Chemical reactivity hazard resources

Chapter 3 is a Preliminary Screening Method designed to help identify whether chemical reactivity hazards are present at a facility. It can be used to determine whether the information in this publication is sufficient, or whether additional resources are going to be required, for managing identified chemical reactivity hazards. 

This publication focuses on essential management practices related to chemical reactivity hazards. The following are a few other sources of information on closely related topics that may be useful to the reader. A more complete list of references and resources can be found at the end of this publication, in addition to the bibliography included on the CD-ROM. 

The information in this chapter is presented as a series of questions. They are intended to help you quickly decide whether chemical reactivity hazards are present at your facility. If chemical reactivity hazards are indicated, it points you to the essential practices in Chapter 4 for managing the hazards. It is also intended to indicate whether the essential practices presented in this Concept Book are sufficient to manage your chemical reactivity hazards, or whether additional resources will be required. 

Technical resources are readily available to identify chemical reactivity hazards, acquire needed data, assess risks, and develop safeguards. 

The keystone of managing chemical reactivity hazards is line responsibility. The "line" referred to here is the chain of command and authority that extends from the operator to the chief executive officer of the company. When all the advice and consultation is gathered relative to an issue, such as from relevant area experts and safety personnel, it is the business responsibility to provide leadership. It does so by communicating values, setting policy, making appropriate decisions, allocating the necessary resources, and following up to ensure implementation. 

A policy statement alone is worth very little. Management must provide a sustained commitment of resources for an ongoing program. The most important resources are the right people having the background, qualifications, experience and commitment needed to safely operate and maintain the facility. This includes the technical expertise to understand chemical reactivity hazards and their control and the means to maintain the needed knowledge over time. 

Realistically, the information available to perform risk studies varies over the lifetime of a process. During the early stages of process development, analysis teams may only have access to basic chemical reactivity hazard data, such as may be obtained from suppliers and literature resources. By the time a facility reaches the detailed design phase, most of the basic design and operating information should be available and used in any study of the facility hazards and risks. 

Time and resources need to be made available to assess the safety significance of proposed changes when dealing with chemical reactivity hazards. The effects of proposed changes need to be carefully reviewed, new test data may need to be obtained, and experts may need to be consulted. This issue is especially challenging in some types of facilities such as specialty chemical operations, where many different products and processes are introduced on a regular basis. 

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