Manages risks more effectively

• Published in: Chemical engineering (New York) Vol. 103; no. 10; pp. 108 - 112
• Main Author: Templeton, MA
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.1996
• ISSN: 0009-2460

All plant managers in the chemical process industries (CPI) want their facilities to be safe but not CPI manager can provide an absolutely safe one. Work procedures, the choice of safety equipment and, most of all, process designs must therefore be evaluated as to their inherent risks and hazards. The concept of acceptable risk is difficult to define, and each company will have to decide for itself what is acceptable and develop some basic guidelines and acceptability criteria. Acceptable risk for an isolated plant versus one in an urban location may be very different. Acknowledgement of non-zero acceptable risk may cause controversy; however it must be done if risk is to be managed. The scope of risks to be addressed in a program should be determined by the company and may include acute and chronic events such as employee exposure, fire, explosion, vapor release, environmental damage, or any other type of risk that a company needs to be managed.