Natural hazards can present severe exposures to industrial facilities. This is particularly true in the Chemical Processing Industries, where facilities are often sited in coastal areas prone to hurricanes or rivers susceptible to flood. The exposures these hazards present are often under recognized and underappreciated. During our loss investigations, there is a common perception that these events are considered “Acts of God” in which limited to no control can be offered and adequate insurance coverage is often considered to be the primary protection strategy. In addition, due to the widespread and life changing nature of these events, lessons learned are not always well captured or mitigated in future events.
This work explores the history of these events with illustrative case studies in the chemical manufacturing industry and considers the ability to reduce the risk by adopting key Process Safety elements into the management of these hazards. This includes observations from the 2017 hurricane seasons, including hurricanes Harvey and Maria.