Abstract

In recent years, state and federal authorities have begun requiring chemical and petrochemical companies to develop process safety management policies and practices that are intended to protect workers and the public from chemical accidents. An objective of this section is to provide information that is pertinent to accident prevention, with particular emphasis on chemical process safety. Of particular concern is the continuing trend toward increased efficiency of processes and reduction in hazards to the environment, by reducing the formation of wastes and undesired by-products. This effort requires close approach to temperature and pressure limits, and special safety systems typically are required to ensure safe operation. Thus, another objective of this section is to provide an understanding of the many variables involved in reactions and handling of chemicals, to shown how these variables can be quantified with respect to safety criteria, and to present illustrations of their application to process safety.