Major Chemical Accidents Research Articles

Emergency response actions modeling and time analysis: Considering priority of actions

When a major chemical accident occurs, emergency response is an important measure to reduce accident losses. Some actions in an emergency response may be more important than others in reducing accident losses, so they need to be carried out as a matter of priority. The impact of the number of emergency personnel on the relationship between emergency response actions and time of emergency response process is analyzed in this paper in the circumstance that the number of responders is not enough to carry out emergency actions with priority at the same time, and a Petri-net based approach is proposed to model and analyze the actions. An emergency response action that needs to consider its priority is divided into two stages, one is to determine the personnel for executing the action, the other is the execution of the action. This division facilitates the handling of dynamic changes in the relationship between actions and differences in start time of the actions. The approach is illustrated by taking the emergency response of on-site emergency personnel of a chemical plant to a fire as an example. The efficiency of the emergency process is analyzed, and for the action of rescuing the wounded, which has the highest priority in the example, the time and the probability when considering the priority of emergency response actions are compared with those when not considering the priority.

Exploring human factors of major chemical accidents in China: Evidence from 160 accidents during 2011–2022

Major chemical accidents (MCAs) usually cause multiple casualties, property losses, and environmental damage. MCAs in hazardous chemical production enterprises (HCPEs) in China have been frequent in recent years. Understanding past accidents is essential for accident prevention and risk mitigation. However, no accurate statistical analysis and systematic human cause investigation of MCAs in China is available. Hence, this study systematically identified the main characteristics and human factors of MCAs in China during 2011–2022 using official accident investigation reports. First, the 160 MCAs were investigated by mathematical and statistical methods involving eight main characteristics: evolution trend, spatial locations, accident types, domino effects involved, occurrence links, time volatility, hazardous chemicals involved, and enterprise scales. Second, based on the characteristics of MCAs and existing research on chemical accidents, the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) for Chemical Accidents (HFACS-CA), which consists of 26 cause categories and is suitable for the analysis of chemical accidents, was proposed on the basis of HFACS and other extended HFACS. Then, the selected 146 representative MCAs were analyzed using the HFACS-CA framework; the human factors (comprising human and organizational factors (HOFs) and outside factors) of MCAs in China were systematically explored. Finally, according to the main characteristics and human factors of MCAs, comprehensive recommendations for the prevention of MCAs involving enterprises, governments, and interested parties were proposed. This work can provide a useful human factor analysis tool for investigating chemical accidents and valuable information for preventing MCAs in China and other countries.

Comprehensive assessment of recent major chemical accidents in China and path to sustainable solutions

China’s chemical manufacturing sector has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, making it a global leader in chemical production. However, this rapid expansion has led to an increase in chemical accidents, particularly major chemical accidents (MCAs), resulting in significant casualties and property loss. This study focuses on MCAs that occurred in China between 2017 and 2022, using mathematical statistics. It examines various aspects of accidents, including the annual number of accidents and casualties, distribution across months, types of accidents, accident stages, direct causes of accidents, and geographical distribution of accidents. Furthermore, this study investigated the potential of using novel digital tools to enhance the safety of chemical production. By analysing the data and identifying trends, this study aims to contribute to the prevention of large-scale chemical disasters. Furthermore, it explores the implementation of smart management of chemical plants, utilising the Internet of Things (IoT) for example, to ensure the sustainable advancement of the chemical industry.

Coupling Study on Risk Factors of Safety Accidents in Chemical Enterprises Based on N-K Model

In order to study the risk coupling characteristics of chemical safety accidents, risk classification and risk factor identification of chemical safety accidents are carried out, the coupling mode of chemical safety accident risk factors is analyzed, and an N-K model based on complex network is constructed. Based on the data of major chemical safety accidents in China from 2010 to 2020, the probability and risk coupling values of different risk coupling forms are calculated and the coupling forms with strong coupling are analyzed. The results indicate that the more risk factors involved in the coupling, the greater the risk possibility of safety accidents. In the risk coupling, management and equipment technical factors are the key coupling factors, so management and equipment maintenance should be strengthened. The coupling form with strong coupling should be avoided as far as possible to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of chemical safety accidents.

