Basic Principles on Assessing Process Hazards

Process incidents usually occur because of a lack of general understanding of process hazards and inadequate hazards assessment. The study known as a Process Hazards Analysis (PHA)  may not address all the process hazards and related hazardous events; and/or it  may be inadequate in  addressing appropriate safeguards for minimizing process risks. It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of intrinsic hazards that are always present in a chemical process or facility. Such  hazards assessment documentation i  must be available in process safety information and technology packages and it is fundamental for conducting good Process Hazards Analyses. Review of just the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) of materials used in the processs is  usually inadequate. This paper focus on ways to approach, conduct and document hazard assessments for flammable, toxic, dust, chemical reactivity, and other process hazards in a typical process boundary as reflected in Process Safety Management (PSM) training at DuPont.