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Writer's pictureİsa Ersoy

The Importance of Disaster and Emergency Plans in the Chemical Industry

Updated: Oct 23

Many businesses, especially industrial facilities in the chemical industry, are unprepared for natural or nature-related and/or human-induced disasters and major accidents such as fires and explosions. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Law, it is essential and mandatory for all employees to be aware of the impacts of potential disasters, fires, and explosions, and to prepare disaster and emergency plans. In this context, it is necessary for industrial facilities and/or businesses to develop comprehensive plans, implement these plans, and regularly update them to minimize physical, material, and economic losses.


Disaster and emergency management planning is not limited to ensuring employee safety and protecting facilities. It also serves strategic purposes, such as ensuring the continuous operation of business processes, maintaining customer satisfaction, and gaining a competitive edge. A good disaster and emergency plan helps industrial facilities and/or businesses recover quickly after a disaster, helping them maintain their position in the market. In many countries, businesses of certain sizes and sectors are legally required to have disaster and emergency plans. These plans are important for businesses to fulfill their obligations to ensure the safety of their employees and minimize the environmental impact of disasters and emergencies. On the other hand, a well-prepared disaster and emergency management plan increases the company's credibility with insurance companies, allowing them to obtain insurance under better conditions. It also helps minimize potential financial losses after a disaster, thereby protecting the financial health of the business. Disasters and emergencies can cause serious environmental damage. A good disaster and emergency plan includes the necessary precautions to minimize environmental impacts, thereby helping the business fulfill its environmental responsibilities. In this context, demonstrating that businesses are prepared for disasters and emergencies helps them gain the trust of the community and build a positive brand image.


Turkey is a country highly vulnerable to natural disasters due to its geographical location and geological structure. In addition to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides, risks frequently encountered in our country include human-made events such as industrial accidents, chemical spills, and fires. These disasters not only cause loss of life and property but also negatively impact social, economic, and environmental balances.


Disasters, especially large-scale events like earthquakes or secondary disasters such as fires and explosions in industrial facilities following earthquakes, can lead to the loss of thousands of lives