Hazard Identification and Risk

Assessment under Seveso III

Thomas Leonard BE MEngSc

Chartered Engineer

16th July 2015

Byrne Ó Cléirigh Consulting
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Seveso – focus on Major Accident Hazards

• Major Accident
– “an occurrence such as a major emission, fire or explosion resulting from
uncontrolled developments in the course of the operation of any
establishment covered by this Directive, and leading to a serious danger to
human health or the environment, immediate or delayed, inside or outside
the establishment, and involving one or more dangerous substances.”

• General duty of Operators

– “to take all necessary measures to prevent major accidents and to limit their
consequences for human health and the environment”

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Replacement of DSD with CLP / GHS

Dangerous Substances Directive Classification Labelling Packaging

(Hazard Labels / Risk Numbers) (Pictograms / Hazard Statements)

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Hazard Statements
• 200: Physical Hazards
– Fires, explosions, corrosives etc.

• 300: Health Hazards

– Acute and chronic effects

• 400: Environmental Hazards

– Aquatic environment and ozone

• Other Hazards (EUH Statements)

– Specific to EU (various older R nos.)

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Seveso III Substances
• Annex I of Seveso III Directive / Schedule 1 of Regulations
– Part I – Categories of Dangerous Substances

– Part 2 – Named Dangerous Substances

• Categories of Dangerous Substances

– H – Health Hazards (acute toxicity)

– P – Physical Hazards (various fire / explosion hazards)

– E – Environmental Hazards (aquatic environment)

– O – Other Hazards (water-reactive, some carcinogens)

• Named Substances generally fall within these categories

• Addition Rule for combining materials with similar hazards (q/Q)

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Complications with Transition
• DSD  CLP: Not a neat transition for all hazard categories

• Acute Toxicity:
– LD50, LC50 thresholds

• Flammability:
– Changes to Boiling Point and Flash Point thresholds

• Mixtures and Preparations

– M-factor for ecotoxic components within a mixture / preparation

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Acute Toxicity – DSD to CLP / GHS
Increasing Toxicity

T+ T Xn

Oral 1 2 3 4

Dermal 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (vapour) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (aerosol) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (gas) 1 2 3 4

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Acute Toxicity – Cat 1 vs. T+ materials

T+ T Xn

Oral 1 2 3 4

Dermal 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (vapour) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (aerosol) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (gas) 1 2 3 4

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Acute Toxicity – Cat 2 vs. T materials

T+ T Xn

Oral 1 2 3 4

Dermal 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (vapour) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (aerosol) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (gas) 1 2 3 4

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Acute Toxicity – Cat 3 materials

T+ T Xn

Oral 1 2 3 4

Dermal 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (vapour) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (aerosol) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (gas) 1 2 3 4

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Acute Toxicity – Effect of MW for Gases
• Gas thresholds now expressed as ppmV – previously were mg/l

T+ T Xn

Oral 1 2 3 4

Dermal 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (vapour) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (aerosol) 1 2 3 4

Inhalation (gas) 1 2 3 4
• MW []

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Flammability – Boiling and Flash Points

Source: www.echa.europa.eu

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Aquatic Environment – M-factors

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Other Materials Affected
• Various new materials added to Schedule 1, some examples follow:

• Wider range of petroleum products

– HFO and alternative fuels have been added to listing of Named Substances

• Sodium Hypochlorite
– This allows higher thresholds / qualifying quantities for some solutions

• Boron Trifluoride, Hydrogen Sulphide, Anhydrous Ammonia

– Specific thresholds have been set for theses substances to maintain same qualifying
quantities as applied under the previous legislation

• Aerosols
– Different thresholds / qualifying quantities, depending on flammability of constituents

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Risk Assessment
• Risk Assessment to demonstrate ‘all necessary measures’

• Focus on Major Accidents involving Dangerous Substances

• Proportionate to the risks at the establishment

• Identify hazards, determine significance of risks

– Hazard: The intrinsic property of a dangerous substance or physical situation, with a
potential for creating damage to human health and/or the environment

– Risk: A combination of the likelihood, or frequency of occurrence, of a defined event

or outcome and the magnitude of the consequences of the occurrence

• Review existing assessments to ensure all Dangerous Substances are

covered

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Semi-Quantitative Methods

• Matrix-based system

• Semi-quantitative scales for assessing scenarios

– Severity of Impact

– Probability of Occurrence

• A Risk Rating is determined for each scenario

– Risk = Severity x Probability

– Prioritise risks and identify where additional measures are needed

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Risk Matrix

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Consequence Modelling
• Fires – thermal radiation (kW/m2) and thermal dose

• Explosions – overpressures (mbar)

• Toxic releases – concentrations (mg/m3 or ppm) and toxic dose

• Different impacts for people indoors and outdoors

– Shelter against fire and toxic effects

– Risk to occupants if building is damaged

• Impacts also to process plant and equipment

– Direct damage to items of plant

– Escalation risk to contents

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Impacts to people indoors and outdoors
Concentration vs. Time Impacts of Overpressures on Buildings

(indoor and outdoor exposure) (Chemical Industries Association)

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Quantitative Risk Assessment

• Detailed, site-specific, analysis of each event

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Quantitative Assessment (cont’d)
• Consequence Modelling for each Scenario – lethality impacts

• People outdoors
– Direct exposure, dose-response

• People indoors
– Building response to thermal radiation and toxic overpressures

– Ventilation rates / air changes for toxic releases

• Assessment of overall Risk Levels

– Individual Risk: risk contour plot on map of site and surroundings

– Societal Risk: use of FN Curve or Indices of societal risk

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Individual Risk Contours

HSA matrix for LUP Decisions

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Societal Risk
• Numbers of people and level of risk (FN curves or risk indices)
•

• Scaled Risk Integral (SRI)

• Risk Integral (RI)

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Summary
• Seveso II and III broadly based on the same categories of hazard

• DSD and CLP apply different thresholds for some hazard classifications

• If details from SDS are correct, then this simplifies the analysis

• Intention was to minimise impacts (changes of status under Seveso III)

– Acute toxicity: Some T+  Cat 2, q/Q ; some Xn  Cat 3, q/Q 

– Flammable: Changes to FP/BP range, will affect some materials, q/Q 

– Eco-Toxic: M-factors for some materials at very low concentrations, q/Q 

– Named Substances: additional named substances, q/Q ~

• Risk Assessment should focus on Major Accident Scenarios – i.e.

Involving substances that qualify under Seveso III.

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Hazard Identification and Risk
Assessment under Seveso III

Thomas Leonard BE MEngSc

Chartered Engineer

16th July 2015