Using historic accident data to estimate the potential fatalities due to chemical hazards

Inherent safety is that which is intrinsic to a chemical plant. Chemical plants should be designed to be acceptably safe and it is better if this can be achieved through inherent safety, which cannot be compromised, rather than added-on engineered safety. The earlier that inherent safety is considered, the greater are the benefits. The aim of this project is to develop a method which can be used to assess the inherent safety of a chemical plant, by estimating the potential number of fatalities in the event of a catastrophic accident. This method is intended for use in the early phases of design when the major decisions on the chemical process are made. In the early stages, only limited information about equipment and plant layout exist as well as the reaction chemistry and the physical, chemical and toxicity properties of the chemicals involved. [Continues.]