Safety technology

The need for legislation to give work people protection in the jobs they were forced by circumstances to undertake became a matter of increasing urgency as the Industrial Revolution got under way bringing in its train an enormous toll of horrendous injuries. Machines were being developed to increase the output per worker that paid scant regard to the worker s health or safety. 

Initially the major area of concern was the dangerous nature of the machinery but as we became more industrialized and the machinery more complex, a vast range of chemicals has been introduced to aid productivity and to improve the finished product - chemicals whose short and long term health effects are often little understood. 

In modern industry and commerce many of the methods of protection have a technical background and a considerable degree of expertise is necessary to ensure those methods are effective against the hazards faced. 

This part deals with various of those hazards and the techniques needed to give an acceptable level of protection. 

Of the vast range of chemicals and substances in use in industry, commerce and other areas of employment, many are harmless. However, there are also a considerable number of substances in use which have a high potential to cause harm and ill-health - substances hazardous to health usually referred to as hazardous substances. 

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Facilities Reviews There are many lands of facilities reviews that are useful in detec ting and preventing process safety problems. They include pre-start-up reviews (before the plant operates), new-plant reviews (the plant has started, but is stiU new), reviews of existing plants (safety, technology, and operations audits and reviews), management reviews, critical instrument reviews, and hazardous materials transportation reviews. 

The combination of explosion safety technologies can provide more effective safety than is possible by deploying just one safety measure. In this respect, the improved capabilities of explosion suppression further enhance overall explosion protection capabihty. 

T. A. Kletz and H. G. Lawley, in A. E. Green (editor), High Risk Safety Technology, Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1982, Chapter 2.1. 

Howard, W. B. 1988. Process Safety Technology and the Responsibility of Industry. Chemical Engineering Progress, 84(9), 25-33 (September 1988). 

More complex processes require more complex safety technology. Many industrialists even believe that the development and application of safety technology is actually a constraint on the growth of the chemical industry. 

Safety technology must work right the first time. Usually, there is no opportunity to adjust or improve its operation. 

The second edition has been rewritten to include new process safety technology and new references that have appeared since the first edition was published in 1990. It also includes our combined experiences of teaching process safety in both industry and academia during the past 10 years. 

The National Centre for Food Safety Technology, is spearheading several packaging related efforts to expand the fist of polymers that can be used for packaging in food irradiation applications. This comprehensive article explains and describes the current situation in the field of irradiated foods and packaging and provides an update on impending approval for processed and red meats. The industry is concerned to uphold and maintain public confidence in the processed food and irradiated food supply. 

With the support and direction of its advisory and management boards, CCPS established a multifaceted program to address the need for process safety technology and management systems to reduce potential exposures to the public, the environment, personnel and facilities. Over the past several years, CCPS has extended its publication program to include a "Concept Series" of books. These books are focused on more specific topics than the longer, more comprehensive Guidelines series and are intended to complement them. With the issuance of this title, CCPS has published 80 books. 

Companies with strong chemical reactivity hazard management programs should strive to benefit from the latest advances in process safety technology, and keep abreast of technological advances through active participation in professional and trade associations. 

In 1985, AIChE established the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) in response to the Bhopal tragedy. Manufacturers, government, and scientific research groups sponsor CCPS, which has published extensive industry guidance in the area of process safety technology and management. CCPS recently produced a safety alert on reactive hazards, and a more comprehensive product is under development. 

Hcrshkowitz, A. Without a Trace Handling Medical Waste Safety, Technology Review (MIT), 35 (August/September 1990). 

Raw materials, process streams, products and waste of any new process that has reached the pilot or production plant stage shall be reviewed and evaluated to determine if any potential reactive chemical hazards are involved. The GPM process fGlobal Project Methodology) requires an evaluation of the need to complete a project version review of the RC/PHA (Reactive Chemicals Process Hazard Assessment) review. This evaluation and recommendation is to be done by a member of the Process Safety Technology Center organization and should follow the RC/PHA protocol. 

Apart from separation considerations, Fig. 6.191 shows a very general principle in safety technology the principle of redundancy, in this case the doubling of components relevant to current and voltage limitation (resistors connected in series, Zener diodes in parallel). 

Since ASA has been on the market for over three decades and has thus acquired a certain maturity, it would be easy to conclude that no more major innovations can be expected from such a product. However, several important new fields of application are currently being developed. Among these are solar and safety technology and automotive body panels. 

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