Assignment 01

Risk Management Report

Safety Health and Environmental Engineering

(NG4S244)

Index no : 30052157
Name : Ranasinghe Pushpakumara
Course : M.Sc. mechanical Engineering

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Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1

2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................ 2

2.1 Aim of the report ....................................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 2

3 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................. 2

3.1 Risk management ...................................................................................................................... 2

3.2 Hazards in chemical manufacturing .......................................................................................... 2

3.2.1 Chemical hazards ............................................................................................................... 2

3.2.2 Biological hazards .............................................................................................................. 3

3.2.3 Confined spaces.................................................................................................................. 4

3.2.4 Ergonomic hazards ............................................................................................................. 4

3.3 Asses the risk ............................................................................................................................. 4

3.4 Control the risk .......................................................................................................................... 6

4 CASE STUDY ................................................................................................................................. 7

4.1 Background ................................................................................................................................ 7

4.2 Hazards related to the incident .................................................................................................. 7

4.3 Poor risk management ............................................................................................................... 7

4.4 Risk controlling and prevention ................................................................................................ 8

5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 9

6 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 10

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Table of Figures
Figure 1health hazard symbol .................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 1health hazard symbol .................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 2 corrosion hazard symbol ............................................................................................................ 3
Figure 2 corrosion hazard symbol ............................................................................................................ 3
Figure 3 fire hazard symbol ..................................................................................................................... 4

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1 INTRODUCTION
Health, safety, and environmental engineering is one of the most important aspects of work relations
and human resources. Safety is defined as the ability of the physical body to move regularly, healthily,
and away from danger and injury without experiencing emotional distress or psychological harm (Foot
et al., 2016). Health is the state of having a healthy body, including both physical and mental well-being,
and not having any ailments or injuries that prevent one from engaging in regular physical activity (Foot
et al., 2016). The organization also places a high priority on the health and safety of its workers.
Environmental engineering is defined as the method of using science and technology to protect the
environment from hazardous substitutes. Therefore, in health, safety, and environmental engineering,
there are two main aspects that need to be achieved. which are occupational safety and process safety.
• Occupational safety is the wellbeing of the employees who are engaged in the work in hazardous
or non-hazardous environment
• Process safety is the safety of the process, which can harm the environment or an employee’s
wellbeing.
By achieving these two goals, every accident and disaster that could happen at any workplace can be
prevented. To achieve these goals, it is essential to adopt a risk management process that includes risk
assessment, implementation of control measures when needed, monitoring, and periodic review of the
risk. Not implementing a good risk management process can cause catastrophic and fatal incidents and
accidents.
Manufacturing and production process are often involved with hazardous chemicals and process
which sometimes can be fatal and catastrophic in mistakes. In this report poor risk management that
caused in fatal accident in chemical manufacturing plant will be discussed.

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2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
2.1 Aim of the report
The aim of this report is to understand the importance of risk management system in health, safety and
environmental engineering by using case study
2.2 Objectives
• Literature review of health, safety and environmental hazard in chemical production plant.
• Literature review of risk management and Controlling methods in chemical production plant.
• Case study of Risk management failure and prevention of such failures

3 LITERATURE REVIEW
3.1 Risk management
Risk management is one the effective tool that help to minimize the risk and prevent workplace
accidents and disasters.in definition risk management is evaluation, and prioritization of hazards, then
the coordinated and cost-effective implementation of resources to minimize, monitor over, and/or
manage the likelihood and/or consequences of adverse events. There are four main steps in any risk
management process as below,
• Identify the hazard
• Asses the risk
• Control the risk
• monitor and review the safety measures.

3.2 Hazards in chemical manufacturing

A hazard is anything that has the potential to result in an accident, disease, property damage, or
environmental harm in the context of occupational health and safety. Each workplace has risks to
employee health and safety. Some are simple to spot and fix, while others are unavoidable aspects of the
job and need to be handled through a variety of control techniques. Followings are the major hazards
that can be seen in the chemical production plants

3.2.1 Chemical hazards

Any material, regardless of form, that has the potential to endanger people's physical and mental
health or cause environmental harm is considered a chemical hazard. It can also be described as the real
danger posed by a particular chemical, such as the potential for skin burns, breathing issues, irritation
on eyes, long-lasting environmental harm such as creating toxic vapor clouds and corrosion. There are
few types of chemical hazards and their symbols as follow

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 • Health hazards
chemicals with potentially harmful long-term effects on health. Chemicals that are known
to cause cancer are also known as carcinogens. It is important to remember that even a small
amount of this type of chemical can seriously harm human health, regardless of whether it
is considered to be natural or man-made.

