Integrated management of safety and security in seveso plants

This research project on Integrated management of safety and security in the Seveso Plants is motivated by the threats deriving from terrorism, internal malevolence, leading more industry sectors to grapple with the challenge of managing security and safety concerns in a coordinated manner. Furthermore, the digitalization creates new safety and security challenges, such as the TRITON virus, which recently attacked industrial Safety Instrumental System. Indeed, security of industrial sites, and in particular the security of the chemical and process industry has become a matter of increasing concern in recent years. Besides, the convergence of safety and security issues has been acknowledged as a potential cause for major accidents. The objective of the study is to find solutions to the challenge of managing safety and security concerns in a coordinated manner, as well as to examine how impacts of digitalisation for safety and security of the plants are understood and identified. The study consists of the following methodologies: First, fundamental features of safety and security management is researched via case studies based on interviews with regulators and safety and security experts in companies. These illuminate how and when safety management, culture and requirements are at odds with those of the security management. The method is a qualitative content analysis. Second, a survey is conducted on attitudes and awareness of European process industries as regards cyber-physical security threats and the work-related safety of employees. Quantitative research methods are exploited in the analysis. Third, security-related scenarios concerning intentional interferences are studied. Different risk analysis methods are used for this purpose (e.g. event trees and consequence analysis models). Tentative findings of three work packages will be presented.