Learn From Experience

Metrics provide direct feedbacks on the workings of RBPS systems, and leading indicators provide early warning signals of ineffective process safety results. Organizations must use their mistakes and those of others as motivation for action and view as opportunities for improvement.

On the Catastrophic Explosion of the AZF Plant in Toulouse (September 21, 2001)

Apr 4, 2012
Georges Guiochon
On the Catastrophic Explosion of the AZF plant in Toulouse (September 21, 2001) Georges Guiochon and Laurent Jacob Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1600, USA During the morning of September 21, 2001, a warehouse containing ca. 300 metric tons of production...

Dust Explosions: Case Study of Dryer Explosions and Poor Explosion Vent Design

Apr 4, 2012
Scott G. Davis
Four recent explosions occurred in a single burner, recirculating solids ring dryer. The dryer was equipped with a recirculating fan, a burner section, a section to introduce the solids, a ring duct, a pre-separator and four cyclones. Seven explosion doors were also used to protect the integrity of...

Go out and lead on Process Safety Management

Apr 3, 2012
David Snowball
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...

How to Go From Lesson to Learned: PSM From Engineering to Operations

Apr 3, 2012
Chitram Lutchman
How to go from Lesson to Learned: PSM from Engineering to Operations Presented By: Dr. Chit Lutchman (CSP; CRSP, 1 st Class Power Engineer) PSM and other Human Factor considerations have improved reliability of many operating facilities across many different industries. Similarly, significant...

Fire From Iron

Apr 3, 2012
Marc G. Sáenz
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...

An Introduction to Assessing Process Hazards

Apr 3, 2012
Seshu Dharmavaram
A surprising number of process incidents occur due to a lack of general understanding of process hazards and lack of basic hazards assessment, subsequently resulting in the absence of or inadequate Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) to provide appropriate safeguards for minimizing process risks...

Case Histories and Technology Innovations for StorageTank Loss Prevention

Apr 3, 2012
Szu-ying Huang
Storage tanks are most common material containing units in process industries. There have been many accidents associated within storage tank (material deficiency, structure design failures, operation error etc.) or among storage areas throughout the history. For example, overfilling has already...

Operational Group for Process Safety

Apr 3, 2012
Maria Clara Saraiva
With the increase in requirements for monitoring and improving process safety indicators on a thermoelectric unit linked to a Braskem Basic Petrochemical Site in Brazil, a large range of knowledge among engineers and operators were found. The theme Process Safety was commonly confused with...

Gains From Getting near Misses Reported

Apr 3, 2012
Bill Bridges
[An earlier edition of this paper was first presented at the “International Conference and Workshop – Process Safety Incidents,” 2000, organized by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)] The need for effective root cause analysis is finally gaining the spotlight in the chemical process...

The CCPS Reactivity Evaluation Software Tool

Apr 2, 2012
Edward M. Davis
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...

Retired and Dangerous

Apr 2, 2012
Robert F. Wasileski
“Planning not to retire is simply not a viable retirement strategy.” — Catherine Collinson, Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies The Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) process is an important component of a facility's strategy to managing the risks associated with process...

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