Understand Hazard & Risk

With the update of the High Integrity Protective System (HIPS) methodology by API in 2007, Dow Chemical updated its internal work process to apply Dow's risk based work processes to HIPS design, application and evaluation. Rather than just focusing on the vessel related consequences of substituting...

The American Petroleum Institute (API) developed Recommended Practice (RP) 753 to provide guidance for siting portable buildings in petrochemical processing plants. It identifies analysis methods for siting portable buildings and provides siting distance guidance for vapor cloud explosion hazards...

This paper will discuss some of the key factors that FM Global insurance engineering representatives use in evaluating combustible dust hazards at insured locations. The information is used to develop underwriting information but more importantly, it is the basis for guidance provided for the...

In recent years, the nation has recognized that critical infrastructure protection should consider not only the prevention of disruptive events, but also the processes that infrastructure systems undergo to maintain functionality following disruptions. This more comprehensive approach has been...

Many flammable products are usually stored in large vessels at atmospheric pressure. Ignition of an hydrocarbon-air mixture in such tanks can lead to an explosion and cause lethal casualties, as in 2006 at Partridge-Raleigh oilfield, USA, or damage the surrounding facilities and buildings. To...

Dutch legislation on safety and land use planning: Being a densely populated country, the Netherlands has extensive experience using safety regulations in land-use planning. Risk criteria have to be verified in urban development planning. Individual (Locational) Risk (IR) is easy to illustrate...

Combustible dust hazards are prevalent in many facilities throughout industry, including the chemical process industries. Lack of awareness and control of these hazards has led to numerous catastrophic accidents. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP has developed a practical approach to identifying...

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) has quickly gained acceptance in the Chemical Processing Industries (CPI), and has risen to be one of the leading risk assessment techniques used for process safety studies. LOPA generally employs more rigor and science than what is encountered with qualitative...

In recent years Process Safety Engineers have promoted the use of HAZOP to identify hazards and assess safeguards, followed by LOPA to identify if additional protection layers are necessary and, if they are to be provided using safety instrumented functions, how reliable the SIFs need to be...