Chemical Industrial Disaster : The hidden danger whose impact is much more than assumed.Man made disaster needs special focus on mitigation part.It requires attention from decision makers on a priority basis.

1. Chemical Industrial Disaster
Management Secondary to Natural
Disasters
Kunal Sharma Consultant – Chemical Industrial & Hazardous
Material Transportation Disaster Preparedness
National Disaster Management Authority
Government Of India

2. NATURAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS COLLISION
• NaTechs
• Natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes,
forest fires, landslides, avalanches, extreme
temperatures and tornadoes and cyclones can
affect industrial facilities and result in accident
sequences that can have serious consequences
for people, property and the environment in the
surrounding area. Such natural and technological
accidents are known as ‘NaTechs’.

3. NaTech risk studies
• To better understand the
consequences of these
phenomena on industrial
facilities and
• To be able to anticipate
them now that forecasting
technology (rainfall,
flooding, storms, etc.)
makes it possible to prepare
for natural hazards with
minimum advance notice.

4. Temperature Change & Industry
• Photo taken during the
extended spell of
extremely cold weather
that hit France in
February 2012 (Source:
Arkema)
• Extreme temperatures
can cause industrial
accidents: see ARIA
41856,for example.

5. Distinguishing feature Of NaTechs
• NaTechs can hit several hazardous facilities on
the same site at once and, because they can
damage or render ineffective some of the
preventive and protective barriers, throw the
site into a major emergency.

7. Tsunami Average Speed & Height

8. Tsunami & Thermal Power Plant
• Plants that suffered the least tsunami damage resumed
operations in rather a short time (2–4 months) was due
to their design.
• The steam turbines in each unit are located on the first
floor, 12 m above ground level (which itself is 3–6 m
above sea level).
• Damage from the earthquake was caused primarily by
liquefaction of the soil beneath the outdoor facilities.
• Buildings themselves were reinforced against
earthquakes.
• 4 million people were left without electricity on March
11th and 12th, and 10 million homes in the Kantō region.
• .

9. Impact of Tsunami & earthquake on Industries
in Japan

10. Company Damaged
thermal
power plants and
capacities
Main
damage
caused by
the
earthquake
Main damage caused
by the tsunami
Date of
resumption
of
operations
Amount of
damage
(2011)
Tokyo
Electric
Power
Co.
(TEPCO)
Hirono fuel
oil/crude/
coal plant
(3.8 GW)
minor transformer station
and
coal terminal, ground
floor of turbine
building
and wastewater
treatment
plant
one 0.6 GW
coal fired
unit in June
2011; fuel-
oil-fired
units in July
2011
¥50 bn
(€500 m) in
damage to
the thermal
power
stations
Hitachinaka coal
plant
(1 GW)
coal
conveyor
coal terminal one 1 GW
unit in
May 2011
Kashima fuel oil /
crude plant
(4.4 GW)
outdoor
units
and storage
tanks
roads and jetties five units in
April
2011 and
one in
May
Higashi-Ogishima
natural-gas-fired
plant (1 GW)
gas leak none (built on high
ground)
one unit in
March
2011

12. Haramachi Plant

13. Impact of primary disaster on Chemicals and Petrochemicals in
Japan
• Most chemical sites reported little or no impact from
the tsunami, the equipment at these sites was
damaged in the earthquake.
• The rationing of electricity made continuous
production impossible .
• Problems with transporting raw materials and finished
products also significantly delayed the resumption of
operations.
• The disaster revealed the strong dependence of Japan’s
high-tech industries on commodity chemicals and the
vulnerability of its supply chains to major earthquakes.

14. Company Number and
location
of affected sites
Main damage
caused by the
earthquake
Main damage
caused
by the tsunami
Date of
resumption
of
operations
Amount of
damage
(2011)
JX NIPPON
OIL
ADEKA
Group
benzene and
propylene
unit in Sendai
catalytic
cracking unit
March 2012 ¥50 bn
(€500 m)
¥20bn
(€200m)
¥20bn
(€200m)
Including
production loss
benzene unit in
Kashima
ground and
road
subsidence
pipes, port
infrastructure,
downed utilities
(water, electricity)
June 2011
Soma Plant Minor Electrical
Equipment
July 2011
Kashima plant ground and
road
subsidence
pipes, port
infrastructure,
downed utilities
(water, electricity)
late April
2011

16. COSMO OIL REFINERY
PORT OF CHIBA

17. Damage Assessment & Lessons Learnt

18. COSMO OIL REFINERY
PORT OF CHIBA

19. COSMO OIL REFINERY
PORT OF CHIBA

20. Pollution as a result of disaster
• Pollution events directly related to industrial activities
 Hazardous or polluting substances that leaked out of storage tanks & pipes breached
by the earthquake or tsunami
• Pollution events indirectly related to former industrial activities
 Accumulation of industrial pollutants (heavy metals, persistent organic
pollutants) may have leached from coastal marine sediments deposited by
the tsunami
• Pollution events caused by the tsunami and debris carried by tsunami
 Wrecked vehicles and boats leaked out hydrocarbons, causing scores of
micro-pollution events.
• Pollution events caused by waste disposal
 Incineration of seawater soaked debris without any preliminary treatment
creates health hazards (release of dioxin filled smoke) and the risk of
corrosion of facilities due to the formation of hydrochloric acid

21. Pollution as a new face of disaster

22. Industrial sites that spilled hydrocarbons into the environment
on March 11th, 2011

23. LESSONS REGARDING NATECH RISKS IN GENERAL
• UNAVAILABILITY OF FIREFIGHTING AND
EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEMS
• PLACEMENT IN A SAFE STATE AND
PREVENTION MANAGEMENT
• LIMITATIONS OF RISK MODELLING

24. LESSONS REGARDING SEISMIC RISKS
• INJURIES FROM FALLING LIGHT OBJECTS
• DAMAGE FROM AFTERSHOCKS
• ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT FIRE HAZARDS
• VULNERABILITY OF PIPEWORK
• DOMINO EFFECTS OF FALLING EQUIPMENT
• EFFICIENCY OF TECHNICAL MEANS OF PREVENTION

25. LESSONS REGARDING FLOOD RISKS
• DAMAGE FROM FLOATING DEBRIS
• FIRES IGNITED BY INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DEBRIS
• ACCESS BY AND AVAILABILITY OF EXTERNAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE
TEAMS
• DAMAGE TO GROUND-FLOOR AND FIRST-FLOOR EQUIPMENT
• FAILED OR OVERLOADED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
• ALERT MANAGEMENT
• LAND-USE PLANNING
• CHOICE OF PROTECTIVE BARRIERS
• LIMITATIONS OF EMERGENCY-PREPAREDNESS MEASURES
• MEMORY AND RISK PERCEPTION

26. Thank You
Jai Hind