Recent Process Safety Developments at BASF Ludwigshafen, the World's Biggest Chemical Site

BASF's founding site Ludwigshafen (Southwest Germany) operates chemical plants since 1865, and is with several hundred plants today the biggest 1-company chemical site on the planet. The site's more distant history includes severe incidents from which important lessons were learned. The site's impressive Process Safety record over the last 2 decades is owed to the development of a strong Process Safety Management System, individual elements of which will be discussed. Improvements in recent years include a more consistent review system for existing units, better IT tools, the wider use of KPIs and causal analysis of incidents, as well as modifications to PS training. The outlook will address possibilities for further improvements, which include standardisation and more cooperation with other leading companies of the process industries.