Process hazards review (PHR) techniques have generally been applied by large, sophisticated companies in the nuclear, aerospace, and chemical process industries. There remains, however, a large population of smaller distributors and consumers of hazardous materials which could benefit equally from the application of PHR. These consumers unfortunately are generally less sophisticated and individually lack the necessary resources required to apply such state-of-the-art safety techniques.
Where common processes can be identified, it is possible to conduct a more generic PHR that will provide a sound technical basis for recognizing and preventing the development of hazards wherever these processes are used. Some facility-specific issues will always need to be considered, but the existence of the generic PHR should make the conduct of a PHR by each facility considerably easier and less costly.
Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) contracted with DNV Technica Inc. to lead a hazard and operability study (HAZOP) of agricultural handling of anhydrous ammonia, from the receipt of ammonia at the retail distribution centre to the application of the ammonia by farmers to the fields. The multidisciplinary HAZOP team consisted of representatives from NIOSH, an agricultural chemical trade association, an ammonia producer, state ammonia facility inspectors, a retail distributor, and an equipment manufacturer. Several participants were part-time farmers with ammonia application experience.
Some specific aspects of applying the HAZOP technique in the context of this study, the findings obtained, and the plans to disseminate the important safety information developed during the course of the PHR are discussed. Finally, it is suggested that this approach could prove to be a useful addition to the product stewardship activities of chemical producers. 相似文献
Arthropod communities in pear are conceptualized as hierarchically organized systems in which several levels of organization
or subsystems can be recognized between the population level and the community as a whole. An individual pear tree is taken
to be the community habitat with arthropod subcommunities developing on leaf, fruit, and wood subcommunity habitats. Each
subcommunity is composed of trophically organized systems of populations. Each system of populations is comprised of a functional
group or guild of phytophagous arthropods that use the habitat primarily for feeding but also for overwintering or egg deposition,
and associated groups of specialized predators, parasitoids, and hyperparasitoids. Several species move from one subcommunity
to another during the course of community development and thus integrate community subsystems.
Community development or change in organization through time is conceptualized as being jointly determined by the development
of the habitat and the organization of the species pool. The influence of habitat development on community development within
a species pool is emphasized in this research. Seasonal habitat development is expressed as change in the kinds and biomasses
of developmental states of wood, leaf, and fruit subcommunity habitats. These changes are accompanied by changes in the kinds,
biomasses, and distributions of associated community subsystems. 相似文献