Organizational Factors and Major Accidents

In recent years, some accidents have been observed in Brazil that can be considered process safety accidents, characterized by being rare and by the loss of primary containment. During the period from 2015 to 2019, 7 events occured and they were considered as amplified accidents, both in terms of severity and extent, generating impacts on people, the environment, facilities, surrounding communities and, mainly, the image of these organizations. The article aims to discuss whether the characterization of process safety accidents as rare applies to the cases studied in Brazil. Another point observed in this article refers to the existence of a process safety culture in the companies involved in these major events in the period studied before the accidents highlighted. It is analyzed whether the companies involved had an organizational structure aimed at managing operational safety with a focus on process safety. The common causes associated with operational safety management systems are highlighted among the accidents in the analyzed period and what were the actions implemented in these organizations to prevent their recurrence. Finally, we conclude by analyzing whether, among the causes of accidents, we can highlight organizational causes and human factors.