Junaidah Zakaria, Che Rosmani Che Hassan, Mahar Diana Hamid, Ezrin Hani Sukadarin
{"title":"Safety attitudes among workers in Malaysian chemical manufacturing plants","authors":"Junaidah Zakaria, Che Rosmani Che Hassan, Mahar Diana Hamid, Ezrin Hani Sukadarin","doi":"10.1002/prs.12589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12589","url":null,"abstract":"Statistics in Malaysia show that accident cases in the manufacturing industry are the highest compared with other sectors. Concerns regarding changing workers' attitudes, controlling their current perceptions, and installing knowledge and experiences that travel through the culture are necessary. This study investigates workers' attitudes to safety between executives and operators. A total number of 309 respondents voluntarily participated. Results report that respondents' attitude toward individual responsibility (<i>M</i> = 4.24, SD = 0.63) is the highest, followed by the effectiveness of safety arrangements (<i>M</i> = 3.91, SD = 0.81) and safeness of the work environment (<i>M</i> = 3.17, SD = 0.73). Results revealed a significant difference between groups (<i>t</i> = 6.67, <i>p</i> = 0.014) for personal skepticism and (<i>t</i> = 15.775, <i>p</i> = 0.001) for personal immunity. There was a statistically positive correlation between attitudes measured with selected demographic factors. It can be concluded that increases in the level of education were associated with increases in individual responsibility, and an increase in age was directly correlated with increases in the effectiveness of safety arrangements. Furthermore, different groups of workers influence their attitudes toward safety arrangements and safeness of the work environment. This study can be used as a preliminary study or the first step for enhancing an organizational safety culture through behavior and attitude change.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139954563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rubachandran Venkatesan, Razif Harun, Hamdan Mohamed Yusoff, Musab Abdul Razak
{"title":"Hydrogen safety effect calculation (dispersion and thermal radiation effects) for determination of siting and safe distance","authors":"Rubachandran Venkatesan, Razif Harun, Hamdan Mohamed Yusoff, Musab Abdul Razak","doi":"10.1002/prs.12590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12590","url":null,"abstract":"The main aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effect of dispersion, thermal radiation, and explosion from a poly-bed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit with its surrounding facility to determine its safety distance. Thus, the Shell FRED (fire, release, explosion, and dispersion) consequence modeling was used to predict the impact of a release scenario and assist in designing, developing, and maintaining safe operation. This study was intended to calculate dispersion contours to 50% lower flammable limit (LFL) and 100% LFL, thermal impacts of radiation flux levels of 4, 5, 12.5, and 37.5 kW/m<sup>2</sup> at a distance, and including explosive effects of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.35 bar to the chosen target. Based on the findings, it was found that, to avoid exposure to heat radiation of 12.5 kW/m<sup>2</sup> from the PSA unit, equipment should be located at a minimum distance of 20.84 m. Meanwhile, process modules and buildings must be located at a minimum distance of 13.8 m. The explosive nature of hydrogen makes on-site handling and storage more challenging than fossil fuels. The findings of this study will have important implications for the future handling and storage of hydrogen as a potential fuel.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Siti Zubaidah Sulaiman, Khairiah Mohd Mokhtar, Wan Zaiton Wan Sulaiman, Nur Hikmah Semawi
{"title":"Flame propagation and explosion characteristics of food-based dust as a function of dust concentration","authors":"Siti Zubaidah Sulaiman, Khairiah Mohd Mokhtar, Wan Zaiton Wan Sulaiman, Nur Hikmah Semawi","doi":"10.1002/prs.12591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12591","url":null,"abstract":"A comprehensive grasp of the mechanisms and characteristics of dust explosions holds significant importance in guiding safe operations and risk mitigation measures. This research examined the impact of dust concentration on the flame propagation and explosion characteristics of rice flour and tea dust. The explosion test was carried out in a 20-L spherical chamber and demonstrated that elevating the dust concentration led to increased explosion pressure and flame velocity. Simultaneously, it decreased both the rise initiation time and the peak time. This observation can be attributed to more particles ignited by heat radiation per unit volume and a greater frequency of effective collisions between reactant molecules. These factors enhance mass and heat transfer in preheating and reaction zones, producing more violent pyrolysis. However, tea dust exhibited a slower flame propagation with weaker turbulent flame intensity due to its higher moisture content and larger particle size than rice flour.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"82 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mingqi Bai, Xin Du, Jianguo Li, Chi-Min Shu, Wei Feng, Bing Li, Yi Liu
{"title":"A risk-based evaluation of safe distance for a hydrogen refueling station","authors":"Mingqi Bai, Xin Du, Jianguo Li, Chi-Min Shu, Wei Feng, Bing Li, Yi Liu","doi":"10.1002/prs.12587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12587","url":null,"abstract":"To ensure the safety of hydrogen refueling stations (HRSs) and protective targets in the surrounding area, this paper has introduced a risk-based safe distance assessment method for a 35MP HRSs, emphasizing the impact of the station's surrounding area. The findings indicate that the safe distance is determined by vapor cloud explosion (VCE) accident scenarios arising from pipeline leaks (compressor-hydrogen storage tanks) at 125 m. Therefore, a crucial focus should be placed on safeguarding and maintaining hydrogen pipelines. Furthermore, based on societal risk, the requirement of a 358-m safe distance specifies that the population gathering within this range should be <500 people, virtually eliminating the possibility of constructing hydrogen stations in urban residential areas. Only in scenarios where VCE risks are not considered, less-populated surrounding environments might reduce the safe distance of hydrogen stations. Eliminating the risk scenarios of VCE is a crucial approach to lowering the safe distance of HRSs, making establishing such stations in urban centers feasible. Therefore, factors such as open spaces, well-ventilated facilities, and blast walls become critical elements in reducing the safe distance of HRSs.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nor Izliana Mohd Nizan, Nina Fatma Ali, Siti Aslina Hussain
