Process hazards review definitions

Many issues in one management area are bound to affect performance in other areas. For example, an inherent safety review may propose a change in the process chemistry that will allow a definite reduction in chemical reactivity hazards, perhaps by eliminating a reactive intermediate. Such changes will have to fit with product quality requirements, and the customer may need to be included in the process of changing to the inherently safer alternative. Effective communication among all parts of the management team will avoid many problems and help identify what works best. 

The completeness of the definition of hazards due to DBEEs may be affected by possible changes that have occurred in both the industrial environment and the transport environment since the siting process was followed, and also in natural hazards (e.g. because of climate changes), as foreseen in the Safety Requirements for Design [1]. Such changes are mainly considered in periodic safety reviews [13]. 

There are currently 15 key federal laws related to the control and regulation of hazardous and toxic materials. A summary of these laws, their regulatory objectives, and primary responsible federal agencies is shown in Table 3.1. In addition there are many more state laws and regulations, often with more stringent requirements than their federal counterparts. It is important to review these state and federal regulations as part of the risk assessment process. The various laws and regulations provide specific definitions, specific lists of toxic and hazardous materials, requirements for compliance, and methods and standards for compliance. 

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