An Approach to Update the Failure Rates of Safety Barriers Based on Operating Experience

Hazardous events in process plants like the leakage of dangerous substances can result in severe damage, and such an event is often defined as the TOP event of a fault tree analysis (FTA) in a quantitative risk analysis. The TOP event probability can then be calculated if the basic events probabilities are provided. These probabilities are often...

Modified cation-exchange membrane for phosphate recovery in an electrochemically assisted adsorption-desorption process

A novel ion separation methodology using a cation-exchange membrane modified with iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) coated with polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) is proposed. The separation is performed in an electrodialysis cell, where firstly phosphate is electro-adsorbed to the PHMG@Fe3O4 NP coating, followed by a desorption step by...

Phosphate recovery: From Nanoparticles to Membrane Technology

Emerging Risk Management Versus Traditional Risk: Differences and Challenges in the Context of Occupational Health and Safety

As a result of the important and rapid technological advances in industrial processes, in recent years the scientific interest in the field of occupational health and safety (OH&S) is increasing. This scenario of continuous change generates both new opportunities and new challenges in the workplace. This circumstance allows eliminating or...

Learning about risk: Machine learning for risk assessment

Risk assessment has a primary role in safety-critical industries. However, it faces a series of overall challenges, partially related to technology advancements and increasing needs. There is currently a call for continuous risk assessment, improvement in learning past lessons and definition of techniques to process relevant data, which are...

A guideline for the dynamic barrier management framework based on system thinking

Accident investigations in process industry indicate that inadequate barrier management has been one of the main causes of many major accidents. Barriers degrade over time and at different rates, and these degradations may gradually and unnoticeably drift the system towards a state of high risk. Conventional barrier management approaches...

Improving pallet mover safety in the manufacturing industry: A bow-tie analysis of accident scenarios

A Belgian manufacturing company uses pallet movers for internal transport. Despite the company's efforts to improve occupational safety, accidents with pallet movers remain noteworthy. In order to control occupational accidents, it is crucial to have a clear view of the potential accident scenarios that are present in a company. The bow-tie...

Standardized risk assessment techniques: A review in the framework of occupational safety

The publication in 2018 of ISO 45001 is the first international ISO standard in the field of occupational health and safety management systems. ISO 45001 is the result of an international consensus on the subject and describes the best international preventive practices and incorporates the requirements of a management system aligned with the...

Functionalized Anion-Exchange Membranes Facilitate Electrodialysis of Citrate and Phosphate from Model Dairy Wastewater

In this study, the preparation of a new, functional anion-exchange membrane (AEM), containing guanidinium groups as the anion-exchanging sites (Gu-100), is described as well as the membrane characterization by XPS, water uptake, permselectivities, and electrical resistances. The functional membrane was also employed in pH-dependent...

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with a guanidinium-functionalized polyelectrolyte extend the pH range for phosphate binding

In this work commercially available Fe3O4 NPs were coated with polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and PAH functionalized with guanidinium groups (PAH–Gu) for investigating the phosphate adsorption properties under alkaline conditions. The coating can be prepared easily and rapidly and results in Fe3O4 NPs with improved properties related to...

Dynamic risk analysis for Seveso sites

The accident that occurred in Seveso in 1976 changed our approach to risk assessment forever. For instance, it led to drafting specific European directives to prevent major accident hazards. Their focus is on industrial sites handling dangerous substances and denominated “Seveso sites”. Their operators have the obligation to provide specific...

Scalable and Environmentally Benign Process for Smart Textile Nanofinishing

A major challenge in nanotechnology is that of determining how to introduce green and sustainable principles when assembling individual nanoscale elements to create working devices. For instance, textile nanofinishing is restricted by the many constraints of traditional pad-dry-cure processes, such as the use of costly chemical precursors to...