Aging equipment, vulnerability, near misses, runaway reactions, and natural disasters in process safety newsletters
From AIChEâ??s â??Process Safety Beaconâ?? newsletters so far this year:
â?¢ Aging facilities and infrastructure â?? â??Aging does not necessarily relate to how old a facility or piece of equipment might be. It is really about how well it has been operated and maintained.â??
â?¢ Maintain a sense of vulnerability â?? Understand the hazards of your process and materials. Know what the worst-case incident is, and what safety systems and procedures are in place to prevent it. â?| Never think â??it canâ??t happen hereâ?? or â??it canâ??t happen to me.â?? It can!â??
â?¢ Reporting and investigating near misses â?? â??Following a major process safety incident, investigators often find that there were previous warnings and near misses. If these had been reported, investigated, and investigation findings implemented, the major incident could have been prevented.â??
â?¢ Runaway reactions caused by contamination â?? â??When you check safety information (safety data sheets, operating procedures, etc.) for materials in your plant, pay attention to possible hazardous reactions such as decomposition and polymerization as a result of contamination. Be aware of any specific contaminants of concern which are present in your plant.â??
â?¢ Could your plant be impacted by a natural disaster? â?? â??If you identify something which you think is important, and which is not covered by the existing plans, bring your concerns to the attention of your supervisors so the plans can be improved.â??
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