Modifications Kletz

Trevor Kletz presented a number of very suitable examples of modifications that went sour in his article at that same symposium in 1976. After presenting several pages of problems with modifications, Kletz stated [6]... 

When one modification leads to another, and then another (Kletz, Plant/Operations Progress 5, 1986, p. 136). 

Kletz, Trevor A., A Three-Pronged Approach to Plant Modifications, Chemical Engineering Progress, Nov. 1976 pp. 48—55. 

Figure 2-25 Well-intended vent modifications. Courtesy of T. A. Kletz.

This incident, as well as a number of other problems with plant modifications, has been published by Trevor Kletz under the title Some Loss Prevention Case Histories. [8] It is now also available as part of a training kit with 35mm slides, presenters guides, and booklets. The kit is entitled Hazards of Plant Modifications—Hazard Workshop Module 02 and can be purchased from the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Warwickshire, England. I highly recommend it for in-plant training. 

The material in this long chapter may not cover the needs of every chemical plant and every petro-chemical plant, but the ten or fifteen Management of Change procedures developed by major corporations and reviewed by me did not seem to exactly fit the needs or culture of my own organization. Trevor Kletz has said many times that improper plant modifications have been a major cause of chemical plant accidents. I have been working in a process safety function for three decades and my experiences have been similar. It just seems appropriate to repeat the first three paragraphs of the second section of this chapter, as a fitting close. 

Kletz s article also presented the 1976 procedures utilized by Imperial Chemicals Industries, Ltd. (ICI) Wilton, England. It stated that within the Petrochemicals Division of ICI, any modification, even if it is very inexpensive, or temporary, must be authorized in writing by a competent manager (or, in the United States, a second line supervisor) and an engineer. [6]... 

I assisted Trevor Kletz in teaching a two-day course entitled Chemical Plant Accidents—A Workshop on Causes and Preventions. We periodically taught the course for six years, and then he encouraged me to consider writing this book on Plant Modifications. Jayne Holder, formerly of Butterworth, was extremely supportive with all my concerns and questions. 

Kletz, Trevor A., A Three-Pronged Approach to Plant Modifications, lass Prevention 10, 1976 pp. 91-98. This material is also available as Hazards of Plant Modifications—Hazard Workshop Module 002 (available as a training kit with slides, booklets, guides, etc., by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Rugby, England). 

Trevor Kletz has become a prolific writer on the subject of hazards and safety in general and his material is entertaining and informative. See Ref 2 in section 1.16 for a reference to one of his many publications on the subject. Most chemical manufacturing companies have incorporated hazard studies into their codes of practice for all capital projects. Hazard studies are also standard practice for modifications to existing plants and operations, imfortunately these are sometimes omitted, and this often leads to dire consequences. 

Early safety and health assessment will not only benefit from the safety and health performance but also contribute to lowering the overall plant costs (Edwards and Lawrence, 1993 Kletz, 1998 Shah et al., 2003). Besides, the cost of fixing a problem (e.g., making changes or modifications on the process) is lower when done at the earlier phases of the process lifecycle. Analyses made by Kletz (1988) revealed that the cost increases tenfold as one progresses through each phase. This is because hazard and risk assessments will eventually lead to decisions that require necessary preventive actions to either eliminate or reduce the hazards and risks as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). The decisions cover diverse elements including alternative process routes, plant layout, and plant... 

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