Guidelines for Investigating Chemical Process Incidents, 2nd Edition

The Center for Chemical Process Safety compiled a team of incident investigation experts from a wide-ranging cross section of the chemical and refining industry to produce this second edition of the already popular guideline. This edition provides updated information on many facets of the investigative process as well as additional details on important considerations such as human factors, forensics, legalities surrounding incident investigation, and near miss reporting.

Whether investigating a minor personnel safety incident, a near-miss, or a major catastrophe, the CCPS team produced what turned out to be a definitive training manual for any investigation team member. One European peer reviewer opened his review comments with this quote ”An impressively comprehensive book which I'll recommend to HSE training managers to include as a reference work for our training course on major incident investigation.”

Extensive examples and investigation aids are provided, including many customizable forms on the accompanying CD-ROM.

Topics include:

·Designing an Incident Investigation Management System
·An Overview of Incident Causation Theories
·An Overview of Incident Investigation Tools and Methodologies
·Reporting and Investigating Near Misses
·The Impact of Human Factors
·Building and Leading an Investigation Team
·Gathering and Analyzing Evidence
·Determining Root Causes - Structured Approaches
·Developing Effective Recommendations
·Communication Issues and Preparing the Final Report
·Considering Legal Issues
·Implementing the Team's Recommendations
·Seeking Continuous Improvement for Your System
·Lessons Learned

The book is available from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The online catalogue can be found at www.aiche.org/publications/ Or call 800-242-4363.

The Business Case for Process Safety

AEI was selected to work with an AIChE CCPS team to determine what separates the top-tier companies in the chemical processing industry from the rest. One essential characteristic each displays is that they have adopted a rigorous philosophy regarding process safety. This summary of a recent industry-wide study identifies four ways that your business will benefit from implementing a robust process safety program. Process safety is an essential part of achieving manufacturing excellence and increasing shareholder value.

Two Qualitative Benefits

Corporate Responsibility - Process safety is the embodiment of corporate responsibility and accountability. It helps your company display these characteristics through its actions. The heart of process safety lies in consistently planning to do the right things, then doing them right – consistently. Corporate responsibility leads to the second benefit…

Business Flexibility – Corporate responsibility as demonstrated in your process safety management program leads to a greater range of business flexibility. When you openly display responsibility through implementing an effective process safety program, your company can achieve greater freedom and self-determination.

Two Quantitative Benefits

Risk Reduction - Process safety provides unparalleled loss avoidance capability. A healthy process safety program significantly reduces the risk of catastrophic events and helps prevent the likelihood of human injury, environmental damage, and associated costs that arise from incidents. Although the essence of process safety focuses on preventing catastrophic incidents, the number of less severe incidents is also reduced.

Sustained Value - Process safety relates directly to enhanced shareholder value. When properly implemented, it helps ensure reliable processes that can produce high quality products, on time, and at lower cost. This increases shareholder value.
Be an ambassador for process safety and share this brochure with your customers and suppliers, your local chamber of commerce, trade organizations, and new managers in your own company.

A set of ten 16-page books and an accompanying electronic presentation on CD-ROM is available from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The online catalogue can be found at www.aiche.org/publications/ Or call 800-242-4363.

Guidelines for Process Safety in Outsourced Manufacturing Operations

In today's competitive economy, companies use a wide variety of commercial arrangements to augment in-house production. This includes outsourcing chemical reaction processes, distillation, drying, formulating, blending and packaging products. While most of these tolling or contracted manufacturing services proceed without incident, recent major accidents have pointed to weaknesses in some tolling arrangements. Some shortcomings were lack of effective communication, inadequate outsourcing procedures, incomplete technology transfer, improper use of equipment, and lack of effective management oversight.

This CCPS guideline addresses a multi-faceted approach to improved process safety in contracted manufacturing. One unique aspect of this text is that it clearly shows the relationship between process safety, environmental responsibility and product quality insupporting overall business excellence. It provides the reader with proven procedures to:

·Identify and assess the capabilities and adequacy of potential toll manufacturers,
·Develop contractual agreements which properly address legal obligations and
responsibilities for process safety, health, environment and product quality issues,
·Resolve responsibility for using process safety techniques such as process
hazard analysis, managing process changes, developing safe operating
procedures, training operators in the procedures, and complying with applicable
regulations,
·Oversee the pre-startup, startup and tolling operation phases,
·Conduct audits of the toller's operational management systems,
·Review audit results and recommendations from incident investigations, and
·Close out the outsourcing agreement and facility operations.

Checklists and examples are used throughout. They help make this book a valuable learning tool and reference for companies conducting or considering outsourcing manufacturing. It is available through AIChE publications at www.aiche.org or by calling 1-800-242-4363.

This important work focuses on helping both tollers (companies that perform chemical
related services for a fee) and the companies that contract their services to develop
and implement a management system aimed at improving process safety and
environmental compliance while also improving quality and efficiency.

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