Lean approach in the application of new technologies: integration of risk, situational awareness, and resilience by a prehospital emergency medical service

After an earthquake or an industrial chemical release, a timely and effective response is crucial and can prevent or significantly reduce the risk of casualties. To this end, first responders and rescue teams have been equipped with state-of-the-art tools and specialised instruments to improve their capabilities in terms of accuracy, rapid location, and reduction of false alarms. The European Union-funded Search and Rescue project (Emerging technologies for the Early location of Entrapped victims under Collapsed Structures and Advanced Wearables for risk assessment and First Responders Safety in SAR operations) has designed, implemented and tested a highly compatible open architecture platform for first responders in a pilot case study of a chemical incident. An analysis of major chemical accidents classified by the eMars database (Major Accident Reporting System, established by the European Seveso Directive) was carried out; it has determined the types of companies that have suffered chemical accidents with the highest number of injuries and fatalities. Based on this previous analysis, a chemical spill pilot study was devised to test advanced user equipment systems and backup applications, improving first responders’ decision-making and providing a common, dynamic operational perspective of the disaster. The Lean Method was used to evaluate processes, identify waste, test new solutions and, finally, increase the value of the product and service produced.

Study on statistical indicators of economic loss of major chemical accidents

AbstractThis paper summarizes the economic loss caused by chemical accidents in China, as well as the outstanding problems that need to be urgently solved. The affected parties of a major chemical accident are personnel, property, resources, the environment, and the social economy from the perspective of an accident target and emergency management. Economic losses of each type of accidental target include property losses, emergency disposal costs, and recovery/reconstruction costs. Based on this idea, a statistical system composed of 12 indicators for economic losses of major chemical accidents is established. The new statistical indicator of economic loss of major chemical accidents is more reasonable than the current statistical method of China's GB 6721‐86 “Standard,” and can fully reflect the harm due to major chemical accidents.

Why do major chemical accidents still happen in China: Analysis from a process safety management perspective

As an important consideration in the chemical industry, chemical process safety has received notable attention in China. However, catastrophic chemical accidents still occur. To better understand why accidents continue to occur, this paper presented a diagnostic analysis of 14 major chemical accidents in China from 2012 to 2022 based on VOSviewer software. The authors analysed the correlation between the accident causation and their relationship with the safety management elements. The study observed that inferior process safety culture, intentional violation (rule-breaking) of procedure, inadequate safety training, and illegal operations were the most frequent causes of accidents. These causes highlighted the prominent gaps in PSM in China in the process safety culture, compliance with standards, the conduct of operations, process safety competency, and training & performance assurance. The results based on co-occurrence analysis indicated a strong correlation between these gaps in PSM. Enterprises should pay attention to collaborative management among them. These deficiencies in the enterprise’s PSM system showed that the essential defects in China’s chemical industry are a poor safety culture, inadequate accident investigation, inadequate training, and a lack of chemical safety personnel. The study recommended that the chemical industry establish superior process safety culture and competency for all personnel, monitor leading and lagging process safety indicators, apply inherent safety, and practice advanced safety management concepts. We hope that the findings can provide China’s perspectives and strengths for global chemical safety.

Modelling of Accidental Impacts of Hazardous Chemical Substances in the Czech Republic

The issue of major chemical accidents in the Czech Republic is first mentioned from a historical point of view. The following are the main hazardous impacts of chemical accidents. The next part is a comparison of the accidental impacts of major emergencies, such as toxic leakage, explosion and fire, even with examples of several typical chemical substances. Some factors of the main hazardous chemicals with a focus on toxic substances are discussed in detail. The modelling of accident impacts is presented in the next section on a detailed comparison of the accident impacts of nine main industrial chemical toxicants. The article also draws attention to the serious danger of the possible misuse of toxic substances in particular for hostile acts of chemical terrorism.

Comparison of the theoretical elements and application characteristics of STAMP, FRAM, and 24Model: A major hazardous chemical explosion accident

