Process Safety and Risk Management

Emergency management in the event of an occurrence of an acute accident situation requires the invocation of multiple systems and recources both onsite and offsite of a chemical process facility. During such emergency handling operation significant decisions are required to be made in a timely and efficient manner so as to effect rapid assembly of people, evacuation, and the technical management of the emergency so as to reduce human and economic losses and a protracted loss of production, and finally a quick turnaround.

Risk is integral to modern society. As a society evolves, there is an enhancement in societal perception of risk and in the need for mitigating
them. This translates into enactment of legislation to control such risks.
However, such legislative efforts do not integrate costs and benefits associated

Major chemical accidents not only result in immediate human and property losses, but can lead to significant losses in way of business interruptions which have the potential for affecting the viability of an organization. As part of overall process safety management, one of the critical strategies against such debilitating losses is anticipatory investment into safety practices that can help avoid future accident costs.

The concept of risk governance encompasses critical decision-making for risk management, communication and monitoring of the outcome of risk strategies. It necessarily involves the engagement of all concerned stakeholders in the governance process: the government, the institutions, industry, non-governmental agencies and the general public.