Process Safety Boot Camp Face-to-Face CourseOffered in North America, this intensive and highly interactive 4-day course trains chemical engineers in the fundamentals of Process Safety. Taught...
Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) CCPS was established in 1985 to focus on engineering and management practices that can prevent and mitigate catastrophic accidents involving release of hazardous materials. CCPS is supported by sponsors in the chemical and hydrocarbon process industries and active worldwide via conferences, books, databases, education, research, and more.
2nd CCPS Global Summit on Process Safety November 3-5, 2015Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThe 1st Global Summit on Process Safety held in Mumbai on December 2014 was a great success. The theme of the conference is based on Vision 2020, developed by the Center for Chemical Process Safety and is supported by the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP).
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Why Can't I Open that Valve? June2013Process Safety BeaconIn April 2004, an explosion and fire at a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant killed five people and severely injured three others. The explosion and fire destroyed most of the reactor building and an adjacent warehouse. Because smoke from the fire drifted...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon- Pressure-Relief Valve Bonnets — To Plug or Not To Plug? May2013Process Safety BeaconUnderstand what kind of pressure-relief valves you have in your plant, and know what you must do to ensure that they work properly.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Have You Heard a Pressure-Relief Valve Chatter? April2013Process Safety BeaconChattering is the rapid opening and closing of a pressure-relief valve. The resulting vibration may cause misalignment, valve seat damage, and, if prolonged, mechanical failure of valve internals and associated piping. Some causes of chattering...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Are Your Signs and Labels Confusing? March2013Process Safety BeaconLack of labeling can be a safety problem, and poor or confusing labels or information signs can be even worse.
Beware of the Dangers of Cold Traps February2013SafetyJames R. RiskoCold traps — steam traps that no longer drain condensate — are often ignored in lieu of less-critical leaking traps, until a catastrophic event, such as a plant shutdown or personal injury, occurs. Use historical data to accurately estimate the annual cost of these cold traps to justify their swift repair.
Improve Safety by Improving Human Performance August2006SafetyDonald K. LorenzoFollow these guidelines to identify situations in which human errors are likely to occur and to correct potential problems early enough to avoid adverse consequences.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - What is Supporting Your Equipment? February2013Process Safety BeaconPipes and equipment that are not properly supported will be subject to stress, vibration, or other problems, This can cause leaks, or even a complete collapse of piping or equipment. But, problems with inadequate support of piping and other...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Mechanical Integrity of Tubing May2012Process Safety BeaconProper installation, maintenance, and inspection of metal tubing is important in preventing fires and toxic material releases in process plants. Do not forget about tubing just because it is usually small. Even a small leak can cause a fire that can...
Product Digest - Safety Equipment May2012Product DigestCheck out warning devices for hazardous areas and high-visibility work vests that reduce static electricity.
Special Section: Energy - Expanding the Shale Gas Infrastructure August2012Special SectionJesse F. GoellnerDevelopment of U.S. shale gas resources will require expansion of infrastructure assets ranging from roads and rails to pipelines and seaports to power-generation plants and ethane crackers, and more.
Process Safety and Risk Management of Chemical Parks Report This document is also available in Chinese
Process Safety and Risk Management of Chemical Parks Report-Chinese This document is also available in English.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon -Some Answers to the November 2012 Beacon Find-the-Problem Contest January2013Process Safety Beacon
Practical Compliance with the EPA Risk Management Program: A CCPS Concept Book July, 2009At last, smaller chemical processing operations have truly easy access to process safety and risk management programs tailored to meet their needs. Written as a "how to" book with checklists, it offers sufficient information for managers of facilities with small chemical operations to implement a...
Before OSHA Comes Knocking ... March2009SafetyDaniel SteinwayThe OSHA Process Safety Management National Emphasis Program will soon apply to the chemical industry, targeting compliance with safety standards associated with chemical hazards.
Reshaping Process Safety Regulations March2002SafetyWalter L. FrankChanges to OSHA's PSM rule and EPA's RMP programs are underway, due to pressures from various groups and the need for greater security.
Developing Safety Standard for Pilot Plants October2006SafetyRichard P. PalluziSafety standards can significantly improve pilot plant safety and increase efficiency. This article addresses many of the issues involved in developing, deploying and using such standards.
