Faculty of Chemical

Engineering
Universiti Teknologi MARA

Process Safety - CPE615

What is Hazard?

Unsafe condition and unsafe acts that could

potentially cause accidents/ harm

Process Safety - CPE615

What do you know about hazard..??

Process Safety - CPE615

Sources of Hazards
 The work environment

 Equipment/plant/process
Man
 Substances/materials
Machine
 Work system
Method
 People Material
Milieu

Process Safety - CPE615

Elimination of hazards
(unsafe conditions) may help
eliminating accidents…….

But, before you can do something about a

hazard you must identify and recognise it
first.

Process Safety - CPE615

Hazard Identification
 The identification and understanding of hazards is
a fundamental requirement for all businesses,
ranging from offices through to major hazard
installations.
 Should be viewed as an integral part of securing the
long term profitable development of the business.
 Hazard identification is to identify:
 The hazards that will exist
 The consequences that may occur due to these hazards
 The likelihood that these events may take place
 The likelihood that safety system and emergency system
will functionProcess
properly
Safety - CPE615
 Identify the potential hazard from the image.

Process Safety - CPE615

Process Safety - CPE615
Hazards identification objectives:

 To improve the safety reliability and operability

of a project by recognising and eliminating or
reducing potential hazards at the design stage as
well as through the whole project lifecycle,
 To avoid endangering the health and safety of
the plant employees and nearby public, and
 To avoid loss of properties which will cause
serious financial and economic loss.
Process Safety - CPE615
When to carry out hazard
identification…???
• Before and during :
• Introduction of new plant, equipment, process, materials
• Alteration to the plant, equipment, workplace
• Change to the way the plant, equipment and area is used
• Change to the work system
• Change in location of the plant, equipment or people
• If new or additional health or safety information
associated with plant, equipment, materials or
other item becomes available.
• After an incident, accident or workplace illness.
Process Safety - CPE615
When to carry out hazard
identification…???
The whole plant lifecycle

Process Safety - CPE615

Basic approach to hazard
identification and risk assessment
 Identify the types of hazards – these may be
chemical, electrical, physical, mechanical,
fire/explosion or health hazards or a
combination of these.
 Identify the individual hazards which might
arise and under what conditions this might
happen.
 Evaluate the possible consequences arising from
this hazard (to people, the environment,
financial impact or any combination of these).
Process Safety - CPE615
Basic approach to hazard
identification and risk assessment
 Evaluate the likelihood of the consequence
arising.
 Identify the prevention, control and mitigation
measures in place to limit the consequences and
/ or reduce the likelihood.
 Assess if these measures are adequate and
reduce the risk to “as low as reasonably
practicable (ALARP)”.
Process Safety - CPE615
Basic approach to hazard
identification and risk assessment

 Introduce additional measures if required and

have a plan of action to deliver these.
 Review the assessment periodically to ensure it
remains valid in the light of regulatory changes,
new technology and changes in risk levels
considered “tolerable” by society.

Process Safety - CPE615

The process of hazard
identification can also assist in:
 Revealing hazards which were overlooked in the
original design & installation of plant,
equipment, operating procedures & setting-up
of associated work systems;
 Detecting hazards which have developed after
the plant, equipment or work system has been
established;
 Highlighting any ergonomics problems
associated with the plant, equipment, operating
procedures;
Process Safety - CPE615
The process of hazard
identification can also assist in:
 Indicating any environmental factors e.g. poor
lighting, that may contribute to an accident.
 Determining methods for ongoing monitoring to
achieve optimum OHS standards.
 Highlighting any training requirements.

Process Safety - CPE615

Components of Hazard
Identification
• Develop a register for all hazardous items
• Must list all items with details on the location and usage.
• One person must be given responsibility for maintaining the
register in each area. (PIC)
• Analyse available information about the potential
hazards associated with each item and work system,
e.g.:
• Check accident/incident reports
• Check breakdown/maintenance records
• Check recommended training information, instructions
• Check codes of practice/standards

Process Safety - CPE615

Components of Hazard
Identification
• Inspect the workplace to identify hazards.
Analyse:
• The environment.
• The system of work.
• The piece of plant, equipment, chemicals or other item itself.
• Record the hazard identification on:
• Hazard identification checklist, and/or
• Hazard identification worksheet, and/or
• Register.

