Active Working Groups

active
Started: Feb 2025
Chair: David Kelly
documents page

Aims and description
Important barriers can fail, so it is very important to know their status. The management around the validation process is critical and requires best practices. These will be discussed in this Working Group.

active
Started: Dec 2024
Chair: Hans Schwarz / Tijs Koerts

Aims and description

The continuous improvement of Process Safety Management (PSM) in a company requires valuable feedback from both internal and external PSM audits. The work group therefore plans to review various examples of audit protocols, question lists, and audit practices provided by the participants. Based on this, the group aims to issue a set of recommendations for meaningful and effective audits that truly contribute to improving a company’s Process Safety Performance. Where possible, best practices for PSM audits will also be identified.

active
Started: March 2024
Chair: Annik Nanchen / Pier-Jan Hettema
documents page

Aims and description
Both wanted and unwanted chemical reactions can produce heat. Such reactions have the potential to create “run away” reactions where temperature and pressure increase and with potential sever consequences. Both the incidents in Bhopal and Seveso were caused by an unknown runaway reaction. Full understanding of your chemistry under design conditions and potential other conditions (like high temperature and pressure or increased concentration) must be created before even starting the plant design. This Working Group will be focussed on good practices to do a Chemical Hazard Analysis, in order to avoid chemical hazards like run-away reactions.

active
Started: Oct 2023
Chair: Eric Paillier
documents page

Aims and description
As fluor components are a potential threat to environment related to their stability, the fluor containing foams to extinguish fires, are likely to be replaced by alternatives. Specifically the change from A3F to 3F foam is concerned. This has serious impact on existing fire emergency response aspects. In the Working Group these aspects can be identified and approaches can be discussed. Goal is to continue a safe and compliant emergency response in case of a release of a flammable material.

active
Started: Apr 2023
Chair: Dirk Roosendans
documents page

Aims and description
This Working Group facilitates discussion on new technologies (besides traditional gas detection, other techniques like IR, sound, visual etc. can be considered) to detect leakages.
Serious incidents have occurred after leakages (Flixborough, Seveso). When such leakages are quickly detected the consequence of incidents can be limited. By combining knowledge and ideas the development of new technologies can become more efficient.

active
Started: Aug 2021
Chair: Dirk Roosendans and Pol Hoorelbeke
documents page

Aims and description
Reduction of CO2 emissions will involve new chemical processes and energy carriers like hydrogen and ammoniac. The new use of these chemicals and processes will involve new hazards (potential releases of chemicals and energy) that require technical barriers and operational practices to avoid releases. This Working Group is expected to raise awareness and create output that can help to improve process safety, that is reduce the likelihood of leakages and the consequence of those.

Output of the Working Group:
Some of the presentations on different topics discussed in this WG can found on the page "Past Webinar Presentations".

active
Started: Sept 2020
Chair: Margit Hahn

Aims and description
Process hazard analysis can be difficult and costly. How can you be sure that you have identified all causes? Have you estimated the consequences well and how do you make sure your HAZOP study does not become a boring, extremely long and costly process? Practical solutions and good practices from members will be discussed in this EPSC Working Group.

active
Started: 2015
Chair: Dan Benton

Aims and description
The pharmaceuticals sector provides some unusual challenges for process safety, with much use of batch production, frequent adaptation of plant design, and complex process requirements. This environment is not unique to drug manufacture, but it requires specific process safety expertise. The objective of this group is experience exchange relating to pharmaceutical industries or those operating with similar processes.