2017 Chemical Accident Risks Seminar and Training Workshop : Summary Report of Proceedings and Outcomes

On 14-16 June 2017, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) organized a landmark event at the JRC site in Ispra, Italy site to support exchange on emerging risks in chemical accident and Natech risk reduction between European Union (EU) and EU affiliated countries, that is, EFTA/EEA countries, EU Enlargement countriesand EU Neighbour Policy Initiative (ENPI) Countries. This combined seminar and training event was the first time that all EU and EU-affiliated competent authorities met all together to share perspectives on Seveso Directive (and equivalent) implementation, to identify areas of common concern and to seek opportunities for mutual support. The main purpose of the event was to exchange on common challenges in Seveso implementation and to give training to competent authorities on newly available JRC tools for assessing consequences and risks associated with chemical and Natech accidents. It also aimed to welcome EU affiliated countries, many of whom are on the path towards Seveso implementation, into the network of Seveso competent authorities to participate in these exchanges. An expected outcome was the identification of emerging risks and ongoing priorities that could be the focus of future collaborations in the Seveso community to improve risk management and enforcement. This report highlights the main points and conclusions derived from the presentations and discussions in the seminar and training sessions.JRC.E.2-Technology Innovation in Securit

New trends for conducting hazard & operability (HAZOP) studies in continuous chemical processes

Identifying hazards is fundamental for ensuring the safe design and operation of a system in process plants and other facilities. Several techniques are available to identify hazardous situations, all of which require their rigorous, thorough, and systematic application by a multi-disciplinary team of experts. Success rests upon first identifying and subsequently analyzing possible scenarios that can cause accidents with different degrees of severity. While hazard identification may be the most important stage for risk management, it depends on subjectivity issues (e.g., human observation, good judgment and intuition, creativity, expertise, knowledge) which introduce bias. Without a structured identification system, hazards can be overlooked, thus entailing incomplete risk-evaluations and potential loss. The present Thesis is focused on developing both managerial and technical aspects intended to standardize one of the most used techniques for hazard identification; viz. HAZard & Operability (HAZOP) study. These criteria have been carefully implemented not only to ensure that most of the hazardous scenarios will be identified, but also that US OSHA PSM Rule, EPA RMP, and Seveso Directive requirements will be accomplished. Chapter I pioneers the main research topic; from introducing the process safety concept up to the evidence of more detailed information is required from related regulations. A review of regulations (i.e., US, Europe legislation) focused on Hazard Identification has been conducted, highlighting, there is an absence of specific criteria for performing techniques intended to identify what can go wrong. Chapter II introduces the risk management system required to analyze the risk from chemical process facilities, and justifies that hazard identification stage is the Process Safety foundation. Hereafter, an overview of the key Process Hazard Analyzes (PHA) has been conducted, and the specific HAZOP weaknesses and strengths have been highlighted to establish the first steps to focus on. Chapter III establishes the scope, the purpose and the specific objectives that the research covers. It answers the following questions on the spot: why the present research is performed, which elements are included, and what has been considered for acquiring the final conclusions of the manuscript. Chapter IV gathers HAZOP-related literature from books, guidelines, standards, major journals, and conference proceedings with the purpose of classifying the research conducted over the years and finally define the HAZOP state-of-the-art. Additionally, and according to the information collected, the current HAZOP limitations have been emphasized, and thus, the research needs that should be considered for the HAZOP improvement and advance. Chapter V analyzes the data collected while preparing, organizing, executing and writing HAZOPs in five petroleum-refining processes. A statistical analysis has been performed to extract guidance and conclusions to support the established criteria to conduct effectively HAZOP studies. Chapter VI establishes the whole set of actions that have to be taken into account for ensuring a wellplanned and executed HAZOP study. Both technical and management issues are addressed, criteria supported after considering the previous chapters of the manuscript. Chapter VI itself is the result of the present research, and could be used as a guideline not only for team leaders, but also for any related party interested on performing HAZOPs in continuous chemical processes. Chapter VII states the final conclusions of the research. The interested parties should be released about the hazard identification related-gaps present in current process safety regulations; which are the key limitations of the HAZOP study, and finally, which are the criteria to cover the research needs that have been found Annex I proposes the key tools (tables, figures and checklists "ready-to use'') to be used for conducting HAZOPs in continuous chemical processes. The information layout is structured according to the proposed HAZOP Management System. This information is intended to provide concise and structured documentation to be used as a reference book when conducting HAZOPs. Annex II is intended to overview the most relevant petroleum refining processes by highlighting key factors to take into account in the point of view of process safety and hazard identification, i.e. HAZOP. In this sense, key health and safety information of specific petroleum refining units is provided as a valuable guidance during brainstorming sessions. Annex III illustrates the complete set of data collected during the field work of the present research, and also analyzed in Chapter V of the manuscript. Additionally, it depicts a statistical summary of the key variables treated during the analysis. Finally, the Nomenclature, References, and Abbreviations & Acronyms used and cited during the manuscript have been listed. Additionally, a Glossary of key terms related to the Process Safety field has been illustrated.La present Tesis doctoral té com a objectiu estandarditzar l'aplicació d'una de les tècniques més utilitzades a la industria de procés per a la identificació de perills; l'anomenat HAZard & OPerability (HAZOP) study, específicament a processos complexes, com per exemple, unitat de refineria del petroli.El capítol I defineix el concepte de Seguretat de Processos, i progressivament analitza les diferents regulacions relacionades amb la temàtica, detallant específicament les mancances i buits d'informació que actualment hi ha presents a la primera etapa de la gestió del risc en industries de procés: la identificació de perills.El capítol II defineix el sistema de gestió del risc tecnològic que aplica a les industries de procés, i es justifica que l'etapa d'identificació de perills és el pilar de tot el sistema. Finalment, es mencionen algunes de les tècniques d'identificació més utilitzades, els anomenats Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), i es detallen les seves mancances i fortaleses, característiques que han acabat definint la temàtica específica de la Tesis. Concretament, es dóna èmfasis a la tècnica anomenada HAZard & OPerability (HAZOP) study, objecte principal de la recerca.El capítol III defineix l'abast, el propòsit i els objectius específics de la recerca. La intenció d'aquest capítol és donar resposta a les següents qüestions: el perquè de la recerca, quins elements han estat inclosos i què s'ha considerat per tal d'assolir les conclusions de la Tesis.El capítol IV descriu l'estat de l'art de la literatura relacionada amb el HAZOP. Aquesta revisió no només permet classificar les diferents línies de recerca relacionades amb el HAZOP, sinó que també permet assolir un coneixement profund de les diferents particularitats de la pròpia tècnica. El capítol finalitza amb un conjunt de mancances tant de gestió com tècniques, així com les necessitats de recerca que poden millorar l'organització i execució dels HAZOPs.El capítol V analitza la informació que ha estat recopilada durant la fase experimental de la tesis. Les dades procedeixen de la participació en cinc estudis HAZOP aplicats a la industria de refineria del petroli.En aquest sentit, el capítol V desenvolupa una anàlisi estadística d'aquestes dades per extreure'n conclusions quant a la preparació, organització i execució dels HAZOPs.El capítol VI estableix el conjunt d'accions que s'ha de tenir en compte per tal d'assegurar que un estudi HAZOP estigui ben organitzat i executat (la metodologia). Es defineix un Sistema de Gestió del HAZOP, i a partir de les seves fases, es desenvolupa una metodologia que pretén donar suport a tots aquells punts febles que han estat identificats en els capítols anteriors. Aquesta metodologia té la intenció de donar suport i guia no només als líders del HAZOP, sinó també a qualsevol part interessada en aquesta temàtica.El capítol VII descriu les conclusions de la recerca. En primera instància s'enumeren les mancances quant a la definició de criteris a seguir de diferents regulacions que apliquen a la Seguretat de Processos.Seguidament, es mencionen les limitacions de la pròpia tècnica HAZOP, i finalment, es descriuen quins són els criteris establerts per donar solució a totes aquestes febleses que han estat identificades.L'Annex I és una recopilació de diferents criteris que han estat desenvolupats al llarg de l'escrit en forma de taules i figures. Aquestes han estat ordenades cronològicament d'acord amb les diferents fases que defineixen el Sistema de Gestió HAZOP. L'annex I es pot utilitzar com a una referència concisa i pràctica, preparada i pensada per ésser utilitzada directament a camp, amb la intenció de donar suport a les parts interessades en liderar estudis HAZOP.L'annex II recopila informació relacionada amb aspectes clau de seguretat i medi ambient en diferents unitats de refineria. Aquest informació és un suport per tal de motivar el "brainstorming" dels diferents membres que conformen l'equip HAZOP.L'Annex III recopila les dades de les diferents variables que han estat considerades a la fase experimental de la recerca, juntament amb un conjunt de figures que mostren la seva estadística bàsica

Development of Process Safety Management System (PSMS) for Process Industries Implementation: Mechanical Integrity (MI)

Accident is one of the big issues that occur repeatedly in the process industries today though there is numerous application of the variety safeguarding measures that have been introduced. Equipment failure is identified as one of the root causes of these major accidents. One of the established standards that address the above issue is Mechanical Integrity (MI) element of Process safety Management System (PSM) 29 CFR 1910.119 (j). It is believed that most of the process industries already recognized the standard but unavailability of effective technique to implement the PSM elements had delay the implementation of this standard. This research study is conducted to introduce a systematic technique to implement MI elements of PSM in process industries to achieve high level of safety in workplace as well as to prevent any accident. This study covered analysis of requirements of the standard, development of framework and prototype tool as well as concept validation through case study from real process plant data. Implementation of this technique will help employer to control the hazards and minimize process hazards that could prevent major accidents such as fire, explosion and toxic release and compliance with the PSM standard simultaneously

A guide to the equipment, methods and procedures for the prevention of risks, emergency response and mitigation of the consequences of accidents: Part I

