Managing Risk of Fire & Toxic Release in a Fertilizer Complex – a Case Study

High hazardous process plants like Fertilizer industries possess high risk of fire and toxic release due to handling and manufacturing of combustible, hazardous and toxic chemicals. Their ignition or release can result in irreversible effect on personnel, asset and environment. That is why a risk management plan is mandatory to prevent such incidents and nullify their harmful effects in case of ignition or release.

The largest fertilizer complex of Pakistan; Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd. also posed the challenge to manage risks related of fire and toxic release. In line with Group’s vision & HSE policy, a robust risk management plan has been implemented through management commitment, effective leadership and dedicated efforts of the team. 22 elements PSM program of US OSHA has been implemented to cater for these challenges, Risk management plan consists of;

- Risk identification & evaluation through management of change, process hazard analysis, firefighting capability analysis, quantitative risk assessment, job safety analysis and permit to work.

- Risk mitigation through development of procedures, hardware installation, competency enhancement, communication protocols and community awareness on Emergency Response (CAER)

Implementation of the plan resulted in lesser fires and loss of containments, low injury rate, sustainable business, increased profitability, capacity building and engaged community.

The paper will be providing insights into the risk management process by shedding light on Fatima Fertilizer’s journey, challenges faced during the process and results achieved.