And Now for Something Completely Different - Part 2

Major incidents in Europe (Flixborough 1974, Seveso 1976, Piper Alpha 1988), India (Bhopal 1984), Mexico (San Juanico 1984), Ukraine (Chernobyl 1986), USA (three Mile Island 1979, Pasadena 1989, Channelview 1990) have spurred recognition and acceptance of the value of Process Safety management systems and regulations in many countries. Organizations such as the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association (Responsible Care 1985), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS, established 1985), and the American Petroleum Institute (Recommended Practice 750, 1990) also promote process safety.

Traditionally, these management systems and regulations were focused on the chemical (e.g. inorganic, petrochemical, fertilizer, pharmaceutical, speciality, continuous/batch) and energy (e.g. oil & gas, nuclear) industries, and are generally credited with reducing major accident risk in those industries. However, today there is a growing recognition that the same process safety practices and principles can be beneficially applied to other industries.

The author has applied process safety practices and principles to industries as diverse as a steel foundry, shipbuilding, and mining operations (underground, open cast). The facilities visited have welcomed assistance in reducing their risks and readily accepted and implemented recommendations for improving their existing practices and procedures. The author will discuss his experience of working within these industries and highlight opportunities in which process safety professionals can make a difference.