Figure 1health hazard symbol

Figure 2health hazard symbol

• Corrosive hazards
According to OSHA, a corrosive is "a substance that, at the site of contact, produces
observable destruction of, or irreversible modifications in living tissue." Corrosives are
classified as hazard class 8 in the DOT system of hazard classes. Corrosives can exist in the
states of liquid, solid, or gas. If exposed, corrosive substances can have serious effects on
the eyes, skin, respiratory system, and digestive system. Corrosive solids and their dusts can
cause exposure when they interact with moisture on the skin or in the respiratory system.

Figure 3 corrosion hazard symbol

Figure 4 corrosion hazard symbol

3.2.2 Biological hazards

A biological hazard is any injury brought on by a virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite, etc.Some
chemicals and working conditions in chemical production plants can promote harmful bacteria and
viruses. When employees are exposed to these harmful bacteria and viruses, they can get sick. These
dangers are classified as biological dangers.Fire and explosion hazards
Fire and explosion dangers are among the most prevalent hazards within a chemical plant or
refinery. There are several flammable liquids and gases, as well as other dangerous compounds, present

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inside chemical plants and refineries at any given time, all of which have the potential to ignite under
the correct conditions.

Figure 5 fire hazard symbol

3.2.3 Confined spaces

Despite the fact that chemical facilities and refineries may be rather vast, the workspaces might be
very small. This can include places where a person might perform their daily tasks, such as reactors,
vessels, ducks, or tanks. If managers and employees fail to take the proper safety measures while
working in these cramped areas, serious risks may result. The accumulation of dangerous airborne
pollutants that cause an oxygen shortage is one of the main risks associated with working in confined
spaces. Furthermore, enclosed areas can quickly get hot, and they also pose serious risks in the case of
a fire or explosion.

3.2.4 Ergonomic hazards

Physical factors like as posture, working circumstances, and the nature of the job are all regarded as
ergonomic risks. Musculoskeletal injuries could come from these hazards. Because their consequences
take a few hours to appear, ergonomic hazards might result in injuries that are challenging to detect
straight immediately. These injuries might result in serious issues in addition to sore muscles when
exposed for a long time. These dangers require rigorous investigation since they are so difficult to
identify.
• Equipment placed incorrectly
• less workspace is available
• Repetitive motions, subpar equipment design, poor workstation design, and manual handling.

3.3 Asses the risk

After identifying the hazards, the next important step in safety management is to assess the risk of
each of these hazards. According to the HSE guidelines, the following details are considered to assess
the risk of each task:
• Who might be harm and how
Some people at work may be vulnerable, some may be less experienced, and some workers
may have certain requirements. Such as new or expectant mothers, young people, and
disabled workers. Even though employees are well experienced, certain working
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 conditions, such as lone workers and night workers, can expose them to more risk due to
their lack of attention.

• Likelihood of the hazards

The likelihood or probability of hazards is defined as the possibility of a hazardous
situation based on the facts of the possible exposure (time and concentration). The
likelihood of the hazard occurring is often ranked on a five-point scale:
➢ Frequent - 5: Likely to happen frequently over the course of an item's life
➢ Probable - 4: Will happen more than once during the course of an item.
➢ Occasional - 3: Likely to happen at some point in an item's lifespan.
➢ Remote - 2: Unlikely but nevertheless feasible to happen throughout the item's
lifetime.
➢ Improbable - 1: An occurrence is presumed to not occur if it is that improbable.
• Severity
According to a four-point scale, severity is generally rated according to the
potential harm or damage a hazard could cause.
➢ Catastrophic (4): Operating conditions are such that human error, the surrounding
environment, design flaws, element, subsystem, or component failure, or
procedural flaws may frequently result in death or substantial system loss,
necessitating an urgent stop to the risky activity or operation.
➢ Critical (3): Operating circumstances may frequently result in severe injury,
illness, or significant system damage, necessitating immediate corrective action.
This condition can be caused by human error, the environment, poor design, an
element, a subsystem, a component, or by procedural errors.
➢ Marginal (2): Operating conditions may frequently result in minor injury or illness
or minor system damage, allowing for the countermeasure or control of human
error, the environment, design flaws, subsystem or component failure, or
procedural flaws without suffering severe injury, illness, or major system damage.
➢ Neglectful (1) Operating circumstances are such that no, or only minor, disease,
injury, or system damage will result from personnel error, the environment,
design flaws, subsystem or component failure, or procedure shortcomings.

