3.

13 Safety, Health and Environmental Issues

Before the issues regarding risk and hazards are discussed it is important to first define what

exactly the two of them are. A hazard is any type of thing that can cause harm and a risk is

the likelihood of that actual hazard occurring. Risk is also defined by an equation:

Risk=Hazard*Exposure. By removing the exposure or greatly limiting it, the likelihood of the

hazard occurring is low. So it is important to understand exposure so that you can appreciate

the level of risk that is associated with that hazard. In context, a hazard would be something

that affects the human/animal population as well as the environment around us. Therefore it’s

imperative as chemical engineers to analyse carefully and take proper preventive measures in

order to ensure the safety of the planet and its inhabitants. [1]

Pollution is a very serious matter that in recent times people have taken huge concerns in

assessing and avoiding it. Due to the rapid revolution of technology, natural resources have

been depleted as well as harmful emissions forming (from power plants) which affects the

lives of the common folk, animals and the planet. Examples of problems formed from this

would be polluted rivers, diseases caught by living organisms, wild life loss and global

warming. From the product formalin 37/3, one of the components is formaldehyde otherwise

known as methanal (37 wt %). Methanal is a type of pollutant which when released into the

atmosphere can cause harm. Some of the known affects that formaldehyde has are as follows:

 Toxic: Irritation occurs on the throat, eye and nose when exposed through inhalation.

In addition to this high levels of exposure results in chest pains, coughing, wheezing

and bronchitis.

 Human ingestion of formaldehyde can result to the corrosion of the gastrointestinal

tract as well as inflammation of the stomach, mouth and oesophagus.

  Acute animal testing on rabbits/ rats shows that formaldehyde can have high acute

toxicity from oral/ dermal exposure and inhalation.

 Constant exposure can result in respiratory problems from human inhalation.

 Repeated contact with liquid solutions can cause eczema to form on skin.

 An agency known as ATSDR have concluded that the minimum risk level of chronic

inhalation is 0.003 ppm. This is based on human respiratory effects.

 The United States environmental protection agency consider methanal to be a

probable cancer causing agent. [2]

The level of methanal leaving the chimney into the atmosphere is in accordance to the Alkali

Act. This means that no more than 1 ppm of it can be released into the atmosphere. This

legislation is proposed for the environment in order to make sure that the air we breathe in is

not toxic and polluted. If any emissions were allowed to unrestrictedly be released into the

atmosphere, then that would seriously harm the environment. Modern day problems such as

global warming are seen as a result of lack of care for the environment, where

chlorofluorocarbons were readily emitted in the past.

Other types of hazards expand to things like machinery which can affect the workers/ visitors

on site if relevant safety precautions aren’t taken. Therefore health and safety protocols are

adhered to by all visitors as well as staff. One example of a hazard is the fact that these plants

are huge and have several floors which means a person needs to take care when walking

through the plant (under supervision). As long as a person sticks to the tour guide and takes

care when walking, they should not have any reason in falling. Power plants ensure that all

visitors where safety helmets as well as proper jackets. The helmets protect the individual

from any type of head damage whether that be something falling from the ceiling or

accidental bumps. The plant may issue for you to where safety goggles/ gloves to minimise
any risk to irritation/ damage. If by chance your eyes were to be affected by chemicals, you

would wash the eyes/ hands thoroughly with water from an appropriate wash unit.

The power plant would also have use of electrical equipment hence it would be important to

avoid the risk of electrocution. Electric shocks can lead to other issues such as making a

person fall and hence lead to a broken arm etc. As well as this it can lead to burns for the

individual. The way in which this can be avoided is by providing the engineers with sufficient

training so that issues regarding electrical devices are avoided. In addition to this it’s

important that tests are taken so that the safety of the equipment can be guaranteed to be safe

for the visitors/ staff. Ensuring safety is very important from a business perspective as this

can result in large costs for them, even if it’s just one case of a mistake.

One equipment that can be at risk is the condenser or cooling tower. The hazard that is

associated with it is an outbreak of legionella. If this bacteria is not controlled then risks from

legionella can become serious and develop rapidly. Threats in which the plant can face are:

 Weather conditions which are unusual (rapid multiplication of bacteria in warm

conditions).

 Irregular use of plant (hence inconsistent measures of control).

 Process changes (resulting in risk changes and existing precautions being ineffective.

To maintain control the water quality should be monitored in order to ensure it’s safe and

clean to use. In addition to this the plant should be cleaned regularly to make sure that no

bacteria can affect the equipment. [4]

In terms of the equipment, large amounts of money would have to be spent in order to

properly train the staff. This is so that they all know how to operate the machinery properly,

reducing chances of breakdowns and ensuring the safety of everyone present. If a person was

to not be properly trained then this could lead to problems such as excessive exposure of
chemicals and even explosions. Therefore it’s imperative that all staff members are

appropriately trained with the best programme and that they regularly implement their

knowledge on a day to day basis. Appropriate training is so important that it’s a solution to

most problems you’d encounter within the power plant. Updated health and safety protocols

must be learnt so that any hazards associated with them can be avoided by all staff as well as

visitors. In addition to this safety checks and regular tests must be conducted to further ensure

safety within and outside the plant. [5]

In terms of transportation it is important that care is taken. An example of something being

transported is water. As part of the process it’s important that a significant amount of water is

used for both the actual process as well as for the product. It is important to ensure that not

too much water is being deprived from the surrounding people and it is imperative that

fairness is established when distributing the local water. This is mainly for the surrounding

villages/ communities that would need the water as well as animals and vegetation. A great

example of this is the “tragedy of commons” that was demonstrated in a village from India

during the mass production of coca cola for the 2006 world cup. Areas that are shared by the

public need to be preserved so that they can all benefit from it as a whole. If the people don’t

collectively try to protect it and as a result ruin it, the result is known as the tragedy of

commons. For the example mentioned, the surrounding village people were deprived of water

as coca cola were using large amounts of water to produce their products. The people were

infuriated and protests were common as they were lacking a basic necessity for day to day

life. Therefore it is essential that the same mistake does not happen again which means that

the company in charge of the plant needs to make sure too much water isn’t taken from the

same place. If lots of water is needed, compromises could be made via ordering supplies from

different regions rather than from the same location. A problem like this can seriously ruin a

company’s image as well as financial status due to incoming lawsuits.

Another environmental issue would be depletion of trees and loss of land. If a huge power

plant was to be constructed in an area covered with trees, it would be an environmental

concern if the amount of trees and land sacrificed was excessive. This land would have to be

evaluated to see if the benefits of having this power plant outweighs the problems that are

caused to the planet as well as the surrounding animals/ humans. If a natural habitat of an

endangered species was to be compromised, then the government would not allow for you to

build in that location and hence you would have to look elsewhere. The company would also

have to consider doing charitable acts such as planting trees for every loss of tree.

[1] http://toxedfoundation.org/hazard-vs-risk/

[2] 660 PAH engineering chemistry

[3] https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/formaldehyde.pdf

[4] http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/coolingtowers.htm

[5] http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-109/issue-6/features/power-plant-

safety.html

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