TABLE OF CONTENTS When you have studied this chapter, you will understand:
the main types and causes of hazardous incident in process plants; and
how to identify hazards and risks.
This chapter addresses step 2, "Identify the Hazards and Potential Incidents," of risk management in Figure 1-4.
A common question asked by senior managers is: "Have any of our operations any major hazards, that is, the potential to cause a major incident that would be damaging to us or to others?"
If the answer to that question is "Yes!" then the next question is: "How should we get started, and where?"
This section aims to answer those questions.
The types of major hazard (to people, the environment, and property) inherent in operations of industrial and other activities are generally derived from the energy of the "systems" in operation. The types of energy include:
kinetic energy (e.g., the momentum of moving vehicles, such as in a collision resulting in damage to the vehicle and to the object which is struck);
"potential energy" (e.g., the energy of heavy weights that can fall, such as structures, materials being handled);
chemical energy (e.g., the heat energy obtained from combustion of materials or goods being transported, which may result in fires, explosions, fireballs, etc.);
"toxic energy" (this is a rather unfortunate term, but includes the toxic effect of chemicals, asbestos, etc., on people and the environment, such as may arise from toxic gas escapes or spillages of environmentally...
