ABSTRACT
At the warehouses of hazardous chemicals many occupational risks are present, including chemical exposures, fires, toxic clouds and explosions. The warehouses are clearly distinguishable from the other of chemical industry for plant simplicity, chemical diversity, small staff, and product packaging. Due to the current dynamism of the market, these firms are now facing emerging risks as workplace conditions—which mainly depend on stored quantities in each period—could heavily vary. Customers in the chemical supply chain are now adopting the “just-in-time” policy, which reduce their own inventory and risk levels. Thus, risks are transferred to the supply chain, including chemical warehouses. The first goal of the paper is to define a reference model for assessing and managing dynamically different risk types, typical of chemical warehouses. The safety managers have to be enabled to assess dynamically all hazard associated with stored chemicals and related activities and quickly redirect the control measures. A further aim is to understand the potential for safety of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies, already popular in logistic activities. The paper will focus on technical and economic feasibility of a Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) based on RFID technology for tracking workers and assets in chemical warehouses. A real case study analysis is discussed.
