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Safety in a Chemical Factory: An Absolute Necessity |
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by Kalakad Ganapathy |
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The Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India where there was the leakage of the obnoxious Methyl Iso cyanate gas continues to be a grim reminder of what uncontrolled emissions can do to ravage the lives of people and future generations. Though Union Carbide might have passed on the handle to Dow Chemicals, no conciliatory action can ever compensate for the loss suffered by the people of Bhopal and the damage caused to the environment.
Possible Causes Let us analyse a few possible reasons for the mishap * Lack of operational controls Outcome of the mishap * Loss of life, injuries that can affect generations of population Safety & Regulation Both safety and regulation go hand-in-hand. The presence of regulation acts as a deterrent for non-compliance to safety rules. However, owing to red tape, bureaucracy and corruption, the statutory enforcement of safety [at least in India] has not been up to the mark. Further, the multiplicity of regulatory bodies can add to the complexity if different authorities specify different requirements. However, one cannot deny that this also helps in keeping a tight check on safety. In many chemical plants, especially those conforming to global standards, there can be conflict between what the organisational safety policy demands and what the statute demands. A dialogue across the table and sharp understanding of the statute is essential. Why is Safety so important? Human Life is precious and unsafe practices can lead to loss of lives, injuries that can adversely affect a population. The regulation is intended to ensure that safety norms are in place and that they are not flouted. Every chemical factory must have a clear and concise safety policy. Safety in a chemical plant: Important points to be considered 1. What are the types of chemicals being handled? Answers to these questions will clearly reflect the emergency preparedness of a chemical installation and the importance accorded to safety. Input measures & Output measures This is a simple concept. If you are regularly wearing helmets while driving your bike and driving carefully by following traffic signals, then these are the input measures. As a result of these efforts, if you have not met with any accident in the last 6 months, then this is an output measure. The input measures in a chemical plant can be all the steps (as described above) taken to enhance safety. Similarly, the output measures in a chemical installation can be * The number of instances when leaks have been reported If safety procedures are followed religiously, then no. of leaks, accidents, injuries etc can be "zero”. But please note that the converse is not true. Accidents in chemical installations can happen unannounced. So, if there are no accidents, we can't assume that safety procedures are adhered to. A thorough investigation is essential to double check the compliance level. Transportation safety Safety while transporting chemicals is of utmost importance as this can have an adverse effect if there is lack of awareness about the same. Some of the questions that one needs to ask: 1.How are the chemicals being transported - in trucks, tankers, lorries ? For example - if a consignment is not accompanied by material safety data sheet and chemical test report, do you refuse to unload? In such a case, what actions do you take ? Regulation It is important to know about all the regulatory authorities who govern the compliance of factories with safety procedures. To take an example, in India, we have a. Factories Act, 1948 (Factory Inspector) There may be other authorities to ensure factories comply with labour laws. This can vary from state to state, region to region. I would like to reiterate that though the original intention of having multiplicity of regulatory authorities was to ensure that safety was all-pervasive and given due weight age, it has actually proved to be more complex in India due to lack of coordination between different authorities, differing requirements and the deleterious effect of bureaucracy and red tape. A few important questions that need answers is: Considering the differing requirements of various statutory authorities, what actions are taken by the chemical factory to bring a semblance of balance to meet the compliance norms ? How often do they review compliance of the factory with various statutes ? Do actions taken to close the gaps receive management support ? How serious is management about complying with regulation ?Are there regulations that overlap each other ? Does this lead to simplification of the compliance process? Though the compliance process needs the use of a lot of elbow grease, the fruits of the labour can be highly rewarding. Organisations that operate in the manufacturing space will realise that their brand value is intricately linked to the safety policy. Product Stewardship (i.e. the technique of assuming ownership from birth of a product till it reaches the end of its life cycle) will play a very important role in the future success of such businesses. Product Integrity (what you see on the pack is what you get) is also going to play a crucial role. Safety, quality, product stewardship and product integrity are so closely linked. Time spent on these efforts is certainly well spent. Top Management involvement a. How often does your top management review the operations of the factory and safety compliance ? (Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly) b. How often does the management communicate about the safety policy and need to comply with it? c. What are drastic actions taken by management in case employees fail to adhere to safety policy ? Conclusion Safety is always driven from the top. Though the compliance process and dealing with an array of regulatory authorities can prove to be taxing, it can reap rich rewards for the future and contribute to the business growth. The organisations involved in manufacturing chemicals have a huge responsibility on their shoulders to ensure that their installation is not just safe, but also has controls and checks in place to avoid loss to the community around the factory as well as to the environment. Efforts to comply with safety can never go waste. |
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01-Jul-2012 | ||
More by : Kalakad Ganapathy | ||
Views: 2514 Comments: 0 | ||
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