Hazards preventive measures

Sequence of events Potentiai accidents or hazards Preventive measures ... 

Are prevention measures being defined and used to control all identified potential health hazards adequately ... 

Product information in detail should be available and potential hazards should have been identified and occupational health preventive measures taken. Safe disposal of waste should be well under control. 

A pesticide manufacturing plant should prepare a hazard assessment and operability study and also prepare and implement an emergency preparedness and response plan that takes into account neighboring land use and the potential consequences of an emergency. Measures to avoid the release of harmful substances should be incorporated in the design, operation, maintenance, and management of the plant. Implementation of cleaner production processes and pollution prevention measures can yield both economic and environmental benefits. 

How are potential litizards recognized (This can be detennined by periodic review of hazards and prevention measures.)... 

Assuring preventive measures must be the main aim of all those involved in potentially hazardous activity, from those responsible for fixing the objectives and details of a task, to the operatives that carry out the work. This includes the setting of rules to enable the operatives to avoid accidents on the job. 

A measure is preventive if it prevents the occurrence of a runaway, a decomposition, or a hazardous secondary reaction. The system conditions remain close to operating conditions. Excessive increases in temperatures and/or pressures are avoided. Preventive measures include feed rate control systems, interlocks to prevent the reaction from starting unless sufficient diluent is present or the cooling system is working, and tests for the presence of catalysts or unwanted impurities. Preventive measures are always to be preferred over protective or mitigating (defensive) measures. 

A final up-and-coming application, based on non-parametric measurement, is used more and more for process control and hazards prevention, for example for shock load prevention or toxic events. This qualitative approach uses integrated information coming from multiple physical signals ... 

In instances where CO2 storage bottles are installed in enclosed spaces, an exhaust fan is usually provided the protected hazard area. It is activated to remove the vapors once a system has been fully discharged, rather than a prevention measure for partial vapor release and disposal of unexpected leakages. 

Blast resistant design, or the structural strengthening of buildings, is one of the measures an owner may employ to minimize the risk to people and facilities from the hazards of accidental explosions in a plant, Other mitigative or preventive measures, including siting (adequate spacing from potential explosion hazards) and hazard reduction (inventory and process controls, occupancy limitations, etc.), arc not covered in this report. 

Complete issues are devoted to various aspects of the fire and explosion hazards associated with bulk storage and transportation of liquefied petroleum gases, including fire exposure tests, simulation and prediction of various effects with computer programs, and preventive measures [1] and actual incidents [2], Users should consult statutory requirements and codes of practice[3,4,5,6], A video training package is available [7]... 

Safety Handbook", Part III. Hazardous Compounds, Mixtures, and Reactions, Expl Res Sect, Expls Propints Lab, Pica tinny Arsenal, Dover, NJ (Dec 1959), pp 33-46 (List of compds, mists, and reactions which are, or may be, dangerous) 5) "Explosive Accident/lncident Abstracts" (A compilation listing description, causes preventive measures of 219 expl incidents reported to the Armed Services Explosives Safety Board by companies, governmental agencies other groups from Sept 1961 thru June 1967. The Abstracts are available as ASTIA Document 660020 from die National Technical Information Service, US Dept of Commerce, PO Box 1553, Ravensworth, Va 22151)... 

Principle 1 List potential hazards, assess the likelihood of occurrence, and identify the preventive measures for their control... 

Medical Programs. Large chemical plants have at least one full-time physician who is at the plant five days a week and on call at all other times. Smaller plants either have part-time physicians or take injured employees to a nearby hospital or clinic by arrangement with the company compensation-insurance carrier. When part-time physicians or outside medical services are used, there is litde opportunity for medical personnel to become familiar with plant operations or to assist in improving the health aspects of plant work. Therefore, it is essential that chemical-hazards manuals and procedures, which highlight symptoms and methods of treatment, be developed. A full-time industrial physician should devote a substantial amount of time to becoming familiar with the plant, its processes, and the materials employed. Such education enables the physician to be better prepared to treat injuries and illnesses and to advise on preventive measures. 

Sax (Ref 136) and others. Adherence to conventional health precautions preventive measures should assure a healthful enviornment to plant workers and others who handle RDX. The health hazards in the manuf of RDX are considered to be no greater than in the manuf of other expls such as TNT, DNT, Tetryl NG (Ref 47)... 

In fact, all substances are poisonous, and there are none that are safe. The right dose alone differentiates a substance as a remedy or as a poison. In other words, no substance is absolutely safe. Important reference could be made to valuable contributions of Theophra Stus (370-286 B.C.), Hippocrates (400 B.C.), and Ebers Papyrus (1500 B.C.). In fact, the use of hemlock by the Greeks to execute the great philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) is an instance of its own. Recently, Ramazzini (1700) documented preventive measures to control industrial hazards among occupational workers (Fig. 2-1). 

A controllable source of variability is also known as a critical control point and refers to a point, step or procedure at which control can be applied and a hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level. A critical limit is a criterion that must be met for each preventive measure associated with a controllable source of variability or critical control point. 

An engineering evaluation should then be made of the worst case consequences with the goal that the plant will be safe even if the worst case occurs. When the process designers know what the worst case conditions are, they should try to avoid worst case conditions, be sure adequate redundancy of safety systems exists, and identify and implement lines of defense. These lines of defense could be preventive measures, corrective measures or sometimes as a last resort, containment or possibly abandonment of the process if the hazard is unacceptable. It is important to note that the worst case should be something that is realistic, not something that is conceivable but extremely unlikely. 

Preventive Measures Unless voluntary measures are proven sufficient, the precautionary approach requires anticipatory regulation. If a substance can be substituted with a suitable, better known and less hazardous substance or non-chemical option, then that should be the first priority. Secondly, partial or full restrictions can be implemented on substances that are precautionarily classified as being persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic or otherwise hazardous. 

Inclusion of criteria for hazardousness, including toxic and non-toxic properties, guiding data requirements and further decisions on preventive measures... 

There are some key reasons for regulating the flow of chemicals to the market independently of other legislation. One reason is the need for preventive measures early in the supply chain, covering protection of the environment, workers, consumers and property. Preventive measures, such as risk and safety information (labelling and SDS), as well as bans and restrictions on trade with very hazardous chemicals support, simplify and make more cost-efficient risk management for exposure and emission control at later stages (transport, use, waste handling, etc.). 

The safety and loss prevention guide developed by the Dow Chemical Company provides a method for evaluating the potential hazards of a process and assessing the safety and loss-prevention measures needed. In this procedure, a numerical Fire and Explosion Index is calculated, based on the nature of the process and the properties of the materials. The index can be used two different ways. In the preliminary design, the Dow index will indicate whether alternative,... 

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