Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment of New Coke Oven Battery of Steel Authority of India Limited, Rourkela and High Potential Exposure Safety Gaps and Their Risk Calculations in a Food Processing Industry

Abstract

HIRA stands for Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. This study is used to find out the various hazards associated with a specific place or operation or equipment or a specific job. A hazard is something which can cause harm or adverse effects (to individuals as health effects or to organizations as property or equipment losses). The probability and the various consequences of that hazard happening are also calculated or assessed, i.e. the risk associated with the hazards are also assessed. The HIRA study helps us to recommend control measures and procedures which can decrease the risk involved with the hazards. Coke Oven Battery (COB) is an industrial plant which converts the coking coal into coke, which is used in the Blast Furnace (BF) for Iron making. The Coke Oven Battery plant is divided to four smaller plants for the smooth working of the plant.
In this project, a HIRA study was done in the new Coke Oven Battery of SAIL, Rourkela, and the various hazards and their risks has been found out.
Food processing industry is an emerging industry in India, because it serves food grains, food related ingredients, oils and others to people. There are different processes, equipments and conveying systems used in food processing industry. This project was carried out in a food processing industry named Bunge India Private Limited, Rajpura, where refined oils and vanaspati are produced. More than 90% of the accidents that have happened in all the plants of Bunge were caused by five types of jobs. They are Work at Height, Hazardous Energy, Mobile Equipment, Confined Space and Hoisted Loads. So, these five types of jobs are known as High Potential Exposures (HPEs). Even though good safety measures are available in the factory, still lots of safety gaps are found. These safety gaps or unsafe conditions or hazards associated with these HPEs have to be found out and immediately resolved. Risk calculation of these hazards helps us to understand the probability and the various consequences of these hazards happening. Risk calculation helps us to suggest various control measures and procedures which can decrease the risk involved with the hazards. Thus, the various safety gaps associated with the High Potential Exposures can be rectified.
In this project, the safety gaps or hazards associated with the various High Potential Exposures of Bunge India Private Limited, Punjab, were found out. Regular plant visits, discussions with workers and other people involved with the plant and data collection from the records were the methods used for finding out the safety gaps. The risk calculation of these safety gaps was also done. The various safety measures and guidelines to be followed to eliminate or reduce the effect of these hazards are also suggested.