Designing continuous safety improvement within chemical industrial areas

This article provides support in organizing and implementing novel concepts for enhancing safety on a cluster level of chemical plants. The paper elaborates the requirements for integrating Safety Management Systems of chemical plants situated within a so-called chemical cluster. Recommendations of existing Plant Safety Management System Codes of Good Practice are analyzed in relation to the needs of cluster chemical safety. The paper establishes comprehensive guidelines for gradually standardizing Plant Safety Management Systems through the design, the development and the installation of a Cluster Safety Management System within a group of chemical companies. A cluster organization framework is proposed and a scheme for continuously improving cluster and plant safety management via communication and cooperation at plant department level as well as at cluster level is suggested.     

An Analysis of Work Environments and Operations in Hot and Humid Areas

Crews on tankers traveling and hauling cargo on the lower reaches of the Mississippi River during the hot and humid (H&H) summer season face various occupational safety and ergonomics problems. Evaluation of medical data reveals that a large number of the crewmembers experience job related injuries, diseases, disorders, and exhaustion as a result of adverse environmental conditions (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 1993). The accidents and injuries that occurred were characterized and then analysis was used to recommend constructive remedies and solutions. The results were also used to design and develop better work environments on the tankers and in the general industry. In H&H conditions, the body’s chemical reactions constantly change in order to maintain the best possible reaction to changing environments. This chemical reaction increases blood flow to the skin through sweating. Body metabolism stabilizes body temperature through muscular work and convection, evaporation and radiation remove heat.     

Designing of integrated quality and safety management system (IQSMS) for shipping operations

This paper proposes a systematic approach for exploring the compliance level of the international safety management (ISM) code with the ISO 9001:2000 in order to structure an integrated quality and safety management system (IQSMS) for shipping operations. Multi-attribute fuzzy axiomatic design (MA-FAD) is determined as a suitable research methodology for the focused problem. To illustrate the proposed approach, a casualty onboard oil tanker ship is analysed; moreover, the potential advantages of the IQSMS in operational level are underlined. The outcomes of this research originally ensure decision aid for the relevant executives in ship management companies who eagerly insist to implement quality integrated ISM code.     

GB/T 28001-2011新版标准核心要素的理解

GB/T 28000《职业健康安全管理体系》系列标准于2012年开始正式实施,新版标准中对术语、定义和核心要素内容进行了大量的修订,正确地理解和贯彻标准核心要素是应用标准进行企业职业健康安全管理的根本所在,对预防和降低风险,确保职业健康安全管理体系的有效运行有着十分重要的意义.为使组织满足新版标准要求,本文对GB/T 28001-2011《职业健康安全管理体系要求》中核心要素——4.3.1危险源辨识、风险评价和控制措施的确定在内容上进行对比分析,并结合作者在实际工作中的案例和相关的法律法规和其他要求进行阐述,在此基础上对4.3.1要素进行理解,可以使组织对新标准的掌握和应用达到事半功倍的效果.     

职业安全健康管理体系对企业经济和社会效益影响研究

为了评估职业安全健康管理体系的建立与企业经济和社会效益的关系 ,笔者对 12 5家企业的安全生产投入 ,因事故、职业病或违约造成的经济投入 (损失 ) ,以及建立职业安全健康管理体系后对企业经营活动及社会形象的影响进行了分析。结果发现 ,企业在建立职业安全健康管理体系期间及之后其安全生产投入比未建企业和建立体系之前增加 ;对事故、职业病或违约造成的经济投入加大 ;签订合同额和投标活动的中标率上升 ,员工抱怨次数及相关方抱怨次数下降。上述结果表明 ,职业安全健康管理体系的建立和运行对企业有良好的经济和社会效益。     

22家企业建立职业健康安全管理体系前后社会和经济效益对比分析

作者抽取已建职业健康安全管理体系的22家企业,对其建立体系前后的企业经营活动、安全生产投入、因事故和职业病的经济投入(损失)进行分析.分析结果表明职业健康安全管理体系的建立和运行对企业有良好的社会和经济效益.     

