(116l) Lessons Learnt from Incidents in Chemical Industry Sector in India during Pandemic

COVID 19 has taken toll of not only many lives but also various industries and businesses around the world, especially in the developing countries like India.

In India, after the initial shutdown, when many Chemical facilities started the operations, several facilities / plants met with the accidents, the largest being the Styrene Monomer (SM) leak at the famous LG Polymers Plant in Vizag, India. Review of LG Polymer Incident and other incidents during the pandemic revealed some shocking facts, one of them was inadequate or lack of attention to Process Safety and Pre-Start up Safety Review (PSSR).

This is the case-studies and real-life incidents based study and presentation. It shall provide deep insight into main causes responsible for the spate of incidents that took place during the peak of Pandemic in Chemical Sector in India. The presentation covers the following key areas:

1) Brief overview of Indian Chemical Sector

2) Summary of Incidents recorded this year in 2nd and 3rd Quarter

3) Detailed Analysis of LG Polymers Incident

4) Negligence and the lack of adoption of Process Safety Management (PSM) Principles including MOC, PSSR and Training and Awareness

5) Lessons learnt

6) Call for Action for enhancing Process Safety culture for the Small and Medium Chemical facilities in India

9) Recommendations

10) Summary and Q & A

This presentation shall provide and explain importance of adoption of relevant PSM principles and enforcement of the same through 3rd party audit and review process in the Indian Chemical Sector. It shall also provide a roadmap as to how to integrate Process Safety with the Corporate Strategy.