A review of accidents, prevention and mitigation options related to hazardous gases

Technical Report · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10173531· OSTI ID:10173531

Fthenakis, V M

Statistics on industrial accidents are incomplete due to lack of specific criteria on what constitutes a release or accident. In this country, most major industrial accidents were related to explosions and fires of flammable materials, not to releases of chemicals into the environment. The EPA in a study of 6,928 accidental releases of toxic chemicals revealed that accidents at stationary facilities accounted for 75% of the total number of releases, and transportation accidents for the other 25%. About 7% of all reported accidents (468 cases) resulted in 138 deaths and 4,717 injuries ranging from temporary respiratory problems to critical injuries. In-plant accidents accounted for 65% of the casualties. The most efficient strategy to reduce hazards is to choose technologies which do not require the use of large quantities of hazardous gases. For new technologies this approach can be implemented early in development, before large financial resources and efforts are committed to specific options. Once specific materials and options have been selected, strategies to prevent accident initiating events need to be evaluated and implemented. The next step is to implement safety options which suppress a hazard when an accident initiating event occurs. Releases can be prevented or reduced with fail-safe equipment and valves, adequate warning systems and controls to reduce and interrupt gas leakage. If an accident occurs and safety systems fail to contain a hazardous gas release, then engineering control systems will be relied on to reduce/minimize environmental releases. As a final defensive barrier, the prevention of human exposure is needed if a hazardous gas is released, in spite of previous strategies. Prevention of consequences forms the final defensive barrier. Medical facilities close by that can accommodate victims of the worst accident can reduce the consequences of personnel exposure to hazardous gases.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 10173531
• Report Number(s): BNL--49192; ON: DE93017622
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
CHEMICALS METABOLISM AND TOXICOLOGY
CONTROL SYSTEMS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
EXPLOSIONS
FIRES
GASES
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
INJURIES
MITIGATION
PERSONNEL
PUBLIC HEALTH
RECOMMENDATIONS
SAFEGUARDS
SAFETY ENGINEERING
STATISTICS