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Evaluate the consequences of incidents--Part 2

Journal Article · · Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States)
OSTI ID:5977805
The final Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Rule on Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals applies to storage and handling of listed toxic and reactive chemicals in excess of specified threshold quantities and to storage and handling of flammables in excess of 10,000 lb. in one location. One of the key elements of the PSM program is the hazard analysis which must be performed on each process. To evaluate the consequences of incidents involving hazardous materials, hypothetical events must be considered under hypothetical circumstances. In the case of a hazardous material release, the precise manner in which the release is presumed to occur must be defied carefully, since this definition will influence the severity of consequences greatly. The complete rupture of a large diameter pipe is entirely different from a pin hole leak at a small-diameter threaded connection. How, why and where a particular release could occur needs to be established by using appropriate hazard identification methods such as HAZOP. In addition, a determination of likelihood of occurrence needs to be made since the risk posed by a particular release scenario depends on both likelihood and severity of consequences. Complete rupture of a large diameter pipe may or may not be especially likely to occur in a specific process in a specific plant. An appropriate method needs to be established for assessing likelihood. In this second and final part of this article, the authors discuss evaluating consequences of toxic releases, flammable releases and explosions involving reactive materials. Also presented are some simple techniques that will assist in establishing on-site safety and health effects of hazardous materials incidents.
OSTI ID:
5977805
Journal Information:
Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States), Journal Name: Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States) Vol. 89:2; ISSN 0360-7275; ISSN CEPRA8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English