ABSTRACT
I.A. Papazoglou TU Delft, Safety Science Group, Delft, The Netherlands
O.N. Aneziris & M. Konstandinidou NCSR ‘‘DEMOKRITOS’’, Aghia Paraskevi, The Greece
M. Mud RPS Advies BV, Delft, The Netherlands
M. Damen RIGO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
J. Kuiper & A. Bloemhoff Consumer Safety Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
H. Baksteen Rondas Safety Consultancy, The Netherlands
L.J. Bellamy White Queen, The Netherlands
J.G. Post NIFV NIBRA, Arnhem, The Netherlands
J. Oh Ministry Social Affairs & Employment, The Hague, The Netherlands
ABSTRACT: Chemical explosions pose a serious threat for personnel in sites producing or storing dangerous substances. The Workgroup Occupational Risk Model (WORM) project financed by the Dutch government aims at the development and quantification of models for a full range of potential risks from accidents in the workspace. Sixty-three logical models have been developed each coupling working conditions with the consequences of accidents owing to sixty-three specific hazards. The logical model for vapour/gas chemical explosions is presented in this paper. A vapour/gas chemical explosion resulting in a reportable-under the Dutch law-consequence constitutes the centre event of the model. The left hand side (LHS) of the model comprises specific safety barriers, that prevent the initiation of an explosion and specific support barriers that influence the adequate functioning of the primary barriers. The right hand side (RHS) of the model includes the consequences of the chemical explosion. The model is quantified and the probability of three types of consequences of an accident (fatality, permanent injury, recoverable injury) is assessed. A sensitivity analysis assessing the relative importance of each element or working conditions to the risk is also presented.
