Proactive Process Safety Management - Key to the Prevention of Incidents in Industry
Innocent O. Oboh *
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Anietie S. Akpan
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Joshua A. Adam
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Ruth E. Emberru
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bradford, UK.
Augustina O. Onoriode
Department of Mechanical Production, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Proactive process safety that works requires a thorough approach that takes into account every area of safety. It entails regular review and monitoring of safety performance in order to pinpoint problem areas and guarantee continued safety improvements. Failure to take proactive measures may result in catastrophic events, such as fires, explosions, or chemical discharges, which could have detrimental effects on nearby communities, the environment, and the workforce. Process effectiveness is continuously ensured through proactive safety, which involves processes, procedures, and people. The purpose of this study was to review proactive process safety management as the key to the prevention of catastrophic incidents in industry. The method adopted for this study was the use of selected process safety incidents to illustrate latent conditions and active failures using the Swiss cheese model and to identify the barrier failures that will lead to catastrophic incidents in industry. A large disaster caused by the effects of catastrophic discharges of hazardous, reactive, flammable, or explosive substances can be prevented to a great extent by implementing proactive systems to monitor process safety.
Keywords: Proactive, process safety, catastrophic, latent conditions, active failures, Swiss cheese model