ECE 4353

Chemical Process Safety

Introduction to Process
Safety (Lecture 1)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Explain the government-industrys responsibility for health and

safety

Evaluate the nature of hazards posed by materials which are

flammable, toxic and reactive

Analyze different scenario using appropriate source models.

Identify and quantify common industrial methods to control

hazards.

Carry out a simple QRA

Lecture 1

1.1 Importance of process

safety

1.2 Risk Assessment

1.3 Acceptable risks

1.4 Risk Management

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

Process safety focuses on

preventing fires, explosions and

accidental chemical releases in chemical
process facilities, plants or production
facilities.
Uses various tools / techniques
Eg. Swiss cheese model
LOPA (Layers of Protection Analysis)
QRA (Quantified Risk Assessment)

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

PROCESS SAFETY TECHNIQUES

Check list
LOPA
Layer of
Protection
Analysis

FMEA
Failure Mode Event
&
Analysis

Event
Tree
Analysis

PROCES
S
HAZARD
ANALYSI
S
Fault
Tree
Analysis

Whatif
analys
es
HAZOP
Hazard &
Operability
Studies

Safet
y
Audit
s

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

Process safety techniques employ

systematic methods to:
Evaluate a process system
Identify process hazards

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

On the night of December 2, 1984, the factory owned by the
U.S. multinational Union Carbide Corporation accidentally
leaked methyl isocyanate and other highly toxic gases into the
air, killing thousands of largely poor Indians in the
neighborhoods nearby.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

Bhopal:World's worst industrial incident.
Estimated 3000 people
died
the
from
effects
of the poisonous gas on the same
night of the disaster.
An estimated 20,000 30,000 others have
since died from the effects of the leak
900,000
being
more than 600,000
exposed to the deadly
people
gas cloud that
night. Thegases stayed low to the
ground, causing victims throats and eyes
to burn, inducing nausea, and many
deaths.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

The abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal,

India.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

Piper Alpha:Worst Offshore disaster.
An explosion and resulting oil and gas
fires destroyed Piper Alpha on 6 July

1988. insured loss was about 1.7

Total
billion
(US$3.4 billion).
The accident killed 167 crew; 165 out of
220crew members, plus two crew from the
standby vessel Sandhaven.
The accident was attributed mainly to
human error, and was a major eye opener
to the offshore industry regarding
safety issues.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

Following the tragedy, an inquiry into
the accident commenced in Novembe 1988
r
headed
by Lord
The
inquiry
was Cullen.
conducted in two parts.
The first part studied the causes of the
tragedy and the second part presented
to avert future
recommendations
occurrence.
It
presented 106 recommendations for
changes to North Sea safety procedures.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS SAFETY

The inquiry brought about great changes
in the offshore industry with regard to
safety management, regulation and
training. A major impact was
responsibility for North Sea safety
shifting from the Department of Energy
to the
andSafety Executive.
Healthautomatic shut-down valves were
Also,
made mandatory on rigs, to starve a fire
of fuel.

RISK vs HAZARD

What is the difference between

and
HAZARD?
<video on Risk vs Hazard>

RISK

RISK

Risk = Severity x Likelihood

Severity
= Consequences
Magnitude of Loss
Injuries, Fatalities, $$ Losses, Environmental Impact
Likelihood
= Probability
Chance of Failure

RISK

Risk increases if either

likelihood or severity
[magnitude of loss]
increases

provided the other component does not

decrease proportionally.

1.2 RISK ASSESSMENT

Importance of Risk Assessment
Identify hazards
Analyse or evaluate the risk associated with
that
hazard.
Determine appropriate ways to eliminate or
control the hazard.

1.2 RISK ASSESSMENT

What is Risk
Assessment?
Identify the hazards

Assess the risks by considering

the severity and likelihood of
bad outcomes.
If the risks are not sufficiently low,
then additional controls or
alternate methods must be applied.

1.2 Risk Assessment

Why is Risk Assessment Important?

Integral part of a good occupational health

and safety management plan.
Create awareness of hazards and risks.
Identify who may be at risk (employees,
cleaners, visitors, contractors, the public, etc).
Determine if existing control measures are
adequate or if more should be done.
Prevent injuries or illnesses when done at the
design or planning stage.
Prioritize hazards and control measures.

1.2 RISK ASSESSMENT

What is the goal of Risk Assessment?

The aim of the risk assessment
process is to remove a hazard or
reduce the level of its risk by adding
precautions or control measures, as
necessary.
Create a safer and healthier
workplace.

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

No task is completely without

risk
Must develop tailored risk matrix,
based upon acceptable risk, in
order to identify what is considered
sufficiently low
Must define acceptable

risk

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

Acceptable Risk
What is it?

The threshold level below which risk will be

tolerated

Risk Class

Example Risk Classification

(IEC61508-5)
I.Unacceptable
II.Undesirable
III.Action Recommended
(ALARP)
IV.Broadly Acceptable

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

1.3 ACCEPTABLE RISK

Acceptable Risk

Acceptable Risk

Acceptable Risk