Process safety and the Stuxnet worm

A news article mentions the following: "A sophisticated worm designed to steal industrial secrets and disrupt operations has infected at least 14 plants, according to Siemens.Called Stuxnet, the worm was discovered in July when researchers at VirusBlokAda found it on computers in Iran. It is one of the most sophisticated and unusual pieces of malicious software ever created -- the worm leveraged a previously unknown Windows vulnerability (now patched) that allowed it to spread from computer to computer, typically via USB sticks.
The worm, designed to attack Siemens industrial control systems, has not spread widely. However, it has affected a number of Siemens plants, according to company spokesman Simon Wieland. "We detected the virus in the SCADA [supervisory control and data acquisition] systems of 14 plants in operation but without any malfunction of process and production and without any damage," he said in an e-mail message".
As technologies become more and more complicated, chemical plants are also becoming susceptible to attack through the software and other technologies they use. Do not be complacent about your plant software security systems. Many chemical companies ban USB sticks inside their premises.
Read more of the article in this link.

Cost Vs Process Safety - the perennial question

An article mentions that in the recent BP Deep Horizon oil spill, "Cementing contractor Halliburton had warned the well needed 21 so-called centralizers, devices used to reduce the risk of gas leaking into the well. But Mr. Walz testified that he felt a safe cement seal could be obtained by simply spreading out six centralizers BP already had. He said he and colleague John Guide thought that would "honor the modeling" from Halliburton.
That's as wishful -- and seemingly irresponsible -- as the response another BP engineer had given Halliburton before the disaster, saying that "hopefully the pipe stays centralized due to gravity."
BP engineers knew they were dealing with a difficult well and that more than 120 workers were at the Deepwater Horizon rig. Why, then, would BP personnel be so seemingly cavalier about a crucial part of the process? Mr. Walz and Mr. Guide may have provided the answer when they said BP employees are graded every year based on how much money they save the company".
Read the full artcile in this link.

Stronger Safety after an incident!

A news article mentions the following:
"Incoming BP boss Bob Dudley has announced the creation of a new safety division along with a management reshuffle that includes the departure of Andy Inglis, the head of the oil firm's key exploration and production division.
The group said the safety division would have "sweeping powers" to oversee and audit the company's operations around the world with the safety and operational risk department having authority to intervene in all aspects of its technical activities.
The powerful organisation is designed to strengthen safety and risk management across the group, following the Gulf of Mexico disaster that caused the biggest oil spill in US history. It will be headed by Mark Bly and report directly to incoming chief executive Dudley, who replaces Tony Hayward on Friday.
Dudley said: "These are the first and most urgent steps in a programme I am putting in place to rebuild trust in BP – the trust of our customers, of governments, of our employees and of the world at large. That trust is vital to the restoration of shareholder value which has been so adversely affected by recent events.
"Our response to the incident needs to go beyond deepwater drilling. There are lessons for us relating to the way we operate, the way we organise our company and the way we manage risk."
It is good that BP is reorganizing its safety functions. But in many companies, I keep hearing from the existing safety department that line managers do not pay heed to what they say! Look inwards into your organization and see if you are listening to you existing safety managers! They will have a lot to tell you. In fact prior to the BP Texas refinery disaster, it is reported that the safety manager had put up a slide on the key risks in which he mentioned "BP Texas refinery kills someone in the next few months"!
Read the news article in this link

H2S leak at Refinery

A news article has reported a H2S leak at a refinery in USA. A contractor is reported to have died, though it is not clearly known whether it was because of the leak.The leak is reported from a clamp that was installed to arrest a previous leak. Read the full article in this link.
Read another article about the leak in this link.

Toxic sludge flood disaster in Hungary

BBC has reported a flood of toxic hazardous waste which escaped from a reservoir in an alumina plant in Hungary.Four people have reported to have died.It is estimated that about 600,000 to 700,000 m3 of sludge escaped. If you are storing hazardous waste in your facility, ensure the storage meets all local regulations. Generally, it is human tendency to focus less on a waste storage facility when compared to a process plant. But your hazardous waste storage must be treated as an important part of your process safety program.
Read more in these links:BBC1 , BBC2
Deadly chemical reactions