Owing to the flammable, explosive, and toxic characteristics of hazardous chemicals, chemical accidents always result in significant losses. Analysis of the parameters of process safety is an effective way to prevent hazardous chemical accidents and reduce losses. To promote the application of systemic accident models in practice, in this study, we clarify the theoretical elements of such models based on the development of system thinking and system science. Then, we discuss the characteristics of a new systemic model called 24Model and its systems thinking. We explore the differences in the practical application of different systemic models (System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP), Functional Resonance Accident Model (FRAM), and 24Model by analyzing a major hazardous chemical explosion accident that occurred in Tianjiayi Chemical Co., Ltd. in China. The results show that the elements of the systemic accident model are the system structure, component relationship, and dynamic behaviors. 24Model is proven to be a new systemic accident model developed by utilizing sequential models. The comparative results of the three analysis methods show that FRAM is suitable for accident prediction rather than accident analysis. STAMP and 24Model perform better in terms of the usability and reliability of accident analysis. Although STAMP fails to elaborately indicate the internal organizational causes of the accident, it is suitable for a small number of accidents in socio-technical systems. 24Model is a structured method for accident analysis and safety management frame of organization. With the classified accident causes and fewer training resources, it is more suitable for a number of accidents statistics and analysis. Finally, a universal frame to prevent hazardous chemical accidents is provided for companies and regulators.

2020년 국내 화학사고 조사분석 및 효율적 대응 방안 연구

Gyeonggi-do had an exceptionally high number of accidents among the area based on the chemical accidents (226 cases) that occurred in Korea 2020. And the frequency of accidents were high in order Ulsan, Seoul, Jeonnam, Busan, Jeonbuk, Incheon·Chungnam, Gangwon·Chungbuk·Gyeongbuk, Daegu·Gyeongnam, Gwangju, Daejeon, Sejong·Jeju·Changwon. By month, the largest number of chemical accidents occurred in August, followed by June, July, and September. In this study, the causes of major hazardous chemical accidents were analyzed and the response system was studied. In the future, data sharing and effective prevention, preparation and response strategies could be established for the chemical accident prevention measures.

Risk-informed land-use planning in the Indian context: A social cost-benefit analysis

Major chemical process accidents over the recent past decades have led to the formulation and enforcement of land-use planning (LUP) practices across many countries, so as to mitigate the public risk emanating from major chemical hazard installations. The present paper presents an approach to deciding land-use policy founded on integrated local risk-acceptance criteria and an attendant societal cost-benefit analysis. The application of the proposed approach is demonstrated by a case study of an example greenfield industrial facility for which the adjoining land is subject to strictures of LUP policy. The context is chosen to be that of India, which is an emergent economy that is beset with unique challenges for balancing land-use between agrarian and industrial use. The societal costs and benefits are computed employing macro-economic indicators; the former comprise opportunity cost of land restricted for development, while the benefit is comprised of the cumulative wealth generation due to economic development of the jurisdiction over the facility life time. The value of the benefit to cost ratio is found to be highest corresponding to a LUP based on a relatively relaxed risk acceptance criterion with As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) limits of 10−6–10−4/yr for public individual risk. The primary reason for this outcome is that, in comparison to a developed economy, land prices in India are relatively high vis-à-vis labour productivity and wages. This shifts the LUP choice towards the policy which involves least land-use restrictions against non-agrarian, commercial developments in the vicinity of major hazard installations. It is also demonstrated that if the per capita GDP values corresponded to those of developed economies, a LUP policy based on a more stringent risk acceptance criterion may be affordable for the society. An additional significant finding of the study is that the Value of Statistical Life of humans makes a relatively minor contribution to the societal cost-benefit analysis. Thus, its value as a determinant to LUP decision may be relatively limited. This essentially underscores the idea that the broader objective of LUP need be to simultaneously foster economic development and minimise human and other critical losses.

A survey of the antidote preparedness in Norwegian hospitals

ObjectivesAntidotes are an important part of the emergency preparedness in hospitals. In the case of a major chemical accident or a fire, large quantities of antidotes may be needed within...

Dynamic emergency route planning for major chemical accidents: Models and application

Combining scenario construction with the characteristics of individual emergency behavior is necessary for the emergency route planning of major chemical accidents. We investigated this challenging decision problem and constructed a multi-indicator emergency risk assessment method that considers the evacuation speed of different population types and health consequences caused by various risk components. We also designed a modified Dijkstra algorithm to solve this dynamic multi-objective route planning problem. The comparative experiment results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm performs relatively better than the traditional Dijkstra algorithm. Finally, we performed extensive case studies where our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model provides reliable and practical emergency route planning services for various personnel types under different accident scenarios. Compared with the commonly used single-dimensional assessment method, this comprehensive and informative assessment of the emergency risks faced by the population in different regions could serve as a useful reference for the formulation and implementation of emergency plans in case of major chemical accidents.

