Risk Assessment for Storage and Processes of Formaldehyde - Term Paper Example

Topic: Strategic Risk Management Name: Student registration No.: Institution: Tutor’s name: Date of Submission: 1. Physical and chemical properties of formaldehyde The table below shows the physical and chemical properties of formaldehyde Physical Properties Molecular weight 30.03g/mol. Appearance Colorless liquid Flash point 154oC Specific gravity 1.083 Vapor density 1.03 Vapor pressure 10mmHG Solubility in water Soluble Autoignition temperature 499oC Chemical properties Chemical formula H2C=0 Atomic changes and dipole moments C1 charge=0.358, 02 charge =0.398, H3 charge =0.020, H4 charge=0.020, dipole moment= 2.46866 Bond lengths Between C1 and 02, distance=1.220 and, between C1 and H3; distance=1.122 ang Bond angles For H3-C1 angle = 121.7o, for H4-C1-O2 angle= 121.8o Bond orders (Mulliken) Between C1 and O2; order =1.870 and between C1 and H3; order =0.940, between C1 and H4; order = 0.94 Total electronic energy -114.545683 Hartrees 2. Scenarios for a. Storage causes risks incident Consequence Exposure of formaldehyde tanks to high temperature High temperature (s1) Storage of formaldehyde tanks in areas exposed to high temperatures Explosion of formaldehyde containers Existence of holes in storage tanks Holes in tanks (s2) Spillage of formaldehyde into the surrounding Impact in air and the nearby ecosystem such as people, vegetation and rivers Lack of protective equipment Lack of protective equipment (s3) Exposure to employees who store the product Impact on the breathing and sight systems of employees and skin Decomposition of storage equipment Leakage (s4) Diffusion of gases into the air Impacts on body of employees handling the chemical b. Transport causes risks incident Consequence String the chemical under high pressures that cannot be sustained by the tanks High pressure (t1) Tanks exposed to high pressures thus exploding Exposure of the surrounding people, the ecosystems and environment to formaldehyde Improper placing of tanks in vehicles during transport Improper packaging (t2) Due to instability of tanks in storage vehicles, the tanks roll over causing stoppage of transportation process Damage to the tank containing the chemical which result into spillage to the ecosystems such as vegetation, rivers and residential areas Lack of inspection of the storage tanks for holes during transportation Holes in tanks (t3) Spilling of the gases and liquefied products to the air, surrounding and people Impacts on vegetation, transporters and rivers Existence of high environmental temperatures during transportation High temperature (t4) Explosion of tanks as a result of exposure to high environmental temperature Possibility of leakage into the vehicle which can cause fire that can burn the vehicle and the people involved in transportation. c. Processes of formaldehyde causes risks incident Consequence Decomposition of processing equipment Holes in tanks (p1) Leakage of liquefied gases into the environment and exposure of employees to the gases Impacts on health of employees and possibility of fire outbreak in the processing plant Processing the products by subjecting them to high pressures that results into leakage of tanks High pressure (p2) When the gases are processes under high pressure and when the tanks cannot sustain high pressures Employees in the workplace exposed to inflammable gases that are hazardous to their breathing systems as well as body When the chemical is processed under high temperature High temperature (p3) When operating temperatures in the processing plants are very high Ignition of the chemical that can result into fire outbreak in the processing plant Improper handling of the chemical Lack of protective equipment (p4) Employees do not handle the chemicals using protective equipment thus exposing their bodies to the chemical Effects on the sight and breathing systems of employees at the processing plant as a result of exposure to the chemical 3. Risk Assessment for a. Storage for formaldehyde The risks that are likely to occur during storage of formaldehyde can be assessed based on their likelihood of occurring and the consequences as shown below; It is expected that High temperatures is likely to occur repeatedly and result into major consequences thus, it is classified at (A, 4). The risk of holes in tanks cab be rated likely to result into major consequences but occur sometimes thus classified as (C, 4), the risk of lack of protective equipment will result onto moderate consequences and is expected to occur sometimes thus classified as (C,3) and the risk of leakage is expected to occur sometimes and the consequences are catastrophic, thus classified as (C, 5). b. Transport for formaldehyde High pressure is has a possibility of isolated events and has catastrophic consequences hence it is classified at (B, 5); improper packaging has a possibility of repeated events and moderate consequences, hence it is classified at (A, 3); Holes in tanks has a possibility of occurring sometimes and the consequences are major, hence it is classified at (C, 4); High temperature has a possibility of repeated events and the consequences are catastrophic, hence it is classified at (A, 1). c. Processes of formaldehyde Holes in tanks has a possibility of repeated events and the consequences are major hence it is classified at (B, 4); high pressure has a possibility of isolated events and the consequences are catastrophic, hence it is classified at (B, 5); high temperature has a possibility of repeated events and the consequences are catastrophic, hence it is classified at (A,5); lack of protective equipment is not likely to occur because employees are assumed to observe safety measures while the results are moderate, hence it is classified at (D, 3). When the above risks are classified in the risk matrix, the following risk matrix will be obtained. Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic 1 2 3 4 5 A. Possibility of repeated events T2 S1 T1, p1 B. Possibility of Isolated events P2 P3, T4 C. Possibility of occurring sometimes S3 T3, s2 S4 D. Not likely to occur P4 E. Rare occurrence 4. PESTL Analysis with respect to a. Storage The main political consideration that will need to be complied with during storage of formaldehyde is that there is the possibility of producing the product with a high concentration that is harmful for use. The storage of the product may result into harm to employees (World Health Organization, 1989). The economic risks that will need to be overcome include ensuring the equipment used for storage of the chemical are protected and the company does not incur high costs in terms of replenishment of worn out equipment. In addition, consistent monitoring will be made on the product to determine its economic significance so that the products are disposed before additional costs are incurred in recovery of expired chemicals. The main social risks that will need to be controlled during the storage of the chemical by Formaldehyde Chemical Company is to ensure the amount of waste products from the company during storage of the chemical does not result into pollution of the nearby river, vegetation or cause air pollution to unsustainable level in the nearby highways. There may also be the risk of placing the storage equipment for the formaldehyde in areas that are frequently visited by the general population thus resulting into the danger of affecting the population when they come into contact with the chemicals. The technological risks that the company may face include constructing the storage tanks of the chemical using materials that can be corroded (Prüss, 1999). This can result into corrosion of the equipment which results into leakage of the chemical into the occupied environment thus affecting people. Thus, cases such as decomposition of the storage equipment and leakages or high temperatures can be avoided by providing ideal storage conditions for the chemical. The formaldehyde company may also face the risk of not complying with the legal requirements such as the maximum amount of the product that needs to be stored in the stores of the company and the legal procedures that need to be followed during disposal of the product. The courts might take actions against this lack of compliance and the company may be charged for the action (McDonnell and Sheard, 2012). The following risk assessment matrix will be used to evaluate the PESTL considerations during storage of formaldehyde. Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic 1 2 3 4 5 A. Possibility of repeated events B. Possibility of Isolated events S4 S3 C. Possibility of occurring sometimes S2 S1 D. Not likely to occur E. Rare occurrence b. Transport During the process of transporting the chemical from there are a number of political, economic, social and legal risks that will need to be overcome by the Formaldehyde Chemical Company. For instance, there may be the risk of lack of compliance to the legislation regarding the maximum permissible amount of the chemical to be transported to the point of delivery. This may result into political sanctions against the company which may affect its activities. The main economic risk that will be faced is that the product may be transported by unreliable means of transport which may result into destruction of facilities carrying the chemical such as those that result into spillage and loss of income from poor transportation methods. In addition, the company may also face social risks such as causing harm to the residents and users of highways are not harmed during the process of transporting the chemical. For instance, there may be leakage of the chemical into the highways and pollution of the air which might have an impact on highway users. The main technological risks that the company may face during transportation are that the chemical may be transported using old technological facilities such as those that are less resistant to corrosion and temperature. This may result into weakening of the transporting facilities under the impact of strong heat and resulting into leakages. The legal risk that may be faced during transportation is that there may be lack of observation of human rights such as the rights of other motorists to use the roads and protection of road users from the impacts of chemicals from the product. The following risk assessment matrix will be used to evaluate the PESTL considerations during transportation of formaldehyde. Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic 1 2 3 4 5 A. Possibility of repeated events t1 B. Possibility of Isolated events t3 t4 C. Possibility of occurring sometimes t2 D. Not likely to occur E. Rare occurrence c. Processes for formaldehyde During the process of production of formaldehyde, there are a number of political, economic, social, technological and legal risks that the Formaldehyde Company will face. For instance, there may be lack of compliance to the political legislations pertaining to the amount of formaldehyde that is recommended in the chemical. This may result into sanctions against the company which may affect its production activities. In addition, there may be lack of compliance to the maximum amount of formaldehyde released to the atmosphere and the waste materials discharged into rivers. This may result into additional sanctions against the company. Furthermore, it will be necessary to ensure economic risks such as the amount of input required during the production of the chemical and the costs incurred as a result of waste management during the production of the chemical are controlled. In addition, the company may face social risks during generation of the product. For instance, there may be the possibility of exceeding the maximum permitted amount of pollution into River Ure and organisms in the river may be harmed. Furthermore, the people involved in production of the chemical may not be provided with proper working conditions that may result into them getting harmed by the chemicals. For instance, the people may not be provided with adequate ventilation systems or protective equipment that may result into them getting harmed as a result of contact with the chemical. The technological risk that the company may face is the use of old production techniques which may not enable maximizing of output of the chemical while also resulting into the products leakage to the environment. The legal risks that the Formaldehyde Company may face are that the rights of employees to work under protected environment in terms of working conditions and health may not be observed. This may result into the court making a decision to fine the company and it may incur a lot of fines in compensation of employees. The following risk assessment matrix will be used to evaluate the PESTL considerations during processing of formaldehyde. Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic 1 2 3 4 5 A. Possibility of repeated events B. Possibility of Isolated events P4 P2 C. Possibility of occurring sometimes P1 P3 D. Not likely to occur E. Rare occurrence 5. Integrated Risk Management for a. Storage The aim of storage will be to ensure that safety is ensured and no harm results such as destruction of equipment or impact on the health of the people involved in the processing of the chemical. This will be achieved by applying risk management principles of anticipation, assessment, prevention, preparedness and response in a number of ways. Risk management for storage of Formaldehyde will involve application of principles that ensure the company overcomes the impacts of the risks during storage of formaldehyde. The principle of anticipation will be used to establish any problems that are likely to arise in the stored formaldehyde by inspecting the tanks for any leakages and preparing for consequences of leakages by putting in place safety equipment such as drainage and extinguishing equipment. The principle of assessment will be used to establish the possibility of a hazard occurring and ensuring hazards that are most likely to occur are prevented by taking safety measures which ensure these hazards are controlled. The principle of prevention will be used to establish conditions that can result into accidents during storage of the chemical such as exposure to high temperatures by locating the tanks in areas subjected to low temperatures. The principle of preparedness will be applied by putting measures that ensure any risk that occurs is controlled by ensuring there are enough firefighting equipment and safety clothing. The principle of response will be used to take action of preventing any risk that will come up in the company by controlling the risks and ensuring it is stopped. The principle of recovering will be used to redesign the production facilities to the normal working condition after disruption such as fire outbreak and destruction of storage facilities. b. Transport There are various risk management strategies that will be used to achieve risk free transportation of the chemical. These will involve application of strategies such as anticipation, assessment, prevention, preparedness and response in combination of ways so that risk free transportation is achieved. During the process of transporting the formaldehyde, the principle of anticipation will be used to establish any difficulties that are likely to occur such as leakages of the chemical and ensuring the containers in which the chemical is stored are designed so that leakages do not occur. In addition, the principle of assessment will be used to determine the consequences that may result from transporting the chemical using various means of transport such as trucks and establishing methods of controlling the consequences. The principle of prevention will be used to come up with a method of transportation that ensures the chemicals do not leak during transportation, the principle of response will be used to ensure any incident that disrupt transportation of the chemicals are controlled by quickly coming up with solutions to the problems that come up. The principle of recovery will be used to ensure any damages that result during transportation of the chemical are controlled. These include, repairing the tanks that have been damaged and redesigning the transporting facilities to the normal working conditions before the accidents. c. Processes of formaldehyde During the process off manufactures of formaldehyde, the personnel in the production department will apply the principle of anticipation by determining any problems that may arise during the process of production of formaldehyde. These may include determining any leakages, pollution of the environment and explosions as a result of high pressures in tanks. This will enable the employees determine strategies that can be used to control any hazards that may arise during the production process for the chemical. This will be followed by applying the principle of assessment. This is where the employees in the production unit will determine the consequences of any risks that may arise such as explosion of production plants, electric faults and leakages of gasses. This will enable them create methods of controlling these consequences. The principle of prevention will be used to design the production equipment so that any leakages, electric faults, explosion of tanks and exposure of employees to harmful conditions are prevented. For instance, it will include all electrical connections are maintained, employees wear protective equipment and tanks are operated at low pressures so that they do not leak under high pressures. The principle of preparation will be used to make the employees in the processing plant ready for any risk that may arise. For instance, they will be provided with first aid instruments and fore extinguishing equipment which enable them control fire in case of fire outbreak. If there is an outbreak of an incident that need to be controlled such as fire, explosion of gases and high volume leakages into the nearby river, the employees in the processing environment will apply the principle of response by taking a number of actions such as extinguishing fire, blocking leakages in tanks and reducing pressure in processing tanks. Finally, the principle of recovery will be applied to restore the processing facilities to their working conditions after the incidents. This may involve repairing the electrical systems, repairing storage equipment and returning the equipment used during control of the incident to their storage areas. 6. References Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 1997.  Toxicological Profile for Formaldehyde (Draft).  Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). 1999.  1999 TLVs and BEIs.  Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents, Biological Exposure Indices.  Cincinnati, OH.  Burton, C. H., & Turner, C. 2003. Manure management: Treatment strategies for sustainable agriculture. Silsoe: Silsoe Research Inst. E.J. Calabrese and E.M. Kenyon. 1991. Air Toxics and Risk Assessment. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea. J.E. Amoore and E. Hautala. 1983. Odor as an aid to chemical safety: Odor thresholds compared with threshold limit values and volatilities for 214 industrial chemicals in air and water dilution. Journal of Applied Toxicology. McDonnell, G. E., & Sheard, D. 2012. A practical guide to decontamination in healthcare. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 1997.  Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Cincinnati, OH. Pollution abstracts. 1970. Bethesda, Md., etc: Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, etc.. Prüss, A. 1999. Safe management of wastes from health-care activities. Geneva: WHO. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1999. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) on Formaldehyde. National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. World Health Organization. 2006. Field manual for capacity assessment of health facilities in responding to emergencies. Geneva: World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific. World Health Organization.1989. Environmental Health Criteria for Formaldehyde. Volume 89. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Read More