Method for identifying contributors to chemical process accidents

The paper presents a new method for identifying contributors to chemical process accidents by exploiting knowledge on causes of past accident cases. Accident reports from the Failure Knowledge Database were analyzed and utilized for hazard identification. The accident information gathered was used as a basis to develop an accidents ranking and points-to-look-for approach for the safe design and operation of chemical process equipment. In the method, accident contributors including technical, design and operation errors of major process equipment types and piping are identified. The method is applicable throughout the process lifecycle, even for process changes in the early design stages. The Bhopal tragedy is used as a case study to demonstrate and test the method. The proposed method can predict on average up to 85% of accident causes and design and operation errors.

► A new safety method for identifying accident contributors is proposed.
► The method is design oriented and applicable throughout process lifecycle.
► The design and operation errors of equipment types and piping are detected.
► Accident contributors could be detected and eliminated early during design.
► The method can predict up to 85% of Bhopal accident causes.