Common Hazards
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Common Hazards
One of the philosophies that lies behind Process Safety Management (PSM) is that each chemical process is unique. Therefore it is not possible to have a prescriptive standard that tells operating companies what to do. Instead, companies have to identify the unique hazards associated with their facility, and then implement corrective actions based on a risk-ranking methodology. For this reason, facilities covered by PSM standards have to conduct a series of Process Hazards Analyses (PHAs), often using the Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) methodology.
Yet most process facilities are not unique; technologies, equipment types and management styles tend to quite similar from plant to plant and from company to company, particularly within specific industries. Hence, many of the hazards that exist on these facilities are quite similar to one another. Some of the more commonly-observed hazards are discussed in this section; they are grouped into the following categories:
- Process hazards;
- Hazards of utilities;
- Hazards of water;
- Hazards of steam;
- Hazards of ice;
- Hazards of compressed gas;
- Hazards of air;
- Hazards of external events;
- Hazards of equipment and instruments; and
- Hazards of piping, valves and hoses.
Contents
Introduction
Process Hazards
High Flow
Low / No Flow
Reverse Flow
Misdirected Flow
High Pressure
High Temperature
Blocked-In Pump
Polymerization
External Fire
Low Pressure
Low Temperature
High Level
Wrong Composition
Chemical Embrittlement
Strong Oxidizers
Static Electricity
Hazards of Utilities
Common Cause Failure
Process Contamination
Electrical Power Failure
Nitrogen
Reverse Flow to a Utility Header
Survivability of Utilities
Hazards of Water
Water in Very Hot Liquid
Water and Firefighting
Hazards of Steam
Steaming Vessels during Turnaround
Reboiler Leak
Wet Steam in Turbines
Hazards of Ice
Line Freezing
Hydrates
Hazards of Compressed Gas
Gas Cylinders
Pigging
Hazards of Air
Flammable Mixture
Blowing a Line Clear
Hazards of External Events
Flooding
Earthquakes
Hazards of Equipment and Instruments
Furnace Firing
Fired Heater Burnout
Multiple Uses of Equipment
Distributed Control Systems
Hazards of Piping, Valves and Hoses
Piping
Pipe Class Transition
Hydraulic Hammer
Pig Launchers and Receivers
Pressure in Relief Headers
Flame Propagation through Drains
Overload of Overhead Vacuum Lines
Underground Piping
Vents and Bleeders
Hoses
Hoses and Truck Pull-Away
Hose Run Over
Hose Failure
Temporary Connection
Valves
Block Valves below Relief Valves
Fail-Safe Control Valves
Shared Relief Valve
SDV Bypass
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