建设项目职业病危害预评价方法探讨

目前,建设项目职业病危害预评价方法比较单一,只能反映拟建项目在职业病危害方面与现行法规、标准的符合程度,并不能对项目进行全面、动态的评估,也无法评价职业危害事故风险。通过分析环境影响评价、安全评价中相关的评价方法在评价职业病危害因素分布、长期作用的影响、危害分级、事故风险等方面的优势,探讨其在建设项目职业病危害预评价中的应用。笔者提出,合理借鉴环境影响评价、安全评价方法,可拓展职业病危害预评价的深度和广度,在拟建项目职业病防治、建设项目职业危害分级管理和职业危害事故防范等方面都具有积极的指导作用。     

Process safety challenges for SMEs in China

While process safety regulations and standards have been in place in western countries for more than two decades, China has only recently started to officially embrace these issues with the adoption of its Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation AQ/T 3034-2010 (SAWS, 2010). However, compliance with this regulatory framework requires substantial resources and may therefore appear too complex to be efficiently implemented by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the chemical sector. This is of particular relevance as about 99% of chemical companies in China are SMEs, accounting for more than 80% of all chemical accidents. To address this issue, additional local regulations and planning activities related to process safety have been implemented in China, including the establishment of hundreds of chemical industry parks. Some of the process safety problems faced by chemical industry parks are identified and discussed in this paper. To help solve these problems, UNEP's “Responsible Production approach for Chemical Hazards Management along the Value-Chain” is introduced in this paper and suggested as a simplified PSM approach targeted specifically at SMEs which, regardless of handling hazardous chemicals in their daily operations, may not have the knowledge or capacity to efficiently implement PSM and may not fall in the scope of the PSM regulation AQ/T 3034-2010. By introducing PSM to SMEs in a more manageable way, relevant steps can be progressively implemented by companies towards full compliance with the current regulatory framework, contributing to increased safety in chemical industry parks in China.     

The effective control of major industrial accidents by the Major Industrial Accident Prevention Centers (MAPC) through the Process Safety Management (PSM) grading system in Korea

This paper examines effectiveness of a regulatory enforcement organization (Major industrial Accident Prevention Center, MAPC), and a grading system for implementation of the Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation in Korea. A lot of chemical installations have been built in Korea since the 1960s. The frequent occurrence of major industrial accidents had made people's concerns grow. The Korean government enacted PSM regulations in 1996 in order to curb these accidents.However, a key question is how to make sure companies comply with the PSM regulations. In order to improve company’ compliance with PSM regulations the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) responsible for the regulation introduced a grading management system in 2001 and then established special supervisory centers for enforcement of PSM regulations in 2005. This paper reviews the role and effectiveness of the system in term of PSM enforcement. The author found that the grade-based approach has encouraged employers to implement the requirements of the PSM regulations. MAPCs play an effective role in enhancing enforcement performance. Although the more chemical plants have been established in Korea, the fewer major industrial accidents have occurred since the introduction of the system. The results may be useful for the policy maker to build an effective and efficient enforcement system.     

化学品安全技术说明书管理探究

我国化学品安全技术说明书制度在实施过程中还存在较多问题,为了更好地促进我国化学品管理,本文针对我国化学品安全技术说明书管理中的常见问题进行讨论与分析,提出管理建议,指出应提供安全技术说明书的化学品范围应分为合规管理与更高社会责任要求;安全技术说明书原则上应由生产企业编制,进口化学品在特殊情况下也可由进口企业组织编制;安全技术说明书在使用时应结合具体使用条件进行使用安全性评估等。     

安全管理体系的计算机辅助审核技术研究

关于海运公司安全管理体系 (SMS)的现行审核方法 ,难以保证其文件全面符合国际和国内的强制性规定 ,制约了《国际安全管理 (ISM)规则》效能的发挥。为此 ,课题组基于网络环境开发了对 SMS文件的计算机辅助审核技术 ,其主要成果包括 :建立了法规条款与 SMS文件的映射规则 ,使两者迅速匹配 ,以供审核 ;提出了 SMS文件符合法规程度的数学评价方法 ;设计了计算机辅助审核方案。经试审核 ,表明该技术能协助审核员迅速全面地发现 SMS文件对法规的不符合项 ,给出的符合程度定量合理 ,该技术有利于全面提高 SMS文件对法规条款的符合程度 ,从而方便了公司的全面履约。该技术还可用于类似的管理体系。     

