5. SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Chapter weighting: 15%
Suggested number of pages: 8
This chapter will cover SHE issues related to the selected process at your chosen site and not just consist of a collection of generalities. Consider all the problems caused by by-products, emissions (including carbon footprint) and effluents, and safety problems associated with the substances at all stages of the process. For details, see page 4 of the Briefing Document for Part-1 Report.
5.1 Process Safety
You should discuss the hazards inherent in the process and consider the risk that these hazards pose. In particular, you should consider the hazards posed by the process equipment as well as those posed by the materials being processed. Suggestions should be made as to how risks can be minimised with a view to protecting the people on site and those in the proximity of the site. A complete HAZOP 0/1 analysis for the whole plant (following the procedure and guidewords given in the NNL “HAZOP 0/1 Studies” lecture) should be included in this chapter.
5.2 Health
Provide a MSDS containing information on occupational safety and health for all the materials being processed. Describe the risk and hazards (toxicity, flammability, etc.) posed by these materials to the health and safety of plant operators, organisation’s employees and the wider public. After reviewing MSDS for key materials used in the plant, s
ummarise necessary information in a table, consisting of columns of relevant MSDS information categories (as per H&S regulations of the country where the plant is located) and rows of materials, and provide key information under each category against each material. You should provide a hyperlink for accessing the original MSDS for each material. No need to provide MSDSs in an appendix.
Exposure limits of hazardous materials and mitigation strategies, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), in the event of accidental release should be describe. COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations for the prevention workers’ exposure to substances that are hazardous to their health should be given.
5.3 Environmental Impact
Describe the potential environmental impact of the process. You should consider both the impact of the process under normal operation and in case of failure/accidents. You should investigate the environmental consequences of transporting the raw materials, the waste generated by the process and its disposal, and the impact any of the chemicals may have on the immediate surroundings in case of uncontrolled release due to accident. By-products have to be disposed of in a satisfactory way, as do effluents. You should also report the quantity of CO2 generated (calculated through mass balance) and how you would deal with the CO2 emission following Clean Air Standards.