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3.4 Control the risk

Once the hazards of handling and using chemicals are identified and the risk is assessed, the next
stage is to put control measures in place. Using the strategy of the Hierarchy of Controls, also known as
the ERICPD method, is used to reduce and control the risk. The hierarchy is based on the effectiveness
the measure taken.

• Elimination: Eliminate the risk if possible, by changing the process and tools
• Education and Training: Make sure that everyone, including employees, is aware of the risk
and is aware of what to do. For instance, give toolbox talks on health-related topics or go over
the method statement during induction training.
• Substitution: You might use a less hazardous product or tool in place of a hazardous one.
• Control the risk at its source, such as by separating people from hazards by automating
operations, installing local exhaust ventilation in dusty processes, or employing manual handling
assistance when lifting heavy goods. replacing the current working model with one that requires
less manual handling
• Personal protective equipment: This is the least reliable form of protection and should only be
utilized as a last option. When PPE is offered, it must be free of charge, appropriate for the user,
come with adequate cleaning and storage provisions, and be frequently inspected to ensure it is
still in excellent working order.

There are two major regulations in the UK that focus on health and safety management. Which are
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999.Any
company which are not following these two regulations

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4 CASE STUDY
4.1 Background
Cristal Pigment UK Ltd of Stallingborough, near Grimsby is one of major company in the UK which
produce. integrated productions of titanium dioxide and inorganic chemicals.in 2010 due to the process
failure of the plant the 48-year-old Paul Doyley was covered in the poisonous vapour cloud and doused
in the corrosive liquid. He suffered injuries and passed away on March 18, 2010.Ron Ingoldby, a
colleague of his, was likewise obscured by the thick overcast. He is survived with life, but he has
irreparable lung damage. Due to allegations related to the incident on March 5, 2010, the company was
fined £1.8 million and £600,000 for violating the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. A hazardous
vapour was released uncontrollably on July 27, 2011, less than 1.5 years after the tragic accident, while
a superfluous vessel was being cleaned. The incident was charged under the Control of Major Accident
Hazards Regulations of 1999, and the firm was fined £600,000.

4.2 Hazards related to the incident

As a part of the chemical procedure titanium tetrachloride was build up an intermediate in the
process to produce titanium oxide and it stored in the vessels as residual. The chemical reacted violently
when it came into touch with water, rupturing the vessel. The liquid released a significant amount of
harmful vapor into the air when it came into touch with it. Water and titanium tetrachloride react
violently, creating a dense, white fume that is poisonous and corrosive. Aerosolized titanium oxychloride
poses an even greater risk to the respiratory system than the corrosive effects of hydrochloric acid on
any skin tissue. Also, as titanium tetrachloride is highly reactive with water it can lead to explosive
hazard at work and can injured the people who work inside the facility.
The massive hazardous vapor cloud quickly rose to several meters in height and spilled out of the
area as a thick, dense white cloud. Due to the strong wind, it blasted across the Humber River, and
created serious environmental problems in addition to closing down shipping channels for several hours.
If the wind blow to the opposite direction it could have cause in major local disaster

4.3 Poor risk management

The Health and Safety Executive's inquiry revealed that the corporation had departed from
standard operating standards, which contributed to the chemical's dangerous buildup. The corporation
had not set up strong safety management processes and systems of work to assess and control risk and
verify that these were really followed. Additionally, several parts of the facility and its procedures were
poorly constructed. The chemical company lacked formal safety management practises. According to
UK Health and Safety rules, all businesses must have appropriate risk assessments and controls in place,
however Cristal Pigment previously acknowledged they had not done so. Also, Health and Safety
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Executive's found that most of employees who work at the factory did not wearing Personal protective
Equipment (PPEs) and they were unaware of the danger of titanium tetrachloride have in health.
After the first incident company diced to clean vessels regularly. However, they didn’t adopt
safety procedures and employee were not trained to do such cleanings safely. This led to another major
incident in 2011. While a backup vessel was being cleaned, another uncontrolled leak of a poisonous
vapor occurred. Normally attached to the chemical manufacturing facility, the vessel was being replaced.
The previous vessel was taken out and kept in storage for almost three years with a significant amount
of leftover titanium tetrachloride. According to the HSE's inquiry, Cristal handled the design and
installation of the manufactured plates that were used to seal the vessel before cleaning it improperly.
The plates were incompatible, improperly made, and sealed with the wrong materials, making it
impossible to hold the gas produced throughout the technique, which resulted in the release of a
hazardous vapor cloud. After this incident It was found that lack of professionals and experts in the
company was one of the major issues.

