DNV Energy and DNV Software have joined forces as a main sponsor of this growing Process Safety event. The theme of the Hazards XXI Symposium 2009 is process safety and environmental protection in a changing world. This theme is closely aligned with DNV’s objective to safeguard life, property and the environment.
The aim of this symposium is to bring together international experts and practitioners in process safety and environmental protection to present and discuss the latest technical advances and developments in safety and environmental management techniques.
“It is essential that we are able to deliver projects to our customers using leading edge technologies to improve process safety performance, as such, we are delighted to be supporting this event with DNV Software” says Graham Bennett, Global Director of Refining & Petrochemicals for DNV Energy.
Globalisation is creating new supply chains, putting pressure on established companies to innovate and improve efficiency. New suppliers are emerging and expanding their operations. They need to achieve high safety and environmental standards, learning the lessons of historical failures and adapting systems and technologies to fit their different cultures and business practices.
Well-established industries have to adapt and evolve to meet new challenges such as maintaining old plant, managing ageing workforces, introducing new technology and implementing organisational change. The symposium provides regulators, operators, consultants and academics with an excellent opportunity to come together and discuss these hot-topics
Unfortunately, accidents continue to happen. Improved safety and environmental management practices are being developed in a wide range of industries in the post Buncefield and Texas City era. New laws are being proposed and implemented in response to these incidents. For example, major changes to the EU Seveso II Directive are being considered, the regulatory regime for pipelines is being revised and REACH is being implemented.
We continue to develop our software to meet these challenges and support new regulation. For example, the explosion risk and occupied building enhancements, directly support new guidelines evolving post Buncefield and Texas City.
New industries continue to emerge, bringing with them new hazards and safety and environmental challenges. This can generate unforeseen safety risks and environmental impacts, as new technology introduces new ways of causing failures. Organisations also still fail to address foreseeable risks, as the lessons from established industries are not learnt. It is important that we improve our understanding of all these risks, in areas such as nanotechnology, food technology, clean coal power supply, oil sands, next generation biofuels, renewable energy, nuclear power and decommissioning, and LNG supply. After the war the chemical industry expanded rapidly, producing a new generation of plants bigger than before and operating at higher temperatures and pressures. The result was an increase in fires and explosions. In 1960 the North West branch of the Institution of Chemical Engineers held a symposium – one of the first of its kind anywhere in the world – on ways of controlling these hazards. Following this successful conference similar events have been held every few years, attracting international contributions and delegates.