Safety records, analysis

This report is by Battelle Columbus Division to the Line Pipe Research Supervisory Committee of the American Gas Association. It presents an analysis of statistical data obtained from reports of lea)c or rupture (service) incidents and test failures in natural gas transmission and gathering lines over the 14.5 year period from 1970 through June, 1984. All gas transmission companies were required to notify the Office of Pipeline Safety Operations in the event of a "reportable" incident, as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of the study is to organize the reportable incident data into a meaningful format from which the safety record of the industry can be assessed. 

Anecdotal evidence obtained from visual analysis of structures of several closely related toxic and nontoxic drugs suggests that drugs that lack toxicophores have a superior safety record, especially with regards to IADRs.15 The evidence... 

While the Act specifies no criteria for measuring the severity of risk, two considerations seem logically relevant. First, what is the probability that the product defect will in fact injure consumers In other words, what fraction of the consumers who are exposed to the product will be injured Second, in those cases where the product will cause injury, what type of injury will occur Will that injury be death, serious bodily harm or merely minor injury In applying these considerations to specific products, the product s historical safety record will undoubtedly be relevant, as will an analysis of the conditions which must be present in order for the product defect to result in injury. In the latter con-... 

Due to the potential impacts and safety record of some of the carriers, corporate commissioned a QRA of all pesticide tank truck operations that were escalated as a higher-risk issue from the semi-quantitative risk analysis. The focus of this example is on a single origin-designation pair from the Asian facility. 

In order to facihtate the understanding of the approach, two examples are provided to illustrate the main steps of the structural safety study. It will present how relevant parameters can be identified by means of theoretical approach hke FMECA, safety margin analysis, failure probabUity etc. These relevant parameters, say the drivers of the structural safely, will be taken into account and monitored in the manufacturing process through inspechons, control, and recording. This will enable to ensure that these parameters wiU not be missed with a probability equivalent to the safety and/or rehabihty target specified in the theoretical requirements. 

In a planned observation, the supervisor selects the employee and the job to observe. The supervisor also decides the most suitable time. Some supervisors may want to make assignments for planned job safety observations. The basic tool for making a planned observation is job safety/hazard analysis (JSA/JHA). (If a JSA/JHA is not used, the supervisor must be completely familiar with the job steps, job hazards, and safe job procedures.) The supervisor should observe the employee doing a complete job cycle, paying attention to safe or unsafe procedures and conditions. A Planned Job Safety Observation Form should be used (see Table 14.1). All safe practices noted should result in a sincere compliment to the employee involved while any unsafe actions call for appropriate corrective measures. In either instance, the supervisor should make an observation record. A planned safety observation is a valuable loss prevention tool. 

One reason for the relatively good safety record of the chemical industry is the focus on training and procedures. Each of the companies that I have worked for had an emphasis on safety. There were safety committees, safety inspections, mandatory safety training, and an overall safety culture. Many things are formalized. For example, new processes undergo a formalized Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) conducted by experienced people. Also, a Hazard and Operabihty Analysis (HAZOP) is done. Operating procedures are standardized (SOP) to prevent mishaps. 

Ammonia is extensively transported by rail car. The type of tank cars used in the U.S. for transportation of anhydrous ammonia as well as their safety aspects, inspections and safety record are discussed in [28]. Here also two accidents involving ammonia tank cars are dealt with. The detailed description of the accident which occurred in 1976 at Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is described in [29,49]. This accident was due to a derailment as two trains passed each other. The tank head of an ammonia car was punctured by a coupler of an adjacent car. One of the conclusions of the analysis is that if the tank car had been provided with head shields, the tank head would not have been punctured during the derailment. Another accident in which a railroad tank car carrying anhydrous ammonia suffered a puncture is described in [30]. This tank car contained about 75 t of anhydrous ammonia at a pressure of 4 to 5 atm. The handling of the railroad derailments involving anhydrous ammonia and other hazardous materials is discussed in [31]. Computer-aided ammonia rail car loading is described in [32]. 

The USPS attributes the 2.35 percent improvement in its annual safety record to risk analysis, training and employee awareness efforts. The USPS has 164 worksites in OSHA s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and uses the Ergonomic Risk Reduction Process (ERRP) to reduce the number and severity of musculoskeletal disorders, build labor/management teams with ergonomic skills and cultivate partnerships to identify and control ergonomic risk. ... 

Safety variables, safety settings, trip signals, and self-check results of the reactor protection system are provided to the Supervision and Control System (SCS), through a one way, electrically isolated interface. This enables the efficient use of reactor instruments, avoiding duplication, while improving presentation by the use of SCS visual display units, and enabling enhanced recording/analysis of safety events. 

The audit team, through its systematic analysis, should document areas that require corrective action as well as where the process safety management system is effective. This provides a record of the audit procedures and findings and serves as a baseline of operation data for future audits. It will assist in determining changes or trends in future audits. 

For a major incident investigation using a comprehensive root cause analysis system, teams will be formed to acquire information relevant to determine the structure and analyze the causes in depth. In addition to evaluations of the immediate causes, imderlying causes are likely to be evaluated by investigations in areas such as safety and quality management. Both paper- and computer-based systems will be used to acquire and record information for subsequent detailed analyses. 

---