Analysis of the reflection case of major hazardous chemicals safety accident based on LFI

After the occurrence of major safety accidents, the key to prevent similar accidents from happening again is whether all sectors of society can get deep reflection from the investigation and accountability of accidents, and then improve the level of safety awareness and safety management and control through the process of learning from incident (LFI). Taking “Tianjin Port 8.12 major dangerous chemical explosion accident” as an example, 610 articles related to the accident were exported from CNKI as samples. The topic classification of the abstract text was carried out by using LDA topic model. Finally, based on the theory of learning from incident (LFI), the evolution trend and content of the topic of reflection were analyzed. The results show that: (1) the content of reflection mainly includes the following four topics: (I) Risk of hazardous chemicals and safety of enterprises; (II) Emergency management and rescue; (III) Government public crisis management; (IV) Public opinion crisis in emergencies (2) the proportion of research on topic II is lower than that of other topics, and there may be insufficient reflection on individual issues. As it has the function of reducing accident harm, it is of great significance and should be given enough attention.

Statistical analysis of evacuation warning diffusion in major chemical accidents based on real evacuation cases

Major chemical accidents may threaten the lives and health of people in the surrounding areas. Large-scale regional evacuation is a key measure for protecting the public from these accidents. In such unconventional emergency situations, the diffusion of evacuation warnings has a significant impact on the public's decision on whether to take evacuation actions. Through an investigation and analysis of evacuation cases, this paper discusses the diffusion characteristics of evacuation warning and evacuation efficiency of the public in major chemical accident cases. The results indicate that different diffusion methods of evacuation warnings affect public evacuation decisions. In addition, based on curve fitting and regression analysis, we propose a mathematical model of evacuation warning diffusion for responsive evacuation and an evaluation model of the relationship between the diffusion of evacuation warning and the evacuation rate. The results indicate that in the responsive evacuation process, the diffusion efficiency of the evacuation warning corresponds to Weibull distribution. As the diffusion of the evacuation warning continues, the evacuation rate of the people who receive evacuation warnings first decreases and then increases, when more than 50% of the people in the evacuation area receive the evacuation warning. The evacuation rate of the people who do not receive evacuation warnings increases first and then decreases. The results of the fitting analysis indicate that when ∼73% of the people in the evacuation area receive an evacuation warning, the area's overall evacuation rate is the highest. This can provide a basis and reference for regional evacuation analysis and emergency planning in unconventional emergency situations.

Time dynamics of emergency response network for hazardous chemical accidents: A case study in China

Since currently hazardous chemical accidents occur frequently around the world, how to build up an effective emergency response network (ERN) for hazardous chemical accidents become an urgent issue. Given the truth that previous static ERN research could not reflect the dynamic interaction patterns among actors in emergency response process, this paper studied the emergency response network for hazardous chemical accidents from the perspective of temporal dynamics. Jiangsu Xiangshui 3.21 chemical plant explosion accident, a major hazardous chemical accident just happened in March 2019, was selected as a case in this paper. Based on the time slices of the accident emergency response process, the dynamic evolution of emergency response network, organization functions, and organization positions over time were analyzed by social network analysis (SNA). The results revealed the dynamics of emergency response network in the context of centralized administrative systems. Emergency response network became more decentralized over time, rather than centralized; central organization functions varied depending on the response needs in each period; and positions of participants in network changed as time passed. The results also showed that under the centralized administrative systems, public-sector organizations were the core of emergency response network; whilst non-profit organizations and private organizations were largely marginalized. A hybrid network with centralization and decentralization complement each other may be more effective. ERN for hazardous chemical accidents should be considered in a time-dynamic way and collaborations among public sector organizations, NPOs and private organizations should be paid more attention to improve the emergency response efficiency. These findings may expand knowledge for researchers and practitioners to understand emergency response network of hazardous chemical accidents from dynamic perspectives, having an important significance for reducing and controlling economic losses, social risks and environmental damage caused by hazardous chemical accidents.

