Page 112 - Serious Incident Prevention How to Achieve and Sustain Accident-Free Operations in Your Plant or Company

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90 Serious Incident Prevention

chemical facility responsible for loading and properly securing chemical
tank cars for shipment. The loading and securement process must be care-
fully performed to minimize the probability of product releases during
transport. Let’s assume the operators responsible for loading and securing
tank cars comprise a chemical loading and shipping team. The team’s goals
include zero releases resulting from improper securement or condition of
chemical tank car shipments.
In working toward leak-free rail shipments, the chemical loading and
shipping team takes the same approach as utilized to improve results in
other key performance areas. The team’s focus is on development of an im-
proved process—a more effective process for tank car inspection and se-
curement. To fully understand significant risks that must be controlled, the
team evaluates potential scenarios and causes that can lead to chemical re-
leases from tank cars. The team’s objective is to drive transportation inci-
dents, controllable by the team, to zero by identifying and executing the
work critical to ensuring leak-free tank car shipments.
Worn manway gaskets have been the most common cause of past leaks
from cars loaded by the team. However, the team recognizes that their inci-
dent prevention efforts must be broad enough to address what can occur
rather than limited to what has occurred. For additional information on po-
tential causes of incidents, the team consults with the Association of

Manway

Other Causes/Unknown

Rupture Disc
Other Top Fittings

Bottom Fittings

Safety Relief Valve

Liquid Line

Shell or Head
0 50 100 150 200 250

Number of Incidents - 1997

FIGURE 8-3. Sources of tank car nonaccident releases, United States, 1997
(from Transportation Technology Center Inc.). 6