{"title":"Managing ergonomic risk assessment among assembly operators in the small-scale fabrication sector","authors":"Nor Izliana Mohd Nizan, Nina Fatma Ali, Siti Aslina Hussain","doi":"10.1002/prs.12585","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12585","url":null,"abstract":"In the small-scale fabrication sector, employee health and safety are the most important aspects for improving productivity and quality. There is a lack of risk assessment and limited information on human handling and ergonomic approaches in the working environment of the small-scale fabrication sector. This study aims to analyze the association of human handling risk factors with work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) symptoms among assembly operators and to evaluate the proposed ergonomic intervention for a high-risk work task using ergonomic risk assessment tools such as Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). A questionnaire survey and observation were conducted across seven work categories. The analysis using RULA and REBA revealed that cleaning, fitting, and assembling have a high-risk level that requires ergonomic intervention. The virtual design of the proposed ergonomic workstation for high-risk work tasks was created using CATIA software and evaluated using RULA and REBA analyses. Job and organizational factors were found to be the main contributors to WMSD, while individual factors, awareness levels, and ergonomic risk assessment had insignificant effects on WMSD. Based on RULA and REBA scores, the proposed ergonomic intervention significantly reduces risk by 30%–47%, improving overall health and safety for operators in diverse work activities.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abdul Hafiz Abd Halim, Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi, Faizah Mohd Yassin, Mohd Zahirasri Mohd Tohir
{"title":"Study of human error from incident investigation in upstream facilities","authors":"Abdul Hafiz Abd Halim, Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi, Faizah Mohd Yassin, Mohd Zahirasri Mohd Tohir","doi":"10.1002/prs.12584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12584","url":null,"abstract":"Human failures are a major cause of breakdowns in upstream facilities because of challenging working conditions. A study of human errors from an incident investigation in upstream facilities was carried out to understand the topography of human errors. A Tripod Beta diagram was developed from 107 incidents gathered during 2017–2020, and the human error taxonomy was used to identify the human errors caused by individuals and contributory human factors responsible for the incidents. A mistake is the most common human failing in a major incident, contributing to 59%, followed by a violation and a skill-based error with scores of 36% and 5%, respectively. Knowledge-based mistakes were prevalent in 48% of the analyzed reports, indicating a significant gap in any decision involving problem-solving and diagnosis. Situational and routine violations with 14% and 10% scoring, respectively, show the complexity of the offshore work environment, which prompts workers to violate and believe that jobs cannot be completed without violations. Disciplinary action, providing a safer workplace, and enhancing the safety culture were proposed to combat workplace violations. Meanwhile, an up-skilling of the workforce with adequate information and instruction will mitigate human errors leading to a mistake. Lastly, revisiting human factor engineering is required to prevent slip and lapse errors.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How audits fail according to accident investigations: A counterfactual logic analysis","authors":"Ben Hutchinson, Sidney Dekker, Andrew Rae","doi":"10.1002/prs.12579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12579","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the reliance on safety auditing within organizations, comparatively limited research has studied the performance of safety auditing. When an investigation laments the “lack of audit quality” following an accident, what is meant by this statement? What contrasts a “good quality” audit from a “poor quality” audit? This study examined counterfactual logics (statements about alternative realities that did not occur but “could have” according to investigators) within 44 major accident reports to assess how audits are supposed to function and how they fall short of the ideal model. The content analysis yielded nine counterfactual auditing failures grouped into four categories. Contrary to the “ideal” model, audits (a) failed to facilitate an accurate understanding of threats by misinterpreting their saliency, (b) failed to facilitate timely action against threats by inadequately addressing the deterioration of known issues, (c) failed to facilitate effective management of issues, leading to confusion around the purpose and scope of audits, and d) failed to facilitate sufficient focus on threats by lacking focus on critical hazards and focusing on paperwork over operational issues or “failing silently” by missing threats while simultaneously praising performance. Practitioners should critically evaluate audits against these criteria and ensure audits effectively identify early warning signs.