(137c) Cause Analysis of Recent Chemical-Accidents and Preventive Measures in Korea
AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety
2017
2017 Spring Meeting and 13th Global Congress on Process Safety
Global Congress on Process Safety
Korean Experience of Process Safety Management(PSM) and Future Challenges II
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Cause Analysis of Recent Chemical-Accidents and Preventive Measures in Korea
Hyup Lee
Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
#400, Jongga-ro, Jung-gu, Ulsan, 44429, Republic of Korea
Hyung-Sub Lee
Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
#400, Jongga-ro, Jung-gu, Ulsan, 44429, Republic of Korea
Won-Baek Yang
Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
#400, Jongga-ro, Jung-gu, Ulsan, 44429, Republic of Korea
Although several chemical accident prevention systems such as PSM(Process Safety Management) and RMP(Risk Management Plan) have been implemented, a number of chemical accidents still constantly occur at a plant in Korea.
This study describes the current overview of Korean chemical industry with the trend of occurrence of chemical accidents in Korea. In particular, the study analyzes 100 cases of major chemical accidents, occurred from 2010 to the first-half 2016 in Korea. The analysis includes the type of chemical accidents, sources of ignition, sources of chemical equipment, causes of accident(equipment/substance/man-made), working situation by date and time, scale of plant and employees, existence of hazardous substances, and any causalities including contractor’s employees. Ultimately, the study draws six preventative measures from the result of the analysis as follows: Firstly, an employer shall educate and train his/her employees, especially for subcontractors and small & medium-sized enterprises, to improve knowledge and raise awareness of safety and health. Secondly, an employer shall reinforce the inspection and monitoring to clarify any proper work permit and safety procedure during maintenance & repair work. Thirdly, an employer shall not put raw materials(substances) into the batch reactor through a manhole in any potential explosive atmosphere. Fourthly, an employer shall ensure bonding & earthing in order to avoid static electricity shock. Fifthly, an employer shall remove any hazardous substances and install a blind patch on the connected pipeline before cleaning the inside of a vessel and/or a tank. During the cleaning work, an employer shall monitor the existence of any toxic or flammable gas regularly. Finally, an employer shall change a gasket periodically and ensure hot bolting on the pipe flanges in high pressure and high temperature situations.
Key words : chemical accident, fire & explosion, major (industrial) accident, cause analysis, preventive measures