Quantitative evaluation of precautions on chemical tanker operations

Large quantities of liquid chemicals are carried by chemical tankers all over seas. Chemical cargoes have different properties and chemical tankers are complex ships that are designed to carry different types of chemical cargoes. Carriage of chemical cargoes contains different hazards both for human life and marine environment. There are several cargo operations that are regularly done on chemical tankers such as loading, discharging, inerting, washing tanks, sampling, and freeing gas. These operations constitute their own risks. Therefore, risk assessment has become a critical issue in maritime industry. The present investigation of this study is attempting to examine the priorities of precautions that are taken by chemical tankers before, during, and after cargo operations. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used for prioritizing the precautions in order to clarify the risk assesment option that will be used for pro-active approach to prevent marine casualties. The main aim of this study is to identify an appropriate management tool to increase the level of safety for chemical tankers during cargo operations at a terminal by using the results of AHP application.     

空管安全风险评估指标体系的优化设计

结合国际民航组织提出的安全管理体系实施的相关要求及我国《民航空管安全管理体系指导手册(试行)》的指导思想,根据安全管理一线工作人员及中高层管理者的访谈记录,收集整理出影响空管安全的风险因素,并按照人员、设备、环境、管理4个方面进行分类、提炼、合并和综合,设计了风险评估指标体系并进行优化。该体系把安全科学和系统论相结合,把错综复杂的安全风险因素细化综合、提炼出脉络分明的监控对象,有助于空管系统进行风险识别和综合预警,查找安全隐患和分析不安全事件或事故征候的原因,为民航安全风险信息化管理提供基础数据和决策依据。     

A rising tide raises all boats: Regional promotion of process safety through joint government/industry management

With the development of increasingly complex processes and technologies in chemical and manufacturing industries, Process Safety Management (PSM) has been globally recognized as the primary tool for operating companies to reduce process accidents on their industrial sites and the risks posed to their employees and surrounding communities. Yet, industrial facilities are often interdependent and collocated with others. Recognizing this, regional authorities are also applying PSM principles to reduce the cumulative incidents associated with high density industrial areas and the multiplicative risks posed to broader communities. This paper compares Strathcona County Emergency Service (SCES) in Alberta, Contra Costa County Health Service Hazard Material Programs (CCCHSHMP) in California, and Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) in Ontario and their PSM systems to provide practical recommendations to improve SCES's system. Four aspects of PSM are considered: regulation and guidance, auditing and inspection, annual performance indicators, and public participation. Based on the results of this comparison, we recommend that SCES develop comprehensive PSM regulations based on CSA Z767-17 PSM including clear instructions for assessing technologies and methodologies for consequence analysis. Both worst-case scenarios and alternative scenarios need to be considered as well as the domino effect of primary accidents. Furthermore, regular audits and inspections will ensure compliance with PSM regulations while helping the design of planning, performing, and following-up strategies to ensure effectiveness. In addition, we suggest the use of lagging and leading performance indicators to evaluate the performance of the PSM program. Finally, we recommend using advisory councils or commissions to increase public participation and ensure the representation of stakeholders' perspectives with the PSM system.     

我国危险化学品重大危险源安全监管存在问题及建议

近些年发生的一些危险化学品重大事故和石化项目的群体性事件暴露出我国重大危险源监管体系还存在很多问题。对我国和欧美在重大危险源安全监管进行对比分析,总结出我国重大危险源安全监管存在几方面问题。重大危险源的土地利用规划未纳入城市规划控制程序;重大危险源建设项目公众参与不足;部分法规对一般危险化学品企业安全监管要求过高,重点不突出;某些安全监管提法相互重复、混乱;政府监管和企业管理界限不清晰;缺乏安全监察程序、指南,安全监察落实不到位;对化工园区安全发展认识不足。在吸收、借鉴美国和欧洲发达国家在重大危险源管理方面的经验和良好做法基础上,提出相对应的措施建议。政府部门应加快重大危险源的立法工作,在制定重大危险源的相关法规和政策时应科学、合理。     

Age differences in safety attitudes and safety performance in Hong Kong construction workers

