Innovation plant operational hazard

Company A is a major pharmaceutical manufacturer with worldwide operations. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) staff visited a site with both pilot-plant facilities and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. The company is continually developing new and innovative chemistry, which results in frequent changes in the chemicals handled and manufacturing techniques used. 

The metallurgical industry does not enjoy a similar degree of standardization. The processed materials are rocks of varied form and substance at the front end of the plant, and the products are also solids. There are many very different types of ore to be handled, and a wide variety of processes and products. Solid-phase materials transportation means that plants and their layouts tend to be customized, with scope for innovative solutions. Most ores are mainly waste which would be expensive to ship, so at least the front end of the plant has to be built at the mine, and be designed to suit the topography. The processed materials are for the most part relatively non-hazardous. When, as in the case of the platinum industry, highly toxic processes are necessary for the refining of the product, the refinery is usually built and operated as a separate entity from the concentrator and smelter, requiring a different approach and different behaviour. For the majority of low-inherent-hazard processes, the lesser inherent risks facilitate... 

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