Six Steps to Effectively Update and Revalidate PHAs January2001SafetyDavid K. Whittle, Kevin SmithProcess hazard analyses must be revamped — or redone from scratch — every five years by law. Following the guidance given here will facilitate this effort.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Good Housekeeping for Safety December2012Process Safety BeaconA fire started in a fiber trash drum in a process building. The drum contained solder flux and paste, welding debris, general trash, and oil-soaked rags. It had not been emptied for a long time. The ignition source may have been hot welding debris...
CEP: Commentary - Working Together to Put CFATS Back on Track November2012CommentaryBill AllmondMore than five years ago, Congress enacted the most robust and comprehensive chemical security regulatory program to date. The regulation — the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) — protects facilities against attack without impairing...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Can You Find the Safety Problem? November2012Process Safety BeaconWe are finishing our celebration of 10 years of the Process Safety Beacon with a “Find-the-Problem” contest.
CEP: Spotlight on Safety - LOPA — A Valuable Risk-Reduction Tool November2012Spotlight on SafetyJohn F. Murphy, P.E.Layer of protection analysis (LOPA) is a simplified process risk-assessment technique that uses order-of-magnitude estimates for initiating events, consequence severity, and likelihood of failure of independent protection layers (IPLs) to approximate the risk of a scenario. It is generally used after a process hazard analysis (PHA) team has identified a hazard scenario that requires further analysis to ensure the adequacy of the safeguards that exist or are being proposed.
Implement an Operational Discipline Program to Improve Plant Process Safety June2011SafetyJames A. Klein, Bruce K. VaughenBuilt on a solid foundation of leadership support and employee involvement, an operational discipline program can help to prevent serious incidents and injuries, and improve overall site safety and business performance.
Use a Comprehensive Database to Better Manage Process Safety August2001SafetyBrian D. KellyFind out if your database is large enough to be meaningful and whether it is being used to its fullest extent.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Double Block and Bleed March2012Process Safety BeaconThe December 2011 Beacon described an incident where a missing plug on a vent line resulted in a flammable material leak that caught fire, causing a fatality. That incident reminded us of the importance of caps and plugs on process vent lines and...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Manage Temporary Changes October2012Process Safety BeaconA filter on the suction of a pump frequently plugged. Because of this, the pressure needed to be monitored, both in the field and at the control panel. To minimize installation time for a pressure transmitter, it was decided to install a tap on the...
CEP: Spotlight on Safety - Management of Change: It's Not Just for Work, but for Your Private Life as Well August2012Spotlight on SafetyAdrian L. Sepeda, P.E.
Handle Corrosive Acids and Caustics Safely September2012SafetyRichard W. Prugh, P.E., CSPUnderstand the corrosivity hazards of acids and caustics, and follow these guidelines to manage those hazards through inherently safer design, engineering and administrative controls, and personal protective equipment.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - What Can I do? I’m Just the Operator. September2012Process Safety BeaconA frequent comment from workers is, “What can I do to improve the safety of our processes? I am just the operator (or technician, mechanic, etc.). I just turn valves, operate the equipment, take samples, turn wrenches, adjust the equipment.” It is...
Guidelines for Auditing Process Safety Management Systems, 2nd Edition February, 2011This book discusses the fundamental skills, techniques, and tools of auditing, and the characteristics of a good process safety management system. A variety of approaches are given so the reader can select the best methodology for a given audit. This book updates the original CCPS Auditing...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Overflow + Ignition = Tank Farm Fire (Part 2) October2009SafetyProcess Safety Beacon
CEP: Spotlight on Safety - Process Safety Education: Meeting the New ABET Requirments April2012Spotlight on Safety
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Hot Work Hazards August2012Process Safety BeaconA contract welder and a foreman were repairing an agitator support on top of an atmospheric-pressure storage tank. The tank contained a polyvinyl fluoride slurry with a flammable concentration if vinyl fluoride in the vapor space. An explosion...
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - What If You Unload the Wrong Material into a Tank? April2012Process Safety Beacon
Size Depressurization and Relief Devices for Pressurized Segments Exposed to Fire September2002SafetyPer SalaterPiping and equipment must withstand fires without rupturing. This can be accomplished by properly designing relief and depressurization systems and using passive fire protection,when needed.
Use LOPA to Determine Protective System Requirements February2007SafetyW. Kent GoddardThis article explains how to use layers of protection analysis (LOPA) to evaluate various process safeguards, determine if safety instrumented functions are required, and establish what safety integrity levels are needed to reduce risks to tolerable...
Addressing the Hazards of Data Omission from MSDSs April2005SafetyJames C. MulliganIf certain chemicals lack physical hazards data, suppliers must be proactive to keep workers safe. Here’s how to determine dust flammability and reactivity data for inclusion on MSDSs.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Hazards of Temporary Confined Spaces August2007SafetyProcess Safety Beacon
Plant Security Remains a Moving Target May2008News FeatureCynthia F. MasconeWhile chemical companies work toward complying with existing standards, legislators are poised to revise those very rules — with changes ranging from minor tweaking to major overhaul on the table.
Classifying Reactive Chemicals March2004SafetyM. Sam Mannan, Sanjeev R. Saraf, William J. RogersThis simple classification scheme can be used to characterize the thermal instability risks posed by reactive chemicals in a process.
Create Effective Process Safety Moments May2010SafetyDeborah LuperProcess safety topics are underrepresented in safety communications. Here are ideas on how to convey your organization’s safety priorities in messages tailored to the audience.
The Intersection of Process Safety and Corporate Responsibility June2012SafetyMichael J. DolanAs chemical engineers and leaders in the chemical process industries, we must ensure that process safety is integral to every aspect of what we and our companies do.
It's Time to Consider Human Factors in Alarm Management November2002InstrumentationIan NimmoImplement these procedures to consider human factors, not simply human error, in control-room architecture and reduce the chance for incidents in the plant.
Controlling Risk During Major Capital Projects April2009SafetyWilliam BridgesThink of process safety management (PSM) as a project deliverable, and follow these best practices for scheduling and performing process hazard analyses (PHAs) and completing other PSM requirements during key phases of a major project.
Preventing Dust Explosions: Are You Doing Enough? March2008News FeatureIssue Date: March 2008Experts agree that greater vigilance is needed to snuff out the ever-present risk at facilities handling powdered materials.
Use Logic Diagrams to Analyze Failure Mechanisms June2005SafetyThiago Tinoco PiresHere’s how to construct and apply continuous-value and single-value network diagrams, which can better represent system failure mechanisms than other logic diagrams.
Getting Serious About Workplace Hearing Protection May2008SafetyRenee S. BessetteOSHA-mandated hearing conservation programs reduce incidents of noise-induced hearing loss. Here's how to select the appropriate personal protective equipment.
Reliability for Safety Instrumented Systems September2004InstrumentationJ. Patrick Williams This article offers a detailed reliability-based methodology for determining the safety integrity level of instrumented systems by providing overpressure protection where arrangements of multiple pressure-relief valves are impractical to implement.
Will IST Stall CFATS Reauthorization? August2010News FeatureMatthew McKeon-SlatteryDebate over the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards continues to revolve around whether manufacturers and processors will be required to incorporate inherently safer technology into their security plans.
CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Instrumentation: Can You Be Fooled By It March2007SafetyProcess Safety Beacon
Electrical Enclosures: Making an Informed Decision September2001SafetyJoe DoddsIn addition to the NEMA type and materials of construction, also take into account mounting, security, plus various other options.
Disinfect with Sodium Hypochlorite March2003SafetyAnton G. CallerySodium hypochlorite is an effective alternative to chlorine gas. Follow these guidelines for its safe use.
Designing Emergency Relief Devices for Reactive Systems September2005SafetyPeter Howell , Georges MelhemThis guidance applies to reactive systems subject to fire-induced runaway reactions, tanks that store reactive materials, and two-phase flow of reactive materials.
Conduct an Effective Incident Investigation September2004SafetyFrederick T. Dyke Information that can reveal the root cause of an incident resides in many places — within the plant or process unit, in control rooms and offices, and even in witnesses’ minds. Here’s how to find the data and conduct effective witness interviews.