Inherently safer chemical process design

Inherently safer product, process and plant design represents a fundamentally different approach to safety in chemical manufacturing. The process designer is challenged to identify ways to eliminate the hazards associated with the process, rather than to develop add-on barriers to protect people from the hazards of the manufacturing process and its materials. This is best accomplished early in the product and process design cycle, but it is never too late to apply inherently safer design concepts. However, the process designer must also recognize that most processes have many hazards, and must always retain a broad perspective when evaluating options. Design alternatives which reduce or eliminate one hazard may create or increase the magnitude of others. The designer must apply good judgment and appropriate analytical and decision making tools to allow him to select the best overall process alternative, considering all of the hazards. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.