PROCESS SAFETY


The number of health and safety incidents in the chemicals sector in recent years has continued to fall, particularly in North America and in Europe. Sean Milmo asks if the uptake of digital technologies could reduce that figure to zero


T


he break-up, completed 12 years ago, of Hoechst, was considered by commentators to have been triggered by an


incident in 1993. Along with BASF and Bayer, Hoeschst was one of the three giants of the German chemical industry during the 20th century, The accident, at its main site in the suburbs of Frankfurt, did not result in any fatalities or even injuries. A reactor stirrer was switched off during the addition of sodium hydroxide to o-nitro-chlorobenzene in benzene. Against the orders of the supervisor, the stirrer was put back on, causing a runaway reaction that led to the release of 10t of reaction mixture. There was a widespread contamination of the neighbouring residential area by a white, highly visible granular substance that required a major clean-up. The extensive 24/7 media coverage of the incident, not only in Germany but internationally, soon drew attention to the competence of senior management, reinforcing existing doubts, particularly among financial institutions, about the long-term viability of the company as a single entity.


08 | 2017 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52