Safety research project of a large chemical plant

This report describes the safety research project performed. The project was carried out in co-operation between Kemira Oy and the VTT Electrical Engineering Laboratory in 1985 - 1987. The contents, aims and experiences of the project are discussed. The goal of the project was to ensure the safety of a new fine chemicals plant under construction near the city of Kokkola in Finland. The project was also included in the European COST A1 co-operation on Systems of Socio-technologies and Industrial Safety. One of the objectives of the COST A1 research programmes is to assess and manage potential risks in the control by human operators of complex technical equipment. The safety reseach project was running in parallel with the Kemira design and construction project. The plant has been designed using modern design tools and the latest techniques, the objective being to achieve the safest possible operation of the plant. The total effort in ensuring safety has amounted to about 1700 manhours per FIM 100 million estimated investment. During the project, standard analysis methods have been utilized together with a range of new ideas. One additional benefit of the project has been the increased interaction between the safety analysis of processes and the design of automation required to satisfy the safety goals of the plant. This effort has resulted in the transfer of information concerning critical factors, functions, events and process components to the design project. The experiences of the general approach and the safety analysis tools utilised have proved good. The success of the project has partly been affected by the enthusiasm and the attitude of the participating persons in emphasizing the safety of the newly constructed plant. The utilization of "safety oriented thinking" during all design stages has been crucial in developing the fine chemicals plant into a safe and comfortable working place. The COST A1 application project has been successful in its objectives of matching the more theoretical work with the practical objectives of an industrial project.