Citation

Khan FI, Abbasi SA. Process. Saf. Environ. Prot. 1997; 75(4): 217-224.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Institution of Chemical Engineers and European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Publisher Hemisphere Publishing)

DOI

10.1205/095758297529093

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Traditionally, the severity of accidents in the chemical process industries has been gauged on the basis of the human lives lost1-5. However, factors such as loss of assets, contamination of the surroundings, and the resultant trauma also contribute to a very large extent towards the adverse impacts of such accidents.

We have developed Accident Hazard Index (AHI) as a new system for a comprehensive yet rapid assessment of the damage caused by accidents in the chemical process industries. The index can also be used to assess the impacts of accidents likely in a yet-to-be-commissioned industry on the basis of site characteristics and the industry' s process and operational details; the index thus enables one to choose between possible sites for setting up a new industry.