Process Safety - CPE615

Hazard Control Hierarchy
No. Control Description/Example
Method
1. Eliminate Completely remove the hazard from the workplace so
that it is not there.
2. Substitute Replace the material or process with a less hazardous
one.
3. Isolate Place a barrier or similar between the hazard and people
within the workplace (e.g. a fence surrounding the
hazard).
4. Engineering Install or using additional machinery. (e.g ventilation
controls system, guarding on machinery, sensor system).
5. Administrative Safety briefings, safety trainings, work procedure, safety
controls awareness signage.
6. PPE “Last line of defence” to protect a worker if the above
measures
Process Safety -have
CPE615failed.
Layers of Protection in Process
Plant
Layer 1:Basic Process Control
Maintain variables at set points
Layer 2: Alarms
Alert operators
Layer 3: Safety Interlock System
Automatic action usually stops part of plant operation
to achieve safe conditions.

Process Safety - CPE615

Layers of Protection in Process
Plant
Layer 4: Relief
Automatically provide exit path for fluids
Layer 5: Containment
Use to moderate the impact of a spill or an escape
(e.g. bunding for storage tank, diversion to temporary
storage)
Layer 6: Emergency Response
Moderate the impact of incidents. A must for every
workplace.
Process Safety - CPE615
Inherent Safety
 Relies on the chemistry and physics to prevent
accidents rather than on control systems,
interlocks, etc.
 Major approach to inherently safer process
design:
 intensification
 substitution
 attenuation
 limitation of effects
 simplification/error tolerance
Process Safety - CPE615
Inherent Safety
 New words proposed:
 minimise (to replace intensification)
 substitute (substitution)
 moderate (to replace attenuation and limitation
of effects)
 simplify (to replace simplification and error
tolerance)

Process Safety - CPE615

Inherent Safety
Minimise (intensification)
 Change from large batch reactor to a smaller
continuous reactor
 Reduce storage inventory of raw materials
 Improve control to reduce inventory of hazardous
intermediate chemicals.
 Reduce process hold-up
 Use smaller quantities of hazardous substances in
the reactors, distillation columns, storage vessels.
 Minimizes storage and transportation
Process Safety - CPE615
Inherent Safety
Substitute (substitution)
 Use safer materials in place of the hazardous
ones.
 Use solvent that is less toxic.
 Use mechanical gauges vs. mercury
 Use water as a heat transfer fluid instead of hot
oil.
 Replace toxic or flammable solvent with water
based paints and adhesives

Process Safety - CPE615

Inherent Safety
Moderate (attenuation and limitation of effects)
 Use hazardous material but under less hazardous
condition
 Reduce process temperatures and pressure
 Refrigerate storage vessels to lower the vapor
pressure
 Dissolve hazardous material in safe solvent
 Operate at conditions where reactor runaway is
not possible
 Place control room away from operations
 Separate pump rooms from other rooms
Process Safety - CPE615
Inherent Safety
Simplify (simplification and error tolerance)
 Keep piping systems neat and visually easy to
follow
 Design control panels that are easy to
comprehend
 Design plants for easy and safe maintenance
 Pick equipment that requires less maintenance
 Label vessels and controls to enhance
understanding.

Process Safety - CPE615

 Identify the potential hazard from the image.

