Safety and the Environment

Abstract

Safety, reliability, and protecting the environment are inextricably linked. In modern industry, they are prerequisites to profit. Company executives frequently tout their strong commitment to worker health and safety. Their commitment derives to a large extent from strict legislation. Health and safety rules address personal protection equipment, toxic substances, equipment maintenance, worker training, and compliance monitoring. Environmental regulations fall into five main categories: air pollution, waste water, solid wastes, spills, and fugitive emissions. Harm from chronic exposure to pollutants accumulates with time. Harm from major accidents causes tremendous short-term destruction, which often is followed by damage that lingers for years. Many of the worst industrial incidents occur in the coal, oil, and chemical industries. This chapter describes and analyzes numerous examples, many of which are infamous. In most, human misbehavior is the root cause. Misbehavior by unit engineers and operators includes ignoring safety rules, changing procedures without proper management of change, and sabotage. Misbehavior by management includes failing to provide proper training, postponing maintenance, approving substandard equipment, distracting workers (sometimes just with their presence) during safety-sensitive tasks, and understaffing turnarounds with exhausted personnel. Accidents can teach hard lessons. But not everyone learns such lessons, and those who do learn sometimes forget. Others choose to ignore the lessons, because they got away with ignoring them before. Things have gotten better – in developed countries, coal mining companies no longer employ children – but there's still room for improvement.