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"208 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139578551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Explosion incidents associated with comprehensive studies on methyl ethyl ketone peroxide under thermal decomposition: A review","authors":"Lingzhu Gong, Gending Yu, Jingling Li, Jinfeng Chen, Rongguo Chen, Jiale Huang, Lei Wang, Zhikun Huang, Jiulai Huang, Yih-Shing Duh","doi":"10.1002/prs.12565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12565","url":null,"abstract":"This review gathered and discussed the available results on the thermal hazards, thermal kinetics, decomposition mechanism, autocatalytic behavior, thermal explosion, deflagration ability, and incompatibility hazards associated with the thermal decomposition of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO). The present review constructed a diagram showing all activation energy <i>E</i><sub>a</sub> and log <i>A</i> values for the thermal decomposition of MEKPO. Some disagreement exists in the values of <i>E</i><sub>a</sub> and log <i>A</i> (unit: s<sup>−1</sup> M<sup>1−<i>n</i></sup>) derived from differential scanning calorimetry; thus, more extensive studies must be conducted to resolve disputes. Nearly no literature exists on the thermal explosion and deflagration ability of MEKPO, and the reactions of MEKPO with incompatible contaminants remain unclear. Concerning the complex decomposition mechanism of MEKPO, experimental determination and identifications of intermediates have not been obtained. Available technology must be improved to enable the collection of accurate data on thermal hazards, thermal kinetics, decomposition mechanisms, explosion and deflagration phenomena, autocatalytic behavior, and incompatibility. This review has integrated an up-to-date summary of the most recent approaches and offers perspectives regarding future research. These current findings can serve as a reference for completing subsequent experimental investigations, theoretical studies, and designs of inherently safer measures for producing or handling MEKPO.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"270 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139460134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hasan Mahbub Tusher, Salman Nazir, Steven Mallam, Zaili Yang, Umer Asgher, Risza Rusli
{"title":"Exploring the effects of automation malfunction on team communication and coordination in ships' engine rooms","authors":"Hasan Mahbub Tusher, Salman Nazir, Steven Mallam, Zaili Yang, Umer Asgher, Risza Rusli","doi":"10.1002/prs.12571","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12571","url":null,"abstract":"Automation malfunctions within complex socio-technical systems reserve the potential to significantly affect human performance. In the context of maritime operations, varying consequences of automation malfunction on human performance can be observed. This study introduced a two-step research framework to examine the repercussions of such malfunctions, particularly those related to communication and coordination among human teams in ship engine rooms. Initially, a qualitative semi-structured interview was conducted with seven professional marine engineers to explore the potential impact of hypothetical automation malfunction on team communication. Subsequently, a quantitative survey involving 32 professional marine engineers employed coordination demand analysis (CDA) to scrutinize changes in team coordination resulting from malfunction. The findings indicate that an automation malfunction within an engine room can precipitate an abrupt overload of the socio-technical system. This can significantly increase communication frequency among engineers, particularly in relation to the physical and organizational aspects of the environment. Furthermore, the study highlights the influence of disparate levels of expertise among team members on coordination demands. A positive correlation was discovered between differences in expertise and increased coordination demands within a team. These insights underscore the necessity for future research on human–automation interaction, specifically focusing on individual differences and nontechnical skills.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139460136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruno Felippe Silva, Erica Vanessa Albuquerque de Oliveira, Marcelo Gonçalves Da Cunha
{"title":"Change of location class in gas pipelines from a regulatory perspective","authors":"Bruno Felippe Silva, Erica Vanessa Albuquerque de Oliveira, Marcelo Gonçalves Da Cunha","doi":"10.1002/prs.12582","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12582","url":null,"abstract":"Location class is an essential factor in the gas pipeline project because it considers factors such as population density and the number of buildings along the gas pipeline route. As these parameters change, the pipeline operator needs to review the location class, also requiring a possible assessment of changes in allowable pipeline operating pressure. Brazilian regulations related to the safety of pipeline processes are defined in the Onshore Pipeline Technical Regulation and this document indicates the application of the requirements of the ASME B31.8 standard for changing the location class. Although there are preventive and mitigating measures in the ASME B31.8 standard, they are seen as overly conservative. Other international standards have different concepts, with evaluation criteria based on risk analysis. The issue has also been a challenge for other countries, which are reviewing their regulations and developing guidelines for gas pipeline operators. The main objective of this study is to carry out a survey of international practices related to changing the location class of gas pipelines and to propose a criterion based on the best international practices based on risk management, allowing a more comprehensive view of this subject.","PeriodicalId":20680,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety Progress","volume":"34 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139441509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}