4.4 Risk controlling and prevention

Cristal Pigment UK Ltd could have taken a few precautions to avoid the aforementioned
incidents.The very basic step was that the company could have provided personal protective equipment
so that they could have saved the lives of employees.As titanium tetrachloride is highly toxic and
corrosive, the following factors should be considered before providing PPE (personal protective
equipment) such as safety goggles, gowns, and masks:
➢ It must be suitable for the risks involved in the task at hand.
➢ It must be comfortable to use and correctly suit the person.
➢ kept up-to-date and replaced as directed by the manufacturer.
➢ If it is to be reused, it must be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.
➢ To avoid contamination and damage, the personal protective equipment must be kept after use
in a designated location away from the work area.
The next thing that Crystal Pigment Company could have done is adopt a good risk assessment
method and a robust management process. Also, the company could have hired experts in health and
safety management and experts in chemical engineering to identify the risk of the process where
dangerous substances are built. Furthermore, by performing regular tests in the vessels, the risk of
exposure to titanium tetrachloride and water could be reduced.Also, by adopting advanced production
processes that reduce the production of intermediate titanium tetrachloride, the risk could be eliminated.
Also, the company could have hired experienced industrial cleaners rather than doing it themselves. so
that experts in those areas can carry out the right procedures.
Education and training is one of the important method to manage risk at chemical industry.
employees must have proper training and good understand about type of chemicals before working in
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the factories. Also company must show proper symbols to identify the chemical hazards and employees
should have better understanding about each of symbols. Also, all the employees should have proper
trainings to handling emergency situations and should have basic experience of first aid treatments.
Also, it is important to have good management in the company who can take proper leadership
and responsibility to handle hazardous situations. For a example, Lack of responsibility and neglection
of the safety procedures led to a another major accident in Cristal pigment UK Ltd. In less than ½
years.by implementing these basic steps, Cristal pigment company could have easily prevented the this
major incident.

5 CONCLUSION
In the conclusion risk management is one of the major important topics in any industry and not
having proper risk management system can caused to a catastrophic events and accidents Specially. In
the chemical production industry, it very important because it can cause to a social disaster. Identifying
the chemical hazards and their reactions can be difficult in sometime due to the lack of expertise.
However, it’s important to educate employees before handling any chemical.
In Cristal Pigement UK Ltd, both incidents could have easily prevented, however due to the lack
of responsibility of the administrations and owners both accidents have occurred.

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6 REFERENCES

Drexler, H. (2003) “Skin protection and percutaneous absorption of chemical hazards,” International
Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 76(5), pp. 359–361. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-002-0423-4.

Gázquez, M.J. et al. (2014) “A review of the production cycle of titanium dioxide pigment,” Materials
Sciences and Applications, 05(07), pp. 441–458. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.4236/msa.2014.57048.

Hathaway, G.J. and Proctor, N.H. (2004) Proctor and Hughes' chemical hazards of the workplace.
Hoboken: Wiley-Interscience.

KAPIAS, T. and GRIFFITHS, R. (2005) “Accidental releases of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl) in the
context of major hazards?spill behaviour using REACTPOOL,” Journal of Hazardous Materials,
119(1-3), pp. 41–52. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2004.12.001.

Managing risks and risk assessment at work (no date) HSE. Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/risk-assessment-template-and-
examples.htm#article (Accessed: December 16, 2022).

Safety, H.& (2022) How to control chemical hazards, Occupational Health and Safety Blog.
Occupational Health and Safety Blog. Available at: https://www.hseblog.com/control-chemical-
hazards/ (Accessed: December 16, 2022).

Types of chemical hazards and how to manage them (no date) OSHA 8, 24 and 40 Hour HAZWOPER,
HAZMAT, DOT, RCRA Courses. Available at: https://hazwoper-osha.com/blog-post/types-of-
chemical-hazards-and-how-to-manage-them (Accessed: December 16, 2022).

Chapter 8 - Chemical Hazards (no date) Chapter 8 - Chemical Hazards | Environment, Health and
Safety. Available at: https://ehs.cornell.edu/research-safety/chemical-safety/laboratory-safety-
manual/chapter-8-chemical-hazards (Accessed: December 16, 2022).

Chemical firm fined £3m for toxic vapour cloud that killed worker (2016) The Guardian. Guardian News
and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/09/chemical-firm-
fined-3m-for-toxic-vapour-cloud-that-killed-worker (Accessed: December 16, 2022).

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