Process safety hazard issues

In the resin industry, mueh attention has to be paid to process safety issues due to hazards related to the used raw materials. The most important potential hazardous scenarios are related to  

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The role of process development is to balance the timeline and material requirements of the project with the need to develop a commercially viable method for the preparation of the drug candidate. This stage of the drug development process will concentrate on such issues as (l)synthetic strategy, improvement of individual reaction yields, (3) identification and use of commercially available raw materials and reagents, (4)evaluationof alternative solvent systems, (5) compatibility of process conditions with existing manufaetur-ing assets, identification and quantification of potential process safety hazards, (7) simplification of purification methods, (8) evaluation of process waste streams, and (9) the improvement of the overall process economics. 

Many of the commonly used solvents are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), flammable, and/or toxic. They also pose serious environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns, including human and eco-toxicity issues, process safety hazards, and waste management issues. 

The book does not focus on occupational safety and health issues, although improved process safety can benefit these areas. Detailed engineering designs are outside the scope of this work. This book intends to identify issues and concerns in batch reaction systems and provide potential solutions to address these concerns. This should be of value to process design engineers, operators, maintenance personnel, as well as members of process hazards analysis teams. While this book offers potential solutions to specific issues/concerns, ultimately the user needs to make the case for the solutions that provide a balance between risk... 

CIA 1990. A Approach to the Categorization of Process Plant Hazard and Control Building Design. Prepared by Working Group 3 of the Major Hazards Steering Group. Issued by the Safety Committee of the Chemical Industry Safety and Health Council of the Chemical Industries Association, Eondon. 

Examining the lists above makes it clear that a good toller-client relationship with open and honest communication of process safety information, process hazard analysis input and early recognition of issues can help avoid potential problems. 

Each PSM system can then be examined to determine what system modifications (if any) are needed to address the new issues. For example, the process hazard assessment system might be modified to include participation by industrial hygienists to identify potential sources of exposure. Some process safety management systems (e.g., process documentation) may require no modification to support a wider scope. 

Process risk management Industrial hygiene risks should be periodically reviewed as are process safety risks. Some of the process hazard assessment techniques used for PSM can be expanded to include consideration of industrial hygiene issues... 

As with the case of mass, there are several approaches to metrics for this aspect. One can simply sum numbers and/or mass of chemicals possessing hazards in different areas for example, process safety, occupational exposure, or environmental hazard. Typically, most companies will use a banding approach for materials that allows a quick identification of the hazard category, and usually marries hazard with a suggested control approach for example, layers of protection, pressure relief valves, and so on. One is then able to rapidly identify issues and potential opportunities for elimination, substitution, or control. 

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. 

Occasionally, the U.S. EPA issues a process safety alert or study that is related to chemical reactivity hazards. The following incident summaries are from a Case Study on phenol-formaldehyde reaction hazards (EPA 1999a) and from an Alert urging the use of multiple data sources when developing emergency response strategies (EPA 1999b). 

The approach described is appropriate for assuring process safety for the preliminary design and is commonly used in industry where hazardous materials are handled. The committee further notes that a full-scale quantitative risk assessment (QRA) will be required in conjunction with the completion of the final design to assure that all process safety issues have been fully addressed. 

As of the early 1990s, annual worker fatalities ran about 9 per 100,000 employees annual lost-time disabling injuries ran about 4,000 per 100,000 employees (1). Property losses increased fourfold from the 1970s (2). The trends in fatalities and property losses can probably be ascribed to the increasing complexity and productivity of the highly automated chemical plants, where personnel are isolated from processes. Whereas exposure to health and safety hazards maybe reduced, the ability of experienced operating personnel to sense process problems and to correct these problems frequently is decreased. Another aspect of process management which has tended to increase hazards is the effort to reduce the formation of wastes and undesired by-products. This effort requires dose approach to temperature and pressure limits, at which points loss of control can be catastrophic (see Process control). Process and plant safety issues have been discussed (3—8). 

Protection of Employees. In 1986, shortly after the Bhopal disaster, OSHA contracted to develop a federal standard on process hazards management. A proposed standard was issued in 1990, and the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals standard was issued and... 

The site must develop a documented system for determining what hazard data is necessary, obtain such data, evaluate and analyze the data for process safety issues and incorporate the information into the new product introduction and/or process hazard analysis program. 

Review of design and construction plans, drawings, and specifications for life safety systems, fire protection systems, access, water supplies, processes, and hazardous materials and other fire and life safety issues... 

Management of Process Hazards—API Recommended Practice 750, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. Management of Process Hazards-was first issued in 1990 and reaffirmed in May 1995. It appears that OSHA s Process Safety Management Law—1910.119 is based upon this well-worded pamphlet. 

The American Petroleum Institute (API) maintains cooperation between U.S. government and industry on all petroleum-related issues of U.S. concern. The API provides process hazards and process safety seminars, but they are best known to some of us for their valuable publications. The API generates easy-to-read and easy-to-understand technical standards of design and fire protection. They also provide equipment inspection guides that are applicable in most plants. Specific information about their large number of standards can be obtained at their website. 

Process Safety Reviews for Capital Projects. The need for process safety reviews of capital projects, whether new or revised facilities, has been a recognized feature of engineering organizations. These reviews must be comprehensive and systematic. It is best to do reviews early to avoid costly modifications later. Not only do process hazards need to be identified and addressed by the design, but broader issues should be considered, such as ... 

On February 24, 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated a final rule, 29 CFR Part 1910.119, Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals. OSHA administrates regulations whose objectives are primarily involved with protecting workers. This can be regarded as inside the fence line. This is a safety issue and is addressed in this section. The rule requires employers to effectively manage the process... 

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