Management chemical safety

Robert W. Ormsby, M.S., Ch.E. P.E., Manager of Safety, Chemical Group, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Air Products Coip. Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Section 26, Process Safety)... 

CCPS G-38. Guidelines for Integrating Process Safety Management, Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Center for Chemical Process Safety, New York. 

Human Factors, 7) Chemical Safety Networking, 8) Molecule of the Month, 9) Risk Management rterly, 10) Chemical Safety is, 11) Other Chemical rmation Links, 12) PRF >onse Group, and 13)... 

Promulgation of the PSM Rule has heightened the awareness of chemical safety management issues whithin the DOE. This handbook is intended for use by DOE facilities and processes covered by the PSM rule to facilitate contractor implementation of the PrHA element of the PSM Rule. However, contractors whose facilities and processes not covered by the PSM Rule may also use this handbook as a basis for conducting process hazards analyses as part of their good management practices. 

Full text of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board report, "Improving Reactive Hazard Management" (CSB 2002b). 

Listed in Table 2.1 are the essential elements of managing chemical reactivity hazards, as described in Sections 4.1 through 4.10 of this publication. They are mapped to comparable elements in three other, broader process safety and risk management systems ... 

Develop System to Manage Chemical Reactivity Hazards Management Systems Management System Safety Management System... 

Document Chemical Reactivity Risks and Management Decisions Process Knowledge and Documentation Process Risk Management Process Safety Information Process Hazard Analysis Operating Procedures Operational Control... 

It is not necessary or desirable to create a separate system for managing chemical reactivity hazards if an appropriate management system is already in place. All management system essentials (see Table 4.1 in Chapter 4) apply to the management of other process hazards as well, such as the handling of toxic or flammable materials. Most apply to other essential practices as well, such as environmental management, occupational safety, and industrial hygiene. 

As the Figure 4.1 flowchart implies, managing chemical reactivity hazards starts with a management system. To prevent incidents, a facility must not only be well designed, but also properly operated and maintained. A commitment to safety from all levels of management is essential, to ensure that all safety aspects receive adequate priority. In practice, conflicts of interest may arise between safety and other goals such as production demands and... 

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 review of material safety data and standard references for the ingredients may result in answering Questions 7 through 11 as shown in Table 5.5. Two of the ingredients, aluminum powder and sodium hydrosulfite, are known to be reactive chemicals, so a chemical reactivity hazard is obviously present. At this point, the Preliminary Screening Method would point the user to the information in Chapter 4, for identifying and managing chemical reactivity hazards. 

This report, Hazard Investigation Improving Reactive Hazard Management, by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), examines chemical process safety in the United States—specifically, hazardous chemical reactivity. Its objectives are to ... 

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