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Understanding Chemical Process Safety: Accidents, Hazards, and Ethics Overview

Dive into accident and loss statistics, models, engineering ethics, and perceptions in chemical process safety. Explore accident causation theories, ethical principles for engineers, and OSHA definitions. Enhance your knowledge of safety protocols and risk prevention strategies.

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Understanding Chemical Process Safety: Accidents, Hazards, and Ethics Overview

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  1. Accident and Loss Statistics Chemical Process Safety ChE 258

  2. Overview • Accidents • Models • Engineering Ethics • Loss Statistics • Perceptions • Example

  3. Definition • Accident – • is an undesired event that resulted in unwanted deterioration of • health of a living organism • value of an organization • quality of the environment

  4. Safety, Hazard, and Risk • Safety or loss prevention is the prevention of accidents by the use of appropriate technologies to identify the hazards of a chemical plant and to eliminate them before an accident occurs.

  5. Safety, Hazard, and Risk • A hazard is anything with potential for producing an accident • Risk is the probability of a hazard resulting in an accident.

  6. Struck by Contact by Caught in Caught between Foot-level Fall Exposure Struck against Contact with Caught out Overexertion Fall to below Types of Personnel Accidents

  7. Accident Causation Theory • “Acts of God” • “Pilot Error” – beginning of industrial revolution • “Mismanagement” – current legal leanings

  8. Heinrich Domino Theory Predictable chronological sequence of causal factors lead to accidents • Fault of person • Unsafe practices • Unsafe conditions • Accident, and • Loss • Developed by H.W. Heinrich in 1920’s

  9. Marcum’s 7 Domino Sequence of “Misactsidents” Supposes that all accidents can be avoided and that the liability resides with management • Inadequate preparation • Substandard performance • Miscompensated risks • Harmful contact incident • Adverse reaction • Sustained losses, and • Incurred costs

  10. System-Induced Error An accident occurs if a triggering event occurs at a time when the innate error tendencies of humans as determined by performance influencing factor lead to an error in an unforgiving environment Developed during the 1980’s

  11. System-Induced Error • Innate error tendencies of humans • Fallible memory • Reliance on rules • Information processing limitations

  12. System-Induced Error • Performance influencing factors • Physiological and Psychological state • Low motivation • Overloaded • Inadequate training

  13. System-Induced Errors • Unforgiving Environment • Absence of barriers (physical) to making errors • No support for recovery

  14. System-Induced Error An accident occurs if a triggering event occurs at a time when the innate error tendencies of humans as determined by performance influencing factor lead to an error in an unforgiving environment

  15. Chemical Engineering EthicsAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers Fundamental Principles Engineers shall uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by 1 using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare; 2 being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers, and clients; 3 striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession

  16. Chemical Engineering EthicsAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers Fundamental Canons 1 Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public in performance of their professional duties. 2 Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence. 3 Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. 4 Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.

  17. Chemical Engineering EthicsAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers Fundamental Canons 5 Engineers shall build their professional reputations on the merits of their services. 6 Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession. 7 Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision.

  18. OSHA • Occupational Safety and Health Administration • Established by Congress in 1970 in the “Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970” OHSAct • OSHA has defined terms related to work related losses

  19. OSHA Definitions • Occupational Injury is any injury such as a cut, fracture, sprain, amputation, etc. which results from an exposure involving a single incident in the work environment. From Table 1.2 in text

  20. OSHA Definitions • Occupational Illness of an employee is any abnormal condition or disorder, other than one resulting from an occupational injury caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment. It includes acute and chronic illnesses or diseases which may be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion, or direct contact.

  21. OSHA Definitions • Lost Workdays are those days which the employee would have worked but could not because of occupational injury or illness. Also need to account for diminished long term performance.

  22. OSHA Definitions • Recordable Cases are those involving an occupational injury or occupational illness, including deaths. Not recordable are first aid cases which involve onetime treatment and subsequent observation of minor scratches, cuts, burns, splinters, etc., which do not ordinarily require medical care.

  23. OSHA Definitions • Nonfatal cases without lost workdays are cases of occupational injury or illness which did not involve fatalities or lost workdays but did result in (1) transfer to another job or termination of employment, or (2) medical treatment other than first aid, or (3) diagnosis of occupational illness, or (4) loss of consciousness, or (5) restriction of work or motion.

  24. OSHA Definitions • There are tables of “lost work days” that are assigned to losses of various members of the body • Fatality is equivalent to 24 worker years

  25. OSHA Definitions • These “lost work days” are not only based on how long it will take to recover but also on the individuals diminished ability to carry out the job function

  26. Injury and Loss Statistics • There are several different statistics that have been defined and collected by government and industrial agencies

  27. OSHA Injury & Illness Rate OSHA Injury&Illness Rate = (# of Injuries&Illness*200,000)/(Total hrs all employees) Based on 100 worker-years

  28. OSHA Lost Workdays Incidence Rate • Same bases, but use lost workdays Lost Workdays Incidence Rate = (# lost workdays * 200,000)/(Total hrs worked)

  29. Other Loss Statistics FAR is the Fatal Accident Rate FAR=(# of Fatalitiesx108)/(Total hrs all employees) Based on 1000 workers’ career Table 1.3 & 1.4 lists several FARs

  30. Other Loss Statistics • Fatality Rate

  31. Causes of Accidental Death in US

  32. Major causes of death in US

  33. Accident Pyramid • Typically there are numerous property losses and minor injuries for every fatality • “An accident is usually visible the day before it happens”

  34. Risk • Risk is the product of the probability of the occurrence of an accident and the severity of the accident • The Chemical Processing Industry has the possibility for severe accidents due to operating conditions and materials • Engineers try to reduce the probability of occurrence to reduce the risk • In the real world we have to accept some risks

  35. Public Perceptions • Public Opinion Poll “Would you say chemicals do more good than harm, more harm than good, or about the same amount of each” • The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) recently (2000) changed its name to American Chemists Council (ACC) to avoid the word “chemical”

  36. You will rank which causes the greatest number of deaths each year Each question is the same, only decreasing rank Causes of death Handguns Smoking Motor Vehicles Private Aviation Commercial Aviation Alcoholic Beverages Nuclear Power Food Preservatives Pesticides Skiing Risk to Human Life Survey

  37. Risk to Human Life Survey • Start Internet Explorer • http://classes.che.umr.edu • LIBRIX Front Page • Give username and password • If first time, username is AFS Email name and password is Student number • “Risk to Human Life” survey

  38. LIBRIX • Go to “My Profile” • Change password to your choice so that you can remember • Will use LIBRIX some more during the semester.

  39. In Class Assignment The FAR for travel by car is reported as 57 while that for travel by air is 240 • If the average speed of travel is 50 mph by car and 250 mph by air, determine the deaths per million miles travel by car or air. • If you are required to make a round trip from St. Louis to Los Angeles, which is the safer mode of transportation as indicated by the statistics?

  40. Solution 1) Calculations 2) For a fixed distance, air travel is the safest mode

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