Plant safety

Abstract

Plant safety should be non-negotiable. However, largescale industrial accidents in the past are proof, if indeed proof were needed, that industrial plants present a risk to employees, the general population and the environment. For example, in 1976 one of the most serious chemical accidents in European history took place in Seveso, Italy. During production of hexachlorophene, a medical disinfectant, there was an uncontrolled reaction and about 2 kg of this toxic substance was released into the atmosphere through a safety valve. An 18 km2 area was contaminated and many people were poisoned. The accident in Bhopal, India in 1984 was even worse. Temperature and pressure increased dramatically when a tank containing methyl isocyanate was flooded with water. 24 t of the toxic substance subsequently escaped through a safety valve, killing large numbers of people. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.