Lab-HIRA: Hazard identification and risk analysis for the chemical research laboratory. Part 2. Risk analysis of laboratory operations

The combination of hazard evaluation and risk analysis is an organized effort to pinpoint weaknesses in the design and operation of facilities that could lead to accidental or unintentional chemical releases, fires or explosions. These studies assist organizations with the goal of improving safety and managing the risk of operations. However, reported data on incidents in academic chemistry laboratories indicates that the accident rate is 10–50 times higher than that in industrial laboratories. These data suggest that risk reduction efforts in academic laboratories are less successful than those practiced by the chemical industry. Investigation findings of accidents in academic laboratories often point to the absence of a risk analysis of the synthesis that led to the accident.This paper discusses the relationship between the hazards and consequences of an upset event, the likelihood of the upset happening, and the resulting risk to personnel, property and the environment. Some well-established risk procedures have been adapted to the task of hazard identification and risk assessment in the chemical research laboratory. These risk studies are preceded by a Chemical Hazard Review that is used to identify those aspects of a chemical synthesis that could have a hazardous outcome if there is an upset or a deviation from the desired synthesis procedure.A powerful advantage of this approach is that it encourages and enables a research laboratory group to consider less obvious ways in which an upset may occur, even though it may seem unlikely at first consideration. The risk assessment becomes much more than a mechanistic check-list type of review making it more likely that potential failures and problems, not previously encountered with this activity, will be identified.