An explosion occurred at East Ohio Company’s peak-shaving plant in Cleveland, Ohio on October 20, 1944. 128 people were killed and 225 injured as a result of the incident.
[Read more…]1944 Cleveland LNG Incident: Lessons Learnt
on Risk & Safety
A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:
- Greg Hutchins (editor) — CERM Risk Insights series
- Doug Lehr — Equipment Risk and Reliability in Downhole Applications series
- Sanjeev Saraf — Operational Risk, Process Safety series
The Statement of Requirements
Your team has put together the Statement of Requirements (SoR) for the new completion tool wand it contains the target ratings. But the product must have a 10-year minimum service life at maximum rated operating conditions. And reliability expectations are high. Also, the product has electromechanical content and must have operational redundancy and allow contingency operation. However, there are no requirements for these in the SoR.
[Read more…]What is Risk Management?
Guest Post by Andrew Sheves (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
Asking ‘what is risk management?’ often gets you the trite answer ‘it’s the management of risk’ or we get a list of activities associated with risk management. Neither result is satisfying and we need a better definition that explains the intent of risk management along with some clarification of what this is and is not. Here, I’ve presented some initial ideas on a definition along with four components that should give us a more thorough definition.
[Read more…]Building Facility Siting: Relocate, Replace, Or Reinforce?
Process and portable building siting has attracted further interest following the BP Texas city incident. Because of the proximity of office buildings to chemical processes, it is likely that people inside of a building be subjected to higher risks from process hazards than outdoor personnel.
[Read more…]Subcontractor Risk is a Major Reason for Project Failures
Guest Post by John Ayers (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
Studies show that the majority of companies today outsource up to 60-70% of their work scope to subcontractors to stay competitive. As a result, subcontractors are a major source of risk to a project.
How to minimize the subcontractor risk on a project is addressed in this paper. The approach to do this is based on my 30 years of project and project risk management experience and knowledge.
[Read more…]Using Thermal Analysis to Identify Reactive Chemicals
Reactivity hazards involve conversion of stored chemical energy of the components into mechanical or heat energy, andit is the uncontrolled release of this stored energy that causes the damage in a reactive chemical incident. The reactivity of a substance is normally assessed by performing calorimetric measurements.
[Read more…]Exceeding Expectations
Your team knows what Operation Within Specification (OWS) is for its product. This is the set of performance limits confirmed in the laboratory using API product standards. These limits help establish the ratings for parameters such as pressure, mechanical load, operating temperature, and other parameters found in operating manuals.
[Read more…]Goldilocks Management: Getting Things ‘Just Right’
Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
I was once taught that good project management and mitigating the risk of failure was a combination of Fayol’s three pillars of planning, organising and controlling glued together by effective communication and enclosed in a bubble of morale. I was later to learn that that if one overindulges or ignores any one pillar, or fails to communicate effectively rather than just efficiently, the oftentimes thin bubble of morale may rupture. The unfortunate result is the loss of management coherence and the real possibility of project failure.
[Read more…]Zero Incident Plants – Is It Possible?
Chemical industry has evolved dramatically since the first sulfuric acid manufacturing plant was established in the 18thcentury. Modern day chemical plant is an engineering marvel producing valuable chemicals necessary for the societal progress. Although safe for the most part, chemical industries have witnessed a few significant accidents in the last two decades. The Bhopal disaster marked the turning point in the history of chemical plant’s process safety. The Bhopal disaster resulted in an increased concern and anxiety among everyone safe operation of a plant. There are several landmark events that followed the 1984 Bhopal disaster:
[Read more…]Hindsight from 2020: Strategies for the New Normal
Guest Post by Daniel Burrus (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
These days, you can find a slurry of memes and motivational graphics on social media alluding to the concept that you must always beat out your competition in business. But contrary to popular belief, competing with other businesses is actually quite counterproductive, especially in the post-pandemic “new normal” we face – something we never expected to be facing as we entered this new decade.
[Read more…]Reactive Chemical Hazards
Certain chemicals can pose explosion hazards due to their inherent reactivity or interaction with other chemicals or metals. A few years ago the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) had recommended regulating “Reactive Chemicals”. This begs the question – what are reactive chemicals?
[Read more…]Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy
Guest Post by Andrew Sheves (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
I realized a while back that it can be too easy to mistake ‘simple’ with ‘easy’ and I’ve been concerned that promoting a simple approach to risk management might lead people to think that this makes everything easy. Unfortunately, even though a KISS approach makes risk management easier, it doesn’t do away with the need for hard work altogether. Worst of all, it can be easy to mistake shortcuts for simplification.
[Read more…]Functional Groups Indicative Of Reactive Hazards
The presence of certain functional groups is considered an indicator of reactivity. This is the simplest possible reactivity screening method and serves as a guideline for further analysis. For example, chemicals containing the following functional groups can be considered potentially reactive:
[Read more…]The Problematic Project – Ignorance, Curves, Spirals, and Slopes
Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
A project with a problem…not a new phenomenon and more likely than not ‘business as usual’ for most, but how do we address the problems on our projects?
Theoretically there’s the risk register and plan with a predetermined set of mitigation actions and designated owners who, although being potential scapegoats, are expected to manage risks magnificently while still dealing with the rest of their, hopefully, nonproblematic scope. Problems plague projects despite alleged prior preparation and proper planning. But it’s the way that people behave and interact that can make all the difference when resolving the problem and keeping the rest of the project on-track.
[Read more…]How To Estimate Injury Or Potential Fatality From Thermal Radiation Exposure?
While performing consequence modeling we are often required to evaluate damage to population and property from a fire.
Thermal radiation impact to humans from a fire should be based on the dosage – i.e. the intensity of exposure and the duration of exposure. Furthermore, such an impact from thermal radiation on population should consider the protection offered by clothing/buildings and the ability of a person to find a shelter from radiation.
[Read more…]