Seite 1 ©Prof. Jochum Emergency Management: Assessing Risks and Improving Emergency Preparedness especially in Existing Chemical Plants Prof. Dr. Christian Jochum, Consultant Chairman, German Commission on Process Safety Director, European Process Safety Centre (EPSC) New Delhi, February 11-13, 2009

Seite 2 ©Prof. Jochum European Process Safety Centre (EPSC) Network funded by 40+ mainly European based (petro)chemical multinationals to develop best practice in major accident/process safety Objectives: Information/know how exchange Legislation (esp. Seveso II & ATEX) participation & co-ordination of EU funded projects Outputs: Internal reports & books User groups & public conferences EU projects & working groups Major topics 2008/09: Process Safety Indicators/Learning from Accidents Safety Critical Equipment Fostering Senior Management Involvement in Process Safety (with EFCE) LOPA Experience & Development

Seite 3 ©Prof. Jochum Disaster Management Disaster management is a multi-stage process starting with prevention of major accidents... identify hazards comprehensively... pursuing the goal to define and train as much as possible in advance avoid or control risks communicate remaining risks mitigate consequences remediate damages restore trust

Seite 4 ©Prof. Jochum Safety of New and Existing Plants New plants: safety is generally not an issue of financial resources, but sometimes of a lack of professionalism “Integrated Safety” is most effective and cheap, if considered right from beginning of design “End of Pipe Safety” is less effective and/or expensive, as late design changes may be necessary Existing Plants need another approach to come close to today´s safety standards Upgrading may be technically and economically difficult Operating experience is major asset Experience in Germany after 1960 demonstrates that safety of existing plants can be dramatically improved

Seite 5 ©Prof. Jochum Development of accidents at and on the way to the worplace in Germany since 1950 „Arbeitsunfälle“ = occupational accidents „Wegeunfälle“ = acc. on the way to work

Seite 6 ©Prof. Jochum Plant & Process Safety: improvement of existing („old“) plants Make best use of limited resources by a stepwise approach: 1.Have full knowledge about hazardous properties of all substances (e.g. Material Safety Data Sheets, data bases, etc.) 2.Identify and rank critical points (human- and eco – toxicity, hold-up of hazardous substances, reaction conditions) by e.g. „What-if“- or HAZOP – studies 3.Document this in a safety study as a tool for use by the plant and by authorities 4.Focus improvements (manpower, money, additional safeguards etc.) and inspections on the most critical points. 5.The higher the risk, the more independent safeguards („barriers“) should be considered. 6.Use the scenarios developed under (2) for emergency planning

Seite 7 ©Prof. Jochum Plant & Process Safety: Use existing knowledge Most accidents and eco – incidents have a previous history... Preliminary events leading up to the accidents (failure of preliminary safeguards) have not been identified Prior to most major accidents similar smaller incidents or near misses have happened, but not evaluated... which should be used for prevention Raise the awareness of the workers Use the experience of workers –Encourage reporting of deviations, near misses and even minor incidents as well as suggestions for improvements. Consider contests and awards for groups working together –Have a system for following up such reports/suggestions

Seite 8 ©Prof. Jochum Plant & Process Safety: The Human Factor Workers are risks and resources for safety They have to know the risks to cope with Detailed written procedures are a tool both for workers and for management. They should... –describe the procedure as it is in the plant step by step –use a language and expressions which are understood by the workers (no scientific or technical paper) –highlight hazards, safety measures and critical process parameters (temperature, pressure,...) –make independent double checks mandatory for critical parameters and procedures (e.g. charging the right products!) –include start-up, shut-down, maintenance and process-specific information for emergencies Use other procedures (e.g. GMP) for safety purposes, too. Include normal and abnormal situations in training

Seite 9 ©Prof. Jochum Emergency Preparedness Accidents may happen even in most modern plants. They cannot be planned, but they should be considered. Use the scenarios identified for prevention of major incidents for emergency planning and training, too. Cover all relevant scenarios in the emergency plan. Assign responsibilities rather than regulating details. The emergency organisation is different from the normal organisation, but is empowered to use it. Adjust the emergency organisation to the dimension of the incident (e.g. „blue, yellow, red alert“) Clearly document all available resources (site, company, neighbouring sites, authorities,...) for the different scenarios. Ensure that they can be used in emergencies (e.g. co-operative agreements). Before you rely on off-site resources, consider the time until availability. Industrial zones with many chemical companies close together need special attention („domino-effects“)

Seite 10 ©Prof. Jochum Emergency Response The basic principle: the faster and more effective the initial response, the smaller the consequences for men, environment and economy. Provide the infrastructure for fast response (fire brigade, emergency control room, notification and availability of key personnel, etc.) Encourage immediate reporting of incidents (not to wait until own efforts failed...), do not blame for false alarms. Site fire brigades (or shared with adjacent sites) usually are faster and more efficient then municipal brigades, which rather serve as a back-up. If the fire brigade is (partly) staffed by chemical workers be aware of the risks of understaffed chemical production. Better start with a higher level of alarm (worst case assumption) and grade it down later than vice versa. Notify and involve public fire brigades and authorities as soon as possible. Analyse every incident and the response to improve the organisation without blaming anyone

Seite 11 ©Prof. Jochum The Role of Authorities The cooperation between authorities and companies at an incident depends on their cooperation before the incident. Open communication about risks and safety measures on a regular basis (e.g. in a local or regional committees) builds up trust which is urgently needed during emergency response Authorities need to know about the possible scenarios for major accidents to do their own preparations Authorities should have clear rules about their responsibilities in handling major incidents to avoid conflicts between the different agencies (e.g. labour safety, environment, civil protection, police etc.) Mitigation of consequences should come first, prosecution of individuals responsible for the incident later.

Seite 12 ©Prof. Jochum Neighbours, Journalists and Environmentalists The basic issue: Neighbours and the general public share the risks of chemical sites, but not necessarily the benefits. Communication of relevant risks has to be done openly and in an adequate form („not scientific“) prior to incidents (e.g. “neighbourhood councils“, brochures,...) –to build up trust in the competence of the company to handle risks –to enable the neighbours to react adequately during an incident The response of neighbours etc. to incidents depend on the companies response to requests and complaints prior to the incident. Fast and open information after an incident is crucial. Fears and worries of neighbours etc. have to be taken seriously even if they are based on emotions rather than science On the long term, conflicts with neighbours etc. endangers the „licence to operate“ Committees with all stakeholders like the German Commission on Process Safety are an effective tool for cooperation and communication.

Seite 13 ©Prof. Jochum Mandated by the Federal Immission Control Act Advises government as well as plant operators and state and local authorities on process safety 32 members with different professional and educational background representing different stakeholders („Round Table“) Any group needs „allies“ to win votes Consensus intended, but majority decisions possible About 55 guidelines issued on different topics, e.g. Land Use Planning (Safety distances) Risk evaluation and perception Emergency Planning Industrial parks Provisions against terrorist attacs on chemical plants All publications of the Commission are available (partly in English) at Commission on Process Safety (Kommission fuer Anlagensicherheit [KAS])

Seite 14 ©Prof. Jochum Conclusions Investing in safe and eco-efficient plants pays off at least on the long term The (remaining) risks of chemical/pharmaceutical plants can be assessed and are the basis for scenarios for emergency planning. The knowledge and experience of the operators should be used by all means. Risks should be communicated as well as benefits with all stakeholders, esp. the neighbours. The resources for emergency response (manpower, equipment, communications, organisation etc) have to be planned in advance and readily available in case of an incident. People usually accept the risk of a chemical/pharmaceutical plant, but not incompetence in handling it. Authorities should involve themselves actively in emergency planning, balancing this out with their law enforcement duties. Combined efforts will definitely lead to safer and more accepted plants, as the figures from Germany may show.

Seite 15 ©Prof. Jochum Thank you for your attention!