Risks in Loading and Unloading LPG at Storage Sites: Analysis of a set of Quasi-accidental Events

• Published in: Chemical engineering transactions Vol. 99
• Main Authors: Casto Di Girolamo, Silvia Carra, Luigi Monica, Andrea Tonti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l 01.05.2023
• ISSN: 2283-9216
• DOI: 10.3303/CET2399058

In Europe, several industrial plants present significant quantities of dangerous substances that can potentially cause major accidents with catastrophic consequences and domino effects on the surrounding areas. LPG storage sites belong to that category of installations and they are subject to the Directive 2012/18/EU. In such high-risk contexts, near-misses associated to LPG transfer and handling can represent a possible precursor of catastrophic events in the long term, therefore suggesting corrective and improvement actions. In the present study, the sequence of quasi-accidental events that occurred between 2012 and 2021 in an Italian LPG storage site, whose main activity consists of receiving, storing, bottling and shipping LPG, is analysed. Data are extracted from the company accidents database in the form of operative experience sheets for Seveso audits, as well as from other internal technical documents. The focus is on LPG transfer operations and the multiple factors (technical, organizational and human ones) that may have contributed to the occurrence of the undesired events, with a particular attention to maintenance procedures and machinery management. Results are expected to contribute to the understanding of the relationships between precursor events and possible major accidents in critical industrial sites.