PROBLEM: Safety in the construction industry is a major issue in Hong Kong, representing about 46% of all occupational injuries in 1998. This study explored linear and curvilinear relations between age and safety performance (accident rates and occupational injuries), as well as safety attitudes, in construction workers in Hong Kong. METHOD: A Chinese version of the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ by Donald & Canter) was developed and administered to a sample of Chinese construction workers (N=374, 366 males, 8 females) from 27 construction sites. RESULTS: Accident rates were not related to age. Occupational injuries were related to age in a curvilinear manner, with injuries at first increasing with age, then decreasing. Two safety attitude scales were related to age with older workers exhibiting more positive attitudes to safety. If age and tenure are controlled, some attitude scales are predictors of safety performance. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Management/supervisors, team leaders, and workers are all responsible for safety, and any negative bias toward older construction workers is unfounded.     

在香港提供消防与安全工程研究生教育的必要性分析

论述了在香港提供消防与安全工程研究生教育的必要性,为了培养高质量人才,消防与安全工程高等教育的科目应当包括消防工程学和安全工程学(如火灾动力学),用于建筑设计的计算机火灾模拟,消防工程系统,火灾安全管理立法因素,用于火灾安全管理的设计事项,建造的安全因素,职业安全和人类工程学,事故防范、危害评估和控制,安全管理系统和安全审核。而这些重要课程的质量提高都强烈依赖于相关研究的进展。     

Practical safety management for small or medium enterprises

The article is intended for those who are not safety professionals but are responsible for safety management in a small or medium enterprise (SME) of the process industry. It assumes that a SME is loosely coupled and of low complexity and has a small number of major hazards present in it. The article describes Elementary Safety Management (ESM) as a combination of activities that maintain openness to safety impulses with Elementary Risk Control (ERC). ERC uses four milestones and three rules to get to the necessary and sufficient selection of control measures, which will achieve an acceptable level of risk. To make the ESM scheme as simple as possible, the term causal event is used, which is derived from the term causal factor. Practical Safety Management (PrSM) adds to the ESM the knowledge and skills that a person, who is supposed to design and implement a safety management system, needs. The PrSM procedure is developed to identify optimum controls. The procedure recognizes the unavoidable role of commitment to safety, respects the role of hazard identification, and integrates prospective and retrospective analyses and current knowledge of safety management systems. Examples of application of the procedure are given in the article.     

安全仪表系统的性能维护及指标值计算

安全仪表系统（SIS）作为保障工业生产安全的重要措施,需要在危险发生时正确地执行其安全功能,采取有效措施维持安全仪表系统在运行阶段的性能是保障系统功能安全的关键。详细阐明了SIS在运行阶段应遵循风险评估分析、安全功能分配文件、安全要求规范、安全分析报告、安全完整性等级符合性等重要文档中的要求,给出了维持SIS安全完整性的主要活动,并在加强旁路、禁止和超驰控制管理,对SIS失效的响应、记录和分析,进行定期检查、维护和功能测试以及安全仪表系统的变更管理等方面提出了要求。提出了SIS的安全性能指标及目标值的简易计算方法,给出失效率更新流程、计算方法和功能安全测试间隔调整技术。所提的技术方法为如何保证安全仪表系统运行阶段的安全性能提供了有力指导,其可操作性强,便于在实际工程中进行应用。     

Enhancing corporate compliance with worksite safety and health legislation

Introduction: A 2-year prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of a managerial training program to enhance corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. The program offered participants information about regulatory requirements and emphasized organizational and environmental strategies for reducing occupational injuries and illnesses. Objectives: To assess the effects of a train-the-trainer program on business managers' knowledge of statewide occupational safety and health legislation and on levels of corporate compliance with regulatory requirements. Methods: Forty-eight small- and medium-sized companies participated in the training sessions during the first year of the study. These firms were compared with 46 control companies that did not receive the training until the conclusion of the study. Results: Participation in the program was associated with higher levels of corporate regulatory compliance 12 months after the training sessions were held (controlling for baseline levels of corporate compliance with the regulations). Program effects on compliance levels were mediated by posttraining changes in managers' knowledge of regulatory requirements. Conclusions: The REACH OUT training program raised managers' awareness of and corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. Impact on Industry: Smaller companies face greater challenges than larger ones in developing and maintaining worksite safety and health programs. Barriers to regulatory compliance, especially in small- and medium-size companies, should be identified and removed to enhance the efficacy of these programs.