This report is the first part of a dilogy which aims to be a compendium for regulators without a specific background in risk and safety assessment. It describes the state-of-the-art of the safety-related equipment, methods, procedures and projects available nowadays for the prevention of risks, the emergency response and the mitigation of the consequences of accidents. While the present report addresses the above topics from a generic perspective, the second part, currently in preparation, focuses on the particular challenges of the Nordic Seas. The review is based on the retrieval and analysis of a large number of open source information, along with personal contacts with Authorities and HSE representatives of several major oil and gas operators. This helps the reader go into further details and better appreciate the latest technological advancements in offshore safety as a consequence of the lessons learnt from the Macondo Accident.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Prevention and mitigation of injuries and damages arising from the activity of subliminal enterprises: A case study in Slovakia

The paper focuses on risk sources under no legislative pressure in the field of prevention of major accidents. Despite this, they can represent significant sources of risk of accidents. The aim of the paper is to present the results of the risk assessment associated with the operation of enterprises not regulated by the SEVESO III Directive (the so-called subliminal enterprises), to provide information on possible operational problems and to verify the applicability of recognized risk analysis methods for these specific sources of risk. Last but not least, its purpose is to point out that subliminal enterprises, due to their location close to residential areas or areas with a high concentration of population, pose a serious risk to the population. The paper summarizes the results of the quantitative risk assessment of a specific enterprise not included in the Seveso Directive & ndash; a filling station. Filling stations are frequently located in built-up areas with a dense coefficient of habitability. Due to their number, location (e.g. close to residential areas), frequency of occurrence of persons in the area and handling of dangerous substances during normal operation, they can have negative or even tragic consequences to the life and health of the population. Due to the non-existent risk assessment methodology for enterprises with subliminal quantities of dangerous substances and the lack of a systematic search for risk sources, a risk assessment procedure for these companies is designed.Web of Science70art. no. 10441

Development of Process Safety Management System (PSMS) for Process Industries Implementation: Mechanical Integrity (MI)

Accident is one of the big issues that occur repeatedly in the process industries today though there is numerous application of the variety safeguarding measures that have been introduced. Equipment failure is identified as one of the root causes of these major accidents. One of the established standards that address the above issue is Mechanical Integrity (MI) element of Process safety Management System (PSM) 29 CFR 1910.119 (j). It is believed that most of the process industries already recognized the standard but unavailability of effective technique to implement the PSM elements had delay the implementation of this standard. This research study is conducted to introduce a systematic technique to implement MI elements of PSM in process industries to achieve high level of safety in workplace as well as to prevent any accident. This study covered analysis of requirements of the standard, development of framework and prototype tool as well as concept validation through case study from real process plant data. Implementation of this technique will help employer to control the hazards and minimize process hazards that could prevent major accidents such as fire, explosion and toxic release and compliance with the PSM standard simultaneously

Korelasi Antara Ergonomi Lingkungan dan Job Safety Analysis (JSA) Dengan Mechanical Integrity Program Pada PT. PAL Indonesia (Persero)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui korelasi antara ergonomi lingkungan dan job safety analysis dengan mechanical integrity pada PT. PAL Indonesia (Persero). Data analisis penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) pemahaman ergonomi lingkungan mempunyai nilai kriteria 12 item sangat baik dan 3 item baik (2) penerapan job safety analysis mempunyai nilai kriteria 20 item sangat baik (3) penerapan mechanical integrity mempunyai nilai kriteria 20 item sangat baik dan 1 item baik (4) korelasi antara ergonomi lingkungan dengan mechanical integrity mempunyai nilai Thitung > Ttabel (7,3401 > 2,004) (5) korelasi antara job safety analysis dengan mechanical integrity mempunyai nilai Thitung > Ttabel (14,8745 > 2,004) (6) korelasi antara ergonomi lingkungan dan job safety analysis dengan mechanical integrity mempunyai nilai Fhitung > Ftabel (109,216 > 3,1751)

Production facility of polilactic acid from lactic acid

Traballo Fin de Grao en Enxeñaría Química. Curso 2018-2019The worldwide plastics manufacturing has been estimated in 335 million tons in 2016 from which 60 million were produced in Europe. The plastics production has been, since the early nature of its productive activities in 1950, 8.3 billion tons. Spain is the fourth country in the European Union demanding plastics. The 50% of this plastics are finally disposed in landfills which must increase their capacity in order to accommodate the plastic wastes. In this context and with the intention of reducing wastes, the biopolymers were developed. The poly (lactic acid) is one of the best known and produced biodegradable polyesters due to its physical properties and cost which are optimal for several applications. [1] The present project proposes an introduction to this biopolymer production. The interaction between relatively new concepts and with social and industrial awareness are shown: technological progress, security and environmental protection. The poly (lactic acid) is produced from lactic acid, which was isolated in 1780 and introduced in the market in 1881. It was used only for medical application until 1997 when the Cargill Dow LLC Company pushed the market for the development of patents allowing the production of low cost PLA in volume production. So today, the PLA has multiple applications, some of which are intended to the textile field, the agricultural field, the biomedicine and the packaging