Process Safety - CPE615

Process Safety - CPE615
Toxic Release Fire

Explosion
Hazard from Toxic Substances
 There are no harmless substance,
only harmless ways of using substances
 Toxicants
 A chemical agents
 A physical (dusts, fibers, noise, and radiation)
agents, e.g. asbestos
 Toxicity is a property of toxicant that describe its
effect on biological organism.
 Toxic hazards is the likelihood of damage to
biological organism based on exposure
resulting from the use/transport/storage of the
toxicants (hazardous material).
Hazard from Toxic Substances
 Effects that are Irreversible
 Carcinogen-cause cancer
 Mutagen-cause chromosome (gene) damage
 Teratogen- cause birth defects
 Effects that may or may not be irreversible
 Dermatotoxic – affects skin
 Hemotoxic – affects blood
 Hepatotoxic- affects liver
 Nephrotoxic – affects kidneys
 Neutotoxic – affects nervous system
 Pulmonotoxic- affects lungs
Fire
Jet Fire
Flash Fire
Pool Fire
Jet fires
 A jet fire is the combustion of material
emerging with significant momentum from an
orifice, from a source under pressure, e/g. a
flammable liquid or gas is ignited after its
release from a pressurized, punctured vessel or
pipe.
 The pressure release generates a long flame
which is stable under most conditions.
 The duration of a jet fire is determined by the
release rate and the capacity of the source.
 Flame length increase directly with flow
rate.
 Crosswinds affect flame length.
 An increase in crosswind velocity causes
the flame to bend over quickly and be
convected by the wind.
 The flame length increases with
crosswind velocity.
 A jet flame is similar to a Bunsen burner
flame
Jet Fire
POOL FIRE
 A pool fire is the combustion of flammable
vapor evaporating from a layer of liquid at
the base of the fire.
 It occurs on ignition of an accumulation of
liquid as a pool on the ground or on water
or other liquid.
 A steadily burning fire is rapidly achieved
as the vapor to sustain the fire is provided
by the evaporation of the liquid by heat
from the flames.
Pool Fire
Flash Fire/Vapor Cloud Fire
 Occurs when a vapour cloud forms from a leak
and is ignited, but without creation of
significant overpressure.
 Released a flammable vapour from a process
equipment or pipe followed by ignition
 If the ignition is prompt, the cloud may be
modest in size, but if the cloud has time to
spread over an appreciable part of the site and
is than ignited, a major vapour cloud fire may
result.
 It is a quick and short phenomenon which can
be accompanied by mechanical effects (blast).
Flash Fire
Important terms
Shock wave: An abrupt pressure wave (energy front)
generated due to sudden release of energy, which move in the
medium.
Blast wave: A shock wave in open air generally followed by
strong wind, the combined shock and wind is called blast
wave
Overpressure: The pressure on an object as a result of an
impacting shock wave
Deflagration: An explosion in which the reaction front
(energy front) moves at a speed less than the speed of the
sound in the medium.
Detonation: An explosion in which the reaction front
(energy front) moves at a speed greater than the speed of the
sound in the medium.
 Types of Explosion
 Vapor Cloud Explosion
 BLEVE
 Dust Explosion
Vapor Cloud Explosion
 The most dangerous and destructive explosions in
the chemical process industries

 When flammable vapour is released to the

atmosphere, it will form a cloud suspended in the
air, filling the atmosphere to a height limited by
its density.

 If it is ignited at some early stages, flash fire will

be formed.

 However if ignition is delayed and triggered

within the explosive limit, it will generate more
devastating effect known as the VCE.
Phillips Pasadena, USA

• 23rd Oct. 1989

• 23 Deaths 130 Injuries
• Vapour Cloud explosion
• Loss US$ 500 Millions
BLEVE
B L E V E
O I X A X
I Q P P P
L U A O L
I I N R O
N D D S
G I I
N O
G N
S

BLEVE is a consequence of holding a pressurized flammable liquids above its

boiling point.
Causes of BLEVE
 A BLEVE can be defined as a major failure of
container at a moment in time when the
contained liquid is at a temperature well above
its atmospheric pressure boiling point.

 The most common type of BLEVE occurs when a

pressure vessel that is partially filled with liquid
is exposed to a fire.
Mechanism of BLEVE
• The fire weakens the portion of the
tank shell that is contacted by the
flame and that is not in contact with
liquid.
• Simultaneously, the flame heat the
liquid in the tank, increasing the
equilibrium pressure and ultimately
the tank pressure.
• At some point the tank weakens so
much that internal pressure is
sufficient to cause the vessel to
rupture.
Mechanism of BLEVE
• Fragments of the tank are
propelled away from the tank
location with great force.
• The liquid remaining in the
tank at the time of rupture is
subject to rapid flash
vaporization that atomizes
much of the liquid.
• A fireball is created by
burning vapour and liquid at
it expands outward.
 Second type of BLEVE is that which occurs
mechanically damage tanks.
 In some cases, the damage done to a pressurized tank
of liquefied gas in a transportation accident has been
sufficient to cause an immediate catastrophic failure
of the tank.
 In other cases, the damage to the tanks appeared to
be minor, but the stresses imposed on the
mechanically damaged areas were sufficient to cause
the tank to fail catastrophically at a later time.
 In this instances, BLEVE’s can occur with out the
presence of a fire and might or might not followed by
fireball.
 A third type of BLEVE can occur if a pressure
vessel is allowed to become completely filled
with liquid.
 As the temperature rises, the pressure relief
capacity is insufficient to keep the internal
pressure from exceeding the strength of the
tank.
 This type of BLEVE can occur with out the
presence of a fire and might or might not be
followed by a fireball.
BLEVE
DUST EXPLOSION
 Any combustible material (and some materials
normally considered non-combustible) can burn
rapidly when in a finely divided form.
 If such a dust is suspended in air in the right
concentration, it can become explosive.
 The force from such an explosion can cause employee
deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings.
 Materials that may form combustible
dust include metals (such as aluminium
and magnesium), wood, coal, plastics,
bio solids, sugar, paper, soap, dried
blood, and certain textiles.
 In many accidents, employers and
employees were unaware that a hazard
even existed.