High-risk facilities

As can be seen, the real cause of most accidents is what might be classified as human errors. Most people have good intentions to perform a function properly, but where shortcuts, easier methods or considerable economic gain opportunities appear or present themselves, human vulnerability usually succumbs to the temptation. Therefore it is prudent in any organization, especially where high risk facilities are operated, to have a system in place to conduct considerable independent checks, inspections, and safety audits of the design and construction of the installation. 

Corey, Richard W., Air Toxics Hot Spots Identifying Potentially High Risk Facilities and Conducting Risk Assessments , in Proceedings 9th World Clean Air Congress Towards the Year 2(XH) Critical Issues in the Global Environment, Vol. 7, Montreal, IU-24C.10, Canada, Sept. 1992. 

For the two lower risk categories, it is possible to be almost completely general since they are specifically intended to be used for only limited risks. However, for both substantial risk and high-risk facilities, the nature of the risk will dictate specific safety-related aspects of the facility. Most of these can be accommodated at the substantial risk level within the standard laboratory module, appropriately modified and equipped. 

High-risk facilities require a comprehensive system safety effort and a high level of user involvement. 

A frequency of inspection based on an evaluation of the hazard versus severity, i.e., the risk the facility represents, whereby high-risk facilities would be inspected more frequently than low-risk facilities. This focuses resources more beneficially to the appropriate potential high-risk facilities to improve safety. 

The DHS considers a variety of factors in determining the appropriate tier for each high-risk facility, including information about the public health and safety risk, as well as the presence of chemicals with a critical impact on the governance mission and the economy. 

A.316. Foreseeable significant changes in land use should be considered, including expansion of existing facilities or activities, or construction of high risk facilities. 

Installation of early warning systems, to alert for the coming earthquake and cut off the operation of high-risk facilities such as the gas network or to slow down highspeed trains. Such systems are currently implemented in Bay Area Rapid Transit system (www.bart.gov) and Japan Railways (Nakamura and Saita 2007). 

Importance of the building (e.g., temporary structure, ordinary residential house, area of public gathering, area of crisis management, high-risk facility)... 

The most common predictive technique which is used to analyze facilities which contain new equipment or processes, or where there is an unusually high risk to personnel or the environment is the Hazard and Operability technique or HAZOP. A HAZOP study requires a team of five to ten multi-discipline personnel consisting of representatives from engineering, operations, and health, safety, and environmental staff. The... 

The goal of tocolytic therapy is to postpone delivery long enough to allow for administration of antenatal corticosteroids to improve pulmonary maturity and for transportation of the mother to a facility equipped to deal with high-risk deliveries. 

Employees of residential care facilities for high-risk patients / Household members of persons in high-risk groups Immunization of children aged 6 to 59 months is recommended. Influenza vaccine should be offered to anyone wishing to avoid influenza infection. Individuals who should not be vaccinated are those with anaphylactic hypersensitivity to eggs or other components of the vaccine or adults with febrile illness (until the fever abates). 

The facility is subjected to a process hazard analysis commensurate to the level of hazard the facility represents (i.e., Checklist, PHA, HAZOP, What-If review, Event Tree, FMEA, etc.). The results of these analyses are fully understood and acknowledged by facility management. Where high risk events are identified, quantifiable risk estimation and effects of mitigation measures should be evaluated and applied if productive. 

Several catastrophic fire incidents in the petroleum industry have been the result of the facility firewater pumps being directly affected by the initial effects of the incident. The cause of these impacts has been mainly due to the siting of the fire pumps in vulnerable locations without adequate protection measures from the probable incident and the unavailability or provision of other backup water sources. A single point failure analysis of firewater distribution systems is an effective analysis that can be performed to identify where design deficiencies may exist. For all high risk locations, fire water supplies should be available from several remotely located sources that are totally independent of each and utility systems which are required for support. 

Facilities that do not have the capability to immediately provide an emergency shutdown should be considered high risks. Similarly, if the reliability of an ESD system is very poor the facility might be considered without adequate protection and therefore also a high risk. 

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