Process Safety Symposium to Take Place on 10-11 May

Process Safety Symposium to Take Place 10-11 May The Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition, to be held at Bilişim Vadisi on 10-11 May 2022 under the coordination of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and organization by Chem Media, is just days away. Ahead of the event, we conducted a productive interview with Hasan Şerefhan, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 3rd Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and Technical Factory Director at DYO Construction Paints, in which we covered process safety in all its details. Sayın Şerefhan also provided us with valuable information on the role of technology in process safety. Enjoy your reading.    

What is "Process Safety Management Systems" and could you provide information on its basic concepts? Why is identifying risks important in process safety to prevent accidents?

First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting me again. As Turkchem TV and news portal, you follow important developments in the chemical sector and I would especially like to congratulate your entire editorial team for making important publications and sharing current information at a time when up-to-date knowledge is extremely valuable. Before discussing management systems, I think it is necessary to touch upon process safety. We can define process safety in facilities working with hazardous substances as the prevention and control of incidents with hazardous materials or events with risk potential in operating systems. Of course, such dangerous incidents, which none of us wish to occur, can have not only negative effects but also flammable and explosive impacts. For this reason, the establishment of process safety and control mechanisms in industrial facilities is extremely important. As we have mentioned before, unfortunately, major industrial accident disasters have occurred in many different industrial activities around the world in the past. Such unwanted events and major disasters involving hazardous chemicals pose a significant threat to workers, and authorities are continuously developing and implementing new regulations and arrangements to reduce the effects of such events and eliminate their occurrence. The Seveso directives and the "Regulation on the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents and Mitigation of their Effects" published in our country are just one example of these. This is where a process called "Process Safety Management System" emerges—systems designed to prevent significant hazards affecting all environmental damages and process losses. Management systems are designed by engineering and design practices with industrial facilities and, especially with flammable and explosive chemicals, they are a disciplined model that addresses all processes as a whole to prevent major disasters that could occur in case of accident, minimize their spread to the environment and reduce their impacts. Process safety management system can also be defined as identifying, understanding and controlling process hazards; thus implementing or developing management systems and control mechanisms that will prevent injuries and incidents in a production process. The main areas on which process safety management systems focus are facilities, technological developments and human behavior. Workers, environment and facilities are significantly affected and at risk from problems experienced in relation to process design and/or operation. Most major process accidents can result from failures or errors in process management systems and controls. These can be listed as technological inadequacy, missing procedures and design errors or lack of training. Process risk analysis provides a very important opportunity for problem discovery. Of course, when creating these models, the interaction with concepts such as sustainability and digital transformation necessitates technological changes and innovations. As in all industries, designing and continuing the operations of enterprises in the chemical sector with a sustainable approach is our most important responsibility. Therefore, process safety management system should be designed on systems that are environment-sensitive and do not put human health at risk, and engineering work should be carried out within this scope.

What developments have taken place in legislation and regulations regarding process safety both in our country and worldwide?

The world is in a state of change and climate change continues to be one of our most important issues. Efficient use of resources in circular economies, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, reduction of environmental waste and similar efforts will contribute to economic development. Through the European Green Deal, the EU will shape all its policies on the basis of green transformation in the coming period. Through work on clean energy use, sustainable green products/production and efficient resource use, the intended comprehensive changes are to be made and timely adaptation to this transformation is aimed at turning the risks we will face into opportunities. Within this scope, it is important for facilities to reduce waste generation and not lead to environmental disasters by installing safety systems in the light of technological developments. In the coming years, we will see processes designed with minimum use of resources and energy within a circular economy, and fundamental changes in production systems are also likely. Of course, during this period, Process Safety Management Systems will also need to be adapted to this change. For this reason, our country has published the "Regulation on the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents and Mitigation of their Effects" specifically to prevent environmental disasters. The purpose of this Regulation is to determine the procedures and principles required for measures to be taken to provide high-level, effective and continuous protection in order to prevent major industrial accidents in facilities containing hazardous substances and to minimize the damage to people and the environment from potential accidents. The latest version of the regulation was published in the Official Gazette numbered 30702 on 2 March 2019, and with this version, the regulation was aimed to be aligned with the Seveso III Directive and has become the Seveso III Directive in its final form. Another important topic is known as the ATEX Directive. The "ATEX Directive - Regulation on Equipment and Protective Systems Used in Potentially Explosive Atmosphere," abbreviated from the French term for explosive atmosphere "ATmosphere EXplosive," came into force on 31 December 2003 in our country under the Ministry of Industry and Technology and on 01 July 2003 in all European countries. The "ATEX 94/9/AB Regulation" with additions in applications was most recently taken into account the "European Parliament and Council Directive" dated 26/2/2014 and numbered 2014/34/AB and continues to be applied in its final form in our country on 30 June 2016 in accordance with alignment with European Union regulations. The "Pressure Equipment Regulation (97/23/AT)," published in the Official Gazette on 03.03.2018, is an extremely important regulation in terms of process safety, covering the procedures and principles of design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and components with a maximum permissible PS pressure greater than 0.5 bar. The chemical industry continues its activities as one of the world's largest industries, and global chemical production is expected to increase further by 2060. Therefore, preventing the threats that industrial and chemical accidents could pose to human and environmental health or reducing the effects of such accidents is of paramount importance. For this reason, EU countries continue their efforts to prevent major industrial accidents in accordance with the Seveso III directives.  

"Digitalization and Technology"—in your view, what new opportunities can they provide to Process Safety Management Systems? Could we learn your thoughts on this matter?

As is the case worldwide, digital transformation (Industry 4.0) efforts are gaining significant momentum in our country's industry. Our industrialists are conducting digital maturity analyses of their facilities through digital check-ups and preparing digitalization roadmaps. In fact, we know that facilities that capture opportunities during the digitalization process and adapt quickly have achieved significant gains. In this process, companies that attach importance to technological developments have found the opportunity to easily catch up with the change and have easily adapted to processes with agile teams. At this point, process safety in facilities that adapt to technological developments and manage processes with digital twins, creating big data with modeling systems, makes safety systems much more secure and minimizes accident risks through controlled process management. To give an example, digital systems used in operator training with simulation assistance (digital twin) help understand threats and opportunities in process safety very well. Furthermore, work carried out with virtual or augmented reality enables operators to see, monitor and take precautions against all risks. Of course, all these efforts are products of technological and digitalization advances and will continue to accelerate.  

With the cooperation of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and Chem Media, the 3rd Process Safety Symposium will be held at Bilişim Vadisi on 10-11 May 2022. During the two-day symposium, sector professionals will address many important topics in detail. Could you share the subject headings and symposium program with our readers?

The Kocaeli Chamber of Industry Process Safety Symposium is organized to transfer regulations, applications, technical knowledge, research and development, products and services related to measures that must be taken to prevent major industrial accidents in facilities containing hazardous substances and to minimize the damage to people and the environment from potential accidents, ensuring high-level, effective and continuous protection. We believe it will be a very important symposium. Our expert and visionary speakers and participants will come together at Bilişim Vadisi on 10-11 May and will have the opportunity to attend sessions covering important topics. At the symposium, there will be 5 sessions, 27 presentations and 4 keynote speakers covering the topics of Seveso III Directive and Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents and Mitigation of their Effects, ATEX Directive, Pressure Vessels/Tanks and Equipment, CLP Regulation and REACH Regulation, and the Effects of Digital Transformation in Industry on Process Safety, making it an important event. We invite all our industrialists to this symposium, which is supported by ministries and more than 50 industrial companies. We hope it will be a productive event and our goal is to ensure that all participants apply the knowledge, experience and best practices they gain from this symposium in their own work areas/industries. We would like to thank you once more for the interview and extend our regards.