Major accidents in process industries and an analysis of causes and
consequences
Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 12 (5):
361--378 (September 1999)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0950-4230(98)00062-X
Abstract
This paper briefly recapitulates some of the major accidents in chemical
process industries which occurred during 1926-1997. These case studies
have been analysed with a view to understand the damage potential
of various types of accidents, and the common causes or errors which
have led to disasters. An analysis of different types of accidental
events such as fire, explosion and toxic release has also been done
to assess the damage potential of such events. It is revealed that
vapour cloud explosion (VCE) poses the greatest risk of damage. The
study highlights the need for risk assessment in chemical process
industries.