Inherently safer chemical processes

On December 14, 1977, Trevor Kletz, who was at that time safety advisor for the ICI Petrochemicals Division, presented the annual Jubilee Lecture to the Society of Chemical Industry in Widnes, England. His topic was What you don t have, can t leak, and this lecture was the first clear and concise discussion of the concept of inherently safer chemical processes and plants. 

What do we mean when we speak of an inherently safer chemical process Inherent has been defined as existing in something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute (American College Dictionary, 1967). A chemical manufacturing process is inherently safer if it reduces or eliminates the hazards associated with materials and operations used in the process, and this reduction or elimination is permanent and inseparable. To appreciate this definition fully, it is essential to understand the precise meaning of the word hazard. A hazard is defined as a physical or chemical characteristic that has the potential for causing harm to people, the environment, or property (adapted from CCPS, 1992). The key to this definition is that the hazard is intrinsic to the material, or to its conditions of storage or use. Some specific examples of hazards include ... 

The design and implementation of inherently safer chemical processes includes consideration not only of the people operating and maintaining the plant while it is in operation, but also the safety of those who may later use the plant for other purposes. This includes dismantling... 

Hendershot, D. C. (1991a). Design of Inherently Safer Chemical Processing Facilities. Texas Chemical Council Safety Seminar, june 11,1991, Galveston, TX, Session D. 

Inherently Safer Chemical Processes—A Life Cycle Approach was written by the Center for Chemical Process Safety Inherently Safer Processes Subcommittee ... 

D. A. Crowl (editor). Inherently Safer Chemical Processes—A Life Cycle Approach, AIChE, New York, 1996. 

CCPS, Inherently Safer Chemical Processes A Life Cycle Approach (New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1996). 

CCPS, Inherently Safer Chemical Processes (New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1996). CCPS, Plant Guidelines for Technical Management of Chemical Process Safety (New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1992). 

Bollinger, R. E, Clark, D. G., Dowell III, A. M., Ewbank, R. M., Hendershot, D. C., Lutz, W. K., Meszaros, S. I., Park, D. E. Wixom, E. D. 1996. Inherently Safer Chemical Processes - A Life Cycle Approach. New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Centre for Chemical Process Hazards. 

Hendershot, D.C. (1997) Inherently safer chemical process design. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 10 (3), 151-7. 

Center for Chemical Process Safety, Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, 2007 Center for Chemical Process Safety, Inherently Safer Chemical Processes A Life Cycle Approach, 2nd Edition, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, 2008... 

The concept of inherently safer design was first proposed by Kletz, who developed a set of specific design principles for the chemical industry [92] (see also [50]), but it has been publicized and promoted later by many technologists from petrochemical and chemical companies such as Dow, Rohm and Haas, ExxonMobil, and many others. A relevant source of information is the book Inherently Safer Chemical Processes A Life Cycle Approach [49]. 

Wrightson, I.(Chairman of the Working Party of the RSC Environment, Health and Safety Committee - EHSC (2007) EHSC Noteon Inherently Safer Chemical Processes, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK... 

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