All EPSC technical reports are available to members of EPSC. Any member wishing to access these reports can find them by logging into the members area of the site.

Some reports are available to the public on request. To find out which reports are available, visit the download reports page.

The Piper Alpha incident report
The Piper Alpha incident report by the Honourable Lord Cullen has become available free of charge, thanks to IChemE and HSE-UK. This important process safety work contains 106 recommendations that today are still very relevant for Oil&Gas and related industries. EPSC is glad to support the sharing of this relevant document.

The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster, Volume 1
The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster, Volume 2

How to Set up a Process Safety Competence Management System
This provides detailed guidance on skills and experience management for process safety. A successful system will ensure that the knowledge necessary for safe operation is always present at an active facility. This will take into account the minimum site workforce competence requirements for normal operations and for emergency situations, selection of personnel, training and assessment, managing competence gaps, and developing a safety culture.

Atypical Scenarios
This report provides an overview of the use of hazard identification and risk analysis methods when considering atypical, extreme, or "worst case scenario" events.

Safety Critical Measures
This report describes the discussions and reflections of the working group. Author Dirk Roosendans

Process Safety Auditing
This report revises and updates the previous EPSC report on SHE Auditing Practice in the process industries

Gas Detection
Describes the implementation and use of fixed gas detection systems from a technical and managerial points of view. Authors Guido Prinz/Lee Allford/Romain Lambert

Learning from Accidents
The aim of this report is to provide a contemporary snapshot of member approaches to and use of incident reporting and action management systems from a process safety perspective. Author Lee Allford/Romain Guichon

Risk management of chemical parks in Europe
Describes the historical development of chemical parks and the several cooperation models to be found in the running and management of a typical park and examines the implications for process safety Author Professor Jochum

Early identification of process hazards
Examines the experimental tools and procedural methods for early identification of process hazards. Author Swiss Institute of Safety & Security

Leading indicators for process safety
Presents a case for the use of leading indicators for major accident safety by providing an introduction to the business context for indicators, coupled with several examples of EPSC member practice of implementing process safety leading indicators Author Dr H Dreher

EHS Requirements in the Design of Vent & Relief Systems
Provides brief descriptions of the hazards encountered in vent & relief systems (common vented as opposed to single vent) and outlines control measures for new and existing plants especially in the prevention of explosions

Design basis of buildings in hazardous areas
A review of guidance and methods available for evaluating the hazards from explosion overpressure faced by personnel in occupied buildings located in hazardous areas. Author Richard Gowland/ Matt Powell-Price

SHE Auditing practice in the process industries
A reminder of the key principles of auditing which illustrates how the principles can be put into practice by describing and contrasting member approaches. It is not a textbook on auditing Author Jim Hawksley

Quantitative Risk and Deterministic Methods
Prompted by a case study this report contrasts probabilistic and deterministic approaches to safety decision making in the design of a chemical plant Author Dr Helmut Schacke/ Bayer

The Fire Protection of Pressurised Liquefied flammable gas storage
Prompted by a case study this report contrasts the different approaches to fire protection of gas storage with respect to both active and passive protection Author Hedley Jenkins

Mis-Identification of Chemicals
An overview of procedures applied by member companies to avoid misidentification of chemicals. Author George Suter/ Matt Powell-Price

The use of fluid sprays to mitigate gas dispersion
A report on the mitigation technique of fluid curtains which provides an overview of current practice with respect to water & steam curtains and their design. The efficiency of several common designs is predicted using modelling Author TNO

Tank storage of flammable liquids
Describes Ciba’s guidelines on the design and use of tank farms for flammable liquids (not liquefied gases)

Risk management practice in the process industries
A reminder of the key principles of risk management which illustrates how the principles can be put into practice by describing and contrasting member approaches. It is not a textbook on risk management. Author Jim Hawksley

Safety management for process transfer of batch and semi-batch processes
A summary of member applications of safety management to process transfer (e.g. introduction of new chemical process or the transfer of an existing process to a different set of equipment) in the area of batch processing. Author George Suter/ Matt Powell-Price

Index of safety and environment documents, regulations, guidelines and information and regulation on safety in the use of process control
Provided by Ciba Speciality Chemicals

Managing the safety risk of ageing process plant
This report deals with managing the safety-related risk of ageing chemical process plants. Apart from the time-dependant degradation of materials and equipment, a variety of other subjects are discussed which are typical for old plants and which require special attention in order to manage the safety risk. They range from modifications of the plant to changes in the industrial standards. Author R O N Benschop/P de Voogd

Improving plant reliability by risk based inspections
This paper presents the development and application of the Risk Based Inspection (RBI) Methodology by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and its effectiveness in improving Plant reliability based on studies DNV conducted in over 100 process industry units world-wide. The methodology allows risk to be measured in terms of personal safety, damage to equipment, environmental damage and business or financial impact. The influence of inspection on risk is quantified and risk reduction can be evaluated in terms of inspection options, improving the reliability and profitability of process plants. Author Gert Koppen

Literature on the Capture of Substances discharged from Pressure Relief systems
Authors Dipl-Ing H Schott and Dr-Ing R Spatz

Risk Management of Ageing Process Plants
This report deals with the safety management of ageing process plant and reviews methods, policies, ageing processes and their problems, mitigation and legislative measures and current and planned research. Ageing is specified as time-dependent degradation of plant materials and equipment. With such a broad and diversified topic as ageing plant, the report can only review, provide some evaluation and make reference to associated activities and reports. Importantly the report makes some recommendations for future R&D projects and initiatives. Author Dr Scient. Rolf Skjong

Critical Instrument System Dow Europe’s European Process Safety Guide
Dow Europe have developed this as a tool for production department use. It was piloted in 1994 and after adjustment was made a standard at our largest site in Europe where the process control fraternity are strongest. A Loss Prevention Principle for the whole Dow Chemical Company has been issued to mandate it.

EPSC Learning Sheet

The Learning Sheets are meant to stimulate discussion on important process safety topics at operational sites and to improve competency & awareness. Latest topic: Explosion in a Batch Reactor. Subscribe to our Learning Sheet Mailing List here.