Case studies Disaster

This case study concerns the events leading up to the hydrocarbon explosion which was the starting point for the Piper Alpha offshore disaster. It describes the investigation of the incident using the sequentially timed events plotting (STEP) technique. Based on the STEP work sheet developed, the critical events involved in the incident are identified and analyzed in order to identify their root causes. 

Tliis part of tlie book reviews and develops quantitative metliods for tlie analysis of liazard conditions in terms of the frequency of occurrence of unfavorable consequences. Uncertainty characterizes not only Uie transformation of a liazard into an accident, disaster, or catastrophe, but also tlie effects of such a transformation. Measurement of uncertainty falls witliin tlie purview of matliematical probability. Accordingly, Chapter 19 presents fundamental concepts and Uieorems of probability used in risk assessment. Chapter 20 discusses special probability distributions and teclmiques pertinent to risk assessment, and Chapter 21 presents actual case studies illustrating teclmiques in liazard risk assessment tliat use probability concepts, tlieorems, and special distributions. 

While the Challenger disaster was not a process incident in the strictest sense, the nature of the failure was similar to many piping system failures that typically occur in the process industries. More importantly, organizational failure was a fundamental cause of the incident. This case study serves as a classic example of the type of loss that can occur in a large complex organization if management systems are not effective. 

Kletz, Trevor A., What Went Wrong Case studies of Process Plant Disasters, Gulf Publishing, 1985. 

What is needed is careful empirical analysis of source-media relations which builds upon and tests this macro-level theory (Anderson 1997 Cottle 1998). The aim of this final section of the chapter, therefore, is to examine two case studies of the communication of chemical risks, the Brent Spar in 1995 and the Prestige oil disaster... 

Because nurse involvement is such an essential part of American Red Cross disaster services, nurses participate in various components of the preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery phases of a disaster (see Case Study 4.2). The primary roles for Red Cross nurses involve caring for the health and mental health needs of disaster victims and disaster workers with a special focus on activities that facilitate the agency s ESF 6 responsibilities including mass care sheltering and feeding. 

The Bhopal disaster was a watershed in the area of environmental policy and legislation worldwide. Suddenly the horror of the industrial model of development became very stark and real. How and where industries were sited and how they dealt with the dangers that they posed to the communities around them became real questions. After the Love Canal saga (see the case study later in this chapter), Bhopal was the one incident that led to worldwide regulation on chemicals and toxicity. Intertwined with all the information was the fact that communities be given information and be included as participants in industry decision making. 

Disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and evaluation activities for both internal disasters (inside of the hospital) and external disasters (outside of the hospital) are presented through case studies with an emphasis on evidence-based planning. 

Dhara, R., Dhara, V.R. (1995). Bhopal - a case study of international disaster. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health 1 58-69. 

Investigations of industrial accidents reveal that most are caused by human error. The twentieth century s worst industrial disasters—Bhopal, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl—helped clarify the complex chain of system problems that lead to human error. System problems are problems caused by a process system with built in design and operating deficiencies. The accidents provided numerous checklists and case studies for control room and equipment design. A partial list of some of the problems found at the industrial sites mentioned above are ... 

Many people are familiar with the Bhopal disaster in December 1984, and as is usually the case, there were multiple problems and failures leading up to the catastrophic release of methyl isocyanate (MIC). For this case study, we will focus on the organizational issues related to personnel turnover to provide an example of how such changes can contribute to process safety incidents. 

Petersen, M.J., Bhopal Plant Disaster - Situation Summary (Draft), International Dimension of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering Case Study, March 2009. 

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