Process Safety

Question 1

Title

Answer 1

Definition

Question 2

Occupational Safety Program

Answer 2

A safety program focused on preventing personal injuries such as falls, cuts, sprains, strains, being struck by objects, and repetitive motion injuries in the workplace.

Question 3

Personal Safety

Answer 3

A type of safety concerned with protecting individual workers from common workplace accidents and injuries

Question 4

Process Safety

Answer 4

A discipline that focuses on the prevention of fires, explosions, and accidental chemical or energy releases at facilities handling hazardous processes.

Question 5

Catastrophic Release

Answer 5

A large-scale, uncontrolled release of hazardous chemicals or energy that can cause multiple fatalities, injuries, and major environmental or property damage.

Question 6

Texas City Refinery Explosion (2005)

Answer 6

A major refinery accident that killed 15 people and injured over 170, highlighting deficiencies in process safety culture.

Question 7

Baker Panel

Answer 7

An independent commission formed after the Texas City Refinery explosion to examine BP’s process safety culture and management systems.

Question 8

Baker Panel Definition of Process Safety

Answer 8

A view that process safety hazards can cause major accidents involving releases of dangerous materials or energy with catastrophic consequences.

Question 9

Seveso Disaster

Answer 9

A 1976 runaway reaction in Seveso, Italy that released dioxin into residential areas, causing widespread health and environmental damage.

Question 10

Dioxin

Answer 10

A highly toxic chemical released during the Seveso disaster that caused chloracne and rendered large areas uninhabitable.

Question 11

Seveso Directive

Answer 11

European regulations introduced in 1982 to control major industrial hazards following the Seveso disaster.

Question 12

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Answer 12

A 1984 accident in Bhopal, India involving the release of methyl isocyanate that killed more than 3,000 people.

Question 13

Methyl Isocyanate

Answer 13

A highly toxic and flammable chemical released during the Bhopal gas tragedy.

Question 14

Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)

Answer 14

A not-for-profit organization formed in 1985 under AIChE to improve industrial process safety worldwide.

Question 15

American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

Answer 15

A professional organization that houses CCPS and promotes chemical engineering safety and best practices

Question 16

Process Safety Management (PSM)

Answer 16

A formal, documented management system focused on preventing and managing hazardous chemical and energy releases.

Question 17

OSHA Process Safety Management Regulation

Answer 17

A regulation issued in 1992 focusing on protecting workers from highly hazardous chemicals on- site.

Question 18

EPA Risk Management Plan (RMP)

Answer 18

A regulation issued in 1995 under the Clean Air Act focusing on off-site impacts of chemical accidents.

Question 19

Threshold Quantity (TQ)

Answer 19

The minimum quantity of a hazardous chemical that triggers OSHA PSM or EPA RMP requirements.

Question 20

Risk-Based Process Safety (RBPS)

Answer 20

A CCPS framework developed to promote continuous improvement and excellence in process safety management.

Question 21

Pillars of Process Safety

Answer 21

The four fundamental components of RBPS: Commit to Process Safety, Understand Hazards and Risk, Manage Risk, and Learn from Experience.

Question 22

Commit to Process Safety

Answer 22

The pillar emphasizing leadership, management commitment, and organizational culture in achieving process safety excellence.

Question 23

Understand Hazards and Risk

Answer 23

The pillar focused on identifying hazards and assessing their potential consequences and likelihood.

Question 24

Manage Risk

Answer 24

The pillar involving safe operation, management of change, asset integrity, and emergency preparedness.

Question 25

Learn from Experience

Answer 25

The pillar that emphasizes learning from accidents, near misses, and external incidents to improve safety.

Question 26

Risk

Answer 26

The combination of hazard, magnitude of consequences, and likelihood of occurrence.

Question 27

Hazard

Answer 27

A physical or chemical condition with the potential to cause harm.

Question 28

Magnitude

Answer 28

The severity or extent of damage or loss resulting from an accident.

Question 29

Likelihood

Answer 29

The frequency or probability that a hazardous event will occur.

Question 30

Near Miss

Answer 30

An event that did not result in injury or damage but could have led to an accident under slightly different circumstances.

Question 31

Hazard Identification

Answer 31

The systematic process of recognizing potential hazards in a process or facility.

Question 32

Process Hazard Checklist

Answer 32

A list of known hazards and potential problems used to systematically review a process.

Question 33

Hazard Survey

Answer 33

An inventory or rating system for hazardous materials and conditions, ranging from simple listings to formal indexes.

Question 34

Dow Fire and Explosion Index

Answer 34

A formal hazard rating system that assigns penalties for hazards and credits for safety features.

Question 35

HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study)

Answer 35

A structured brainstorming technique using guide words to identify deviations, causes, and consequences in a process.

Question 36

Safety Review

Answer 36

A less formal hazard analysis method whose effectiveness depends on team experience and interaction.

Question 37

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)

Answer 37

A logical, quantitative method for identifying combinations of failures that can lead to an accident.

Question 38

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)

Answer 38

A numerical evaluation of risk that includes frequency analysis and consequence modeling.

Question 39

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Answer 39

A semi-quantitative method used to evaluate whether existing protection layers adequately reduce risk.

Question 40

Source Modeling

Answer 40

The modeling of how hazardous materials are released from a process following an incident.

Question 41

Initiating Event

Answer 41

An initial failure such as a pipeline rupture, tank leak, or runaway reaction that leads to an incident.

Question 42

Runaway Reaction

Answer 42

An uncontrolled chemical reaction that accelerates due to insufficient heat removal.

Question 43

Design Envelope

Answer 43

The safe operating limits of a process defined during design using hazard and risk analysis.

Question 44

Management of Change (MOC)

Answer 44

A formal process to evaluate and control risks introduced by changes in equipment, procedures, or materials.

Question 45

Asset Integrity

Answer 45

The assurance that equipment is designed, installed, operated, and maintained properly throughout its life cycle.

Question 46

Process Control

Answer 46

The use of control systems to maintain operating conditions within safe limits.

Question 47

Operating Procedures

Answer 47

Written instructions that describe safe and correct methods for operating a process.

Question 48

Emergency Management

Answer 48

Activities related to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from process-related emergencies.

Question 49

Emergency Preparedness

Answer 49

Planning and training activities conducted before an incident occurs.

Question 50

Incident Investigation

Answer 50

A systematic analysis of accidents and near misses to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.