Learn From Experience

The author was a member of a team which traveled to Bhopal in March of 1985 and produced a report for the Indian and international trade union federations. He was subsequently involved in the legislative and regulatory efforts which led to the OSHA Process Safety Management Standard. That standard...

This paper will share the UK's experience of risk control for major hazards and will emphasise the key role corporate governance and leadership plays in the management of major hazard risks. The paper will outline the joint work undertaken between industry and the Health and Safety Executive in...

Although the potential consequences of combustible dust explosions are becoming more widely known, the potential consequences of combustible dust fires are sometimes overlooked. The CSB investigated three incidents involving combustible iron dust at Hoeganaes Corporation. Two people died from burns...

Incidents involving uncontrolled chemical reactions continue to result in injuries, fatalities and economic loss and harm in industry. These incidents are often the result of not identifying or understanding the chemical reactivity hazards involved in storage, mixing or processing operations. The...

Interviews were performed with more than ten instructors and professors who are currently incorporating safety into the chemical engineering curriculum. These individuals described their methodology, resources and challenges in this effort. Excellent programs exist with courses dedicated to...

Chemical engineering curricula have long been focused on instilling the fundamentals of chemical engineering science in undergraduates and advancing the state of the art through postgraduate study. Unfortunately, a comprehensive focus on safety has never been in the core of the chemical engineering...

This is the story of how the cumulative effects of several seemingly innocent changes to a catalyst system resulted in a near miss Process Safety incident. Several aspects will be discussed including cumulative effects of multiple changes to the system, identification of potential scenarios in...

A fatal explosion occurred at a foundry during a routine test of an intermittently used propane standby system. Just prior to the explosion, maintenance personnel were preparing the propane standby system for a startup test. While preparing for the startup test, the group was alerted that employees...

The inclusion of oil and gas wells sites and associated production facilities in OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations stems from a 1998 accident at an oil and gas separation facility that killed four workers. In December 1999, the accident investigation resulted in OSHA rescinding...

The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is an independent, nonregulatory federal organization in the United States dedicated to investigating serious accidents in the chemical industry. Accidents are investigated by a team of CSB employees and from the evidence collected a list of...