BIRTH OF PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT

BHOPAL INCIDENT-1984
35 years back, on 2-3 December 1984, in Bhopal, India the villagers were sound asleep as methyl
isocyanate gas leaked from a nearby pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited. The
deadly gas spread and not only killed but caused significant morbidity and premature death for
thousands. Even after nearly 35 years, the aftermath of the tragedy continues to haunt villagers in
the area, physically and psychologically. This incident eventually led to development of Process
Safety Management System by OSHA,CCPS & EPA .

EXTENT OF DISATER:
 MIC (methyl isocyanate) Exposure: Over 500,000
people
 Immediate Deaths: 2,259 persons
 Gas Release related deaths: 3,787 deaths
 Leak caused injuries: 558,125
 Estimate of overall fatalities reported over the
years: 16,000 Snake Found from
Hafiz
EMAta: Might be alive; had
Residence
Factors leading to Gas Leakage he worn seat belt and
• Storing MIC in large tanks beyond recommended followed speed limits
levels
• Poor plant maintenance
Locking Bracket
• Several De-activated safety systems due to
financial reasons e.g. refrigeration system which
could have mitigated the disaster severity
• Plant location close to a densely populated area
• Dependence on manual operations
• Plant management deficiencies
• Lack of skilled operators,
• Insufficient plant maintenance,
• Inadequate emergency action plans.
• In the early 1980s, the demand for pesticides had
fallen, but production continued, leading to
buildup of stores of unused MIC
Pivot Support Deformed

Process Safety Action Items To Avoid

Recurrence
• Inherently Safer Design of plants
• Quality Process Hazard Analysis & PSSR
• Rigorous compliance of Inventory Management
System of chemicals
• Emergency Management System
• Consideration to facility siting Main CGT Duct
• Asset integrity and Reliability
twisted at DBN
Bellow
03/12/19 Issued By: Hamza Hameed | HSE Engineer