(189a) Process Safety Incidents: Big Picture Revelations

Many incidents have helped to define and develop process safety. Each has provided valuable learning opportunities. However, it is even more important to identify insights that can be obtained by an analysis of a large set of incidents that represents those that typically occur. This larger picture illuminates trends and commonalities and provides learning opportunities that are even more important than the causes of any one individual incident.

The Center for Chemical Process Safety has published information on incidents that have helped to define process safety and the Chemical Safety Board has published the results of numerous investigations of process safety incidents. These data are used to address key questions in process safety including: Are process safety incidents predictable?, What are the best ways of protecting against process safety incidents? and, Where are process safety resources best invested?.