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Chemical Reactivity Hazards |
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Recognition
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Chemical reactivity hazards present serious, sometimes catastrophic danger to workers when the hazard is not thoroughly
understood and controlled. Hazardous releases have resulted in fires, explosions, toxic, and/or high-energy events when chemical reactions have
gone astray. Conducting safe chemical reactions is key to the chemical manufacturing industry and vitally important to employee health and
safety. The following references aid in recognizing chemical reactivity hazards.
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Essential Practices for Managing Chemical Reactivity Hazards. American
Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS),
New York: Wiley-AIChE, 2003. This book provides guidance to help small and large companies to
identify, address, and manage chemical reactivity hazards. The electronic
on-line version of this book is made freely available thanks to the support of
OSHA, the US EPA, CCPS, the American Chemistry Council, the Synthetic Organic
Chemical Manufacturer's Association and Knovel Corporation.
- Reactive Material Hazards - What You Need to Know.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process
Safety (CCPS) Safety Alert, (2001, October 1), 290 KB
PDF, 11 pages. Presents an introduction to
reactive material handling issues for people whose main business is not reactive
materials and systems.
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Chemical Reactivity. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process
Safety (CCPS). Alliance Support page.
- OSHA's thinking on addressing reactive chemical process safety.
OSHA Speech, (2003, September 23). Links describe
OSHA's strategy to reduce the number and severity of incidents involving chemical reactivity hazards.
- Identifying Chemical Reactivity Hazards: Preliminary
Screening Method, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Alert, a 377 KB
PDF, 5 pages.
Identifies the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)
preliminary screening method as a tool to help small and medium size facilities identify where
chemical reactivity hazards are likely to occur
and may be applicable to a
wide range of activities including
warehousing, repackaging, blending, mixing,
and processing.
- Guidelines for Chemical Reactivity Evaluation and Application to Process Design. American Institute of
Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), (1995).
Provides principles
and strategies for the evaluation of chemical reactions, and for using this information in process design and management.
- Guidelines for Safe Storage and Handling of Reactive Materials. American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), (1995). Offers guidelines that can significantly reduce the risk or mitigate the
severity of accidents associated with storing and handling reactive materials.
- PSM of Highly Hazardous Chemicals. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2002), 63
KB PDF,
2 pages. Discusses OSHA standard 29
CFR 1910.119 including its content, why it is necessary, and what industries are covered by the
standard.
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Chemical Safety Program. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Health,
Safety, and Security, Chemical Safety Program, (2007). Provides a forum for the
exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and guidance in the area of
chemical management.
- Chemical Accidents from Electric Power Outages. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) Chemical Safety Alert EPA 550-F-01-010, (2001, September), 63 KB
PDF,
5 pages. Discusses how power outages and restarts could potentially trigger a serious chemical accident.
- Safe Storage and Handling of Swimming Pool Chemicals. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) Chemical Safety Alert EPA 550-F-01-003, (2001, March), 41 KB
PDF,
7 pages. Discusses how pool chemicals may become a hazard when they become wetted by a small quantity of water or when they are
improperly mixed, such as with other chemicals or reactive materials.
- Process
Safety Management. OSHA Publication 3132, (2000). Also available as a 204 KB
PDF,
59 pages. Summarizes the OSHA final process safety management (PSM) standard which applies to manufacturing industries including
those pertaining to chemicals, transportation equipment, and fabricated metal products.
- Use Multiple Data Sources for Safer Emergency Response. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) Chemical Safety Alert
EPA-F-99-006, (1999, June), 50 KB
PDF,
6 pages. States that a critical consideration when choosing a response strategy is the safety of emergency responders. Adequate
information about on-site chemicals can make a difference when choosing a safe response strategy.
- Urben, P.G., ed. Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards.
6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Science and Technology Books, 2000.
Includes every chemical for which documented information on reactive hazards has been identified.
Covers more than 5,000 elements
and compounds, along with secondary entries involving two or more compounds, and features extensive cross-referencing, which links similar
compounds of incidents not obviously related.
- Dangerously Reactive Liquids and Solids and Their Hazards.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). Answers questions about properties and hazards of
dangerously reactive chemicals.
- Fire Hazard From Carbon Adsorption Deodorizing Systems. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) Chemical Safety Alert EPA 550-F-97-002e, (1997, May), 181 KB
PDF,
3 pages. Discusses how activated carbon systems used to adsorb vapors for control of offensive odors may pose a fire hazard when
used for certain types of substances, if proper procedures are not followed.
- Water-Reactive Chemicals, Hazardous Materials Not Covered Under 29 CFR 1910.119.
OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin (HIB), (1996). Highlights a potentially serious hazard regarding materials not covered by the
process safety management (PSM) standard, 29
CFR 1910.119.
- Safe Disposal of Vented Reacting Fluids. Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
Contract Research Report No. 100/1996, (1996), 3 MB
PDF,
142 pages. Discusses the subject of relief for runaway reactions.
Incident Investigation Reports
- Accident Investigation Search.
OSHA. Enables the user to search the text of Accident Investigation Summaries (OSHA-170 form) for words that may be contained in the text
of the abstract or accident description.
- U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
(CSB). An independent federal agency whose mission is to prevent industrial chemical accidents and save lives.
- CSB Completed Investigations.
Lists completed hazard investigation reports.
- Hazard Investigation: Improving Reactive Hazard Management, 309 KB
PDF, 150 pages. Examines chemical
process safety in the United States - specifically, hazardous chemical
reactivity. Conducted data analysis
evaluating the number, impact, profile, and causes of reactive incidents.
- How to Prevent Runaway Reactions - Case Study: Phenol-Formaldehyde Reaction Hazards. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) Chemical Safety Case Study EPA 550-F99-004, (1999, August), 57 KB
PDF,
6 pages. Aims to increase awareness of possible hazards connected with exothermic reactions.
- Prevention of Reactive Chemical Explosions - Case Study: Waste Fuel/Oxidizer Reaction Hazards. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO)
Chemical Safety Case Study EPA-550-F00-001, (2000, April), 142 KB PDF,
6 pages. Describes the hazards associated with blending waste fuels and reactive chemicals and to
offer recommendations to reduce the potential for accidents.
- BPS, Inc.; West Helena AR.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Chemical Emergency Preparedness and
Prevention Office (CEPPO) EPA/OSHA Joint Chemical
Accident Investigation Report EPA 550-R-99-003, (1999, April), 7 MB
PDF,
83 pages. Describes an accident investigation carried out by the EPA
and OSHA. It describes the accident, determines the root causes and contributing factors, and identifies findings and recommendations.
- Napp Technologies, Inc.; Lodi, New Jersey.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Chemical Emergency Preparedness and
Prevention Office (CEPPO) Expert Review of Joint EPA/OSHA
Chemical Accident Investigation Report EPA-550-F99-004, (1999, March),
1 MB PDF,
84 pages. Describes an accident investigation carried out by the EPA
and OSHA. It describes the accident, determines the root causes and contributing factors, and identifies findings and recommendations.
- Terra Industries, Inc., Nitrogen Fertilizer Facility;
Port Neal, Iowa.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Accident
Investigation Report, 3 MB PDF,
114 pages. Contains conclusions reached by the EPA chemical accident investigation team regarding the cause of the explosion at
the Terra Industries, Inc., Port Neal Complex that occurred on December 13, 1994, and recommendations for preventing future similar
occurrences in ammonium nitrate facilities.
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