Follow-up of the cohort of workers exposed to arsenic in the Manfredonia petrochemical plant (Apulia Region, Southern Italy)

in 1976, a major chemical accident occurred in Manfredonia (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) due to an explosion in the fertilizer area. More than 10 tons of arsenic were released into the atmosphere, contaminating the plant and the surrounding areas. At the end of the 90s, criminal proceedings were initiated and a cohort study was conducted within the trial. to update the vital status of workers enrolled within the trial; some relevant results are also given. two different approaches were used to update the vital status depending on the residence of the individuals in the cohort. We computed cause-specific standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), stratified according to the type of employment (urea sector, caprolactam sector, and contract workers), with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). For internal comparison purpose, Cox regression models were used and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated, considering workers from the caprolactam area as a reference category. the cohort consisted of 1,467 workers; 114 were dead at the end of the previous follow-up. Among 728 workers residing in Manfredonia, we identified 619 people still alive and 93 deceased. Among 625 not-residents, 508 were alive and 93 deceased. For 285 cases out of 306, cause of death was ascertained. Contract workers show a statistically significant SMR for lung cancer (SMR: 1.26; 95%CI 1.05-1.54) and an increased risk for overall mortality (HR: 2.3; 95%CI 1.1-4.9). Workers residing in Manfredonia show a higher risk of lung cancer mortality in comparison to not-residents (HR: 2.3; 95%CI 1.1-4.9). workers who were most exposed to arsenic during the site cleaning show an increased risk of overall mortality compared to the least exposed and an increased risk of lung cancer compared to the general population.

Optimizing emergency rescue and evacuation planning with intelligent obstacle avoidance in a chemical industrial park

A major chemical accident has the characteristics of being destructive, and potentially provoking a great loss of lives and property damage in any Chemical Industrial Park (CIP). Emergency rescue and evacuation are essential parts of emergency decision-making for enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of emergency handling and reducing the potential loss of accidents. Most of current literature concentrates on one-way route planning of emergency rescue and evacuation, and applies different models, optimization objectives and algorithms. However, when applying the one-way route planning model in a CIP, a road conflict is possible due to the inherent weak traffic capacity. Therefore, a new method of two-way route planning of emergency rescue and emergency evacuation which considers intelligent obstacle avoidance, is proposed in the paper. The method we developed integrates three modeling components: (i) a dynamic grid environment model to simulate the interaction between the road network and the time-varying location of emergency rescue and evacuation. (ii) a two-way route planning model to simultaneously optimize routes of emergency rescue and routes of emergency evacuation. (iii) an intelligent obstacle avoidance model to prevent potential road conflicts. The results illustrate that the proposed model is able to generate a set of two-way optimum routes and overcomes possible road conflicts successfully.

Major Chemical Accidents in the 21st Century Europe and its Lessons Learned in Higher Education

This article provides an example of how to use case studies in the case of disaster management education subjects. The development of the subject’s program and content are a continuous activity, actually a consequence of the changing world. Companies carrying out chemical processes while maintaining their competitiveness, cannot be considered constant in parallel with the constantly evolving technical conditions. Therefore, industrial processes, chemical processes, accident prevention, recovery techniques, presentations in the lectures need to be updated.New methods can be used for computing devices, applications, or their results. In the case of hazard analysis, the software and the presentation of their computational results are, in my experience, effective in the line of teaching methods. Namely, depicting and propagating the propagation of a gaseous material with a dangerous property, the direction and speed of the wind (and other physical chemical parameters) is an effective frontal technique for the students.The chemical processes are based on numerous chemical processes, which are able to operate under constant control of the control parameters. There is a strong professional justification for describing these processes, which is the subject of the Dangerous Technology section of the subject in the field of industrial security.

SUITABILITY ANALYSIS OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT MAJOR CHEMICAL PROCESS ACCIDENTS

Recent accident analyses show that accident rates in the chemical process industry (CPI) are still increasing. The identified contributing factor to the scenario is poor learning from accidents which allows occurrence and recurrence of major chemical accidents. The paper examines the suitability on the recommended corrective actions to prevent accident by resolving various types of accident contributors (i.e. external factors, design errors, technical errors, human errors and organisational errors). Therefore, 468 major accident reports were retrieved from several accident databases to analyse accident contributors and their corresponding corrective actions. In this research, the suitability analysis is conducted using accident contributor - corrective action logic matrix. The matrix is constructed based on initial capital, operating cost, reliability, and complexity; and the ability to correct root causes, reduce risks in terms of likelihood and/consequence, and afterwards monitoring/maintenance. From the analysis, about 46% of the corrective actions are considered as unsuitable (i.e. less suitable or not suitable). As the contributors are inadequately/wrongly corrected, thus contributing to non-decreasing accident rates of the industry.