STARA - A Static Electricity Risk Analysis Method for the Process Industries

Safety and operability aspects - including electrostatic problems - should be considered systematically already at the design phase of a new process or plant. As a result, the plant becomes inherently safer because its safety performance is less reliant on add-on devices - such as grounding arrangements - which can (and do) fail. However, due to the nature of static electricity, not all causes for electrostatic problems can be completely removed by design. Thus a need to minimise them during the whole life cycle of a process will remain. As part of the Finnish research programme "Management of Static Electricity" (STAHA), a safety analysis method designed to identify the ignition potential due static electricity has been developed. The general approach used is similar to that of HAZOP and other generally accepted safety analysis methods, ie. it is based on group work.