Apr 15, 2015

Lessons learnt from process safety accidents - an article from insurancenewsnet.com


A good article is found on the above title, narrating lessons from five less known accidents. The lessons are,

  1. containment of water from fire fighting operations to avoid contamination of water sources in the rundown 
  2. to consider all auxiliary equipment also as important as main plant equipment for understanding hazards
  3. not to ignore hazards and need for monitoring even during shutdown 
  4. positive isolation, purging and checking for hazardous atmospheres (using flame is not a correct check for presence of flammable atmosphere)
  5. follow written approval system to override interlocks
  6. follow safety permit procedures
  7. identify the correct equipment before taking up work
  8. communicate with clear identification while handing over the equipment for maintenance
  9. ensure physical check by another agency before permitting equipment operation/maintenance
  10. hazards from dust, propagation of dust explosions
  11. preparation of emergency response management, with detailed instructions for every type of emergency
  12. good house keeping
  13. establish process safety management procedures
  14. inculcate good safety culture, starting from the top management