraph 3.15 of the Unified List of Administrative Procedures Applied to Economic Activity Entities, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of September 24, 2021 No. 548 (five working days, and in the event of forwarding a request to other state bodies or other organizations – fifteen working days).

Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs that have obtained a permit shall comply with (fulfill) the requirements (conditions) specified therein regarding the performance of repair, construction, and excavation works within the protection zone.

Upon expiration of the permit’s validity period, the interested party may, in the manner prescribed by this Regulation, apply for a new permit if the duration of the repair, construction, or excavation works exceeds or has exceeded three months.

Works within the protection zone shall be carried out in the presence of the works supervisor, as well as a representative of the gas supply organization (owner of the gas distribution system facility), in accordance with the procedure specified in the permit.

Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs performing repair, construction, and excavation works in protection zones shall, no later than one day prior to the commencement of works and in accordance with the procedure specified in the permit, summon a representative of the gas supply organization (owner of the gas distribution system facility) to the worksite.

Agricultural operations within protection zones shall be conducted by land users upon prior notification to the owners of gas distribution system facilities regarding the commencement thereof.

We draw the attention of business entities that, in accordance with Article 18.34 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses dated January 6, 2021, No. 91-3, as amended and supplemented, violation of the rules for the protection of trunk and other pipelines entails the imposition of a fine in the following amounts: for a natural person from ten to forty base units, for an individual entrepreneur up to fifty base units, for a legal entity up to two hundred base units.

Vitebsk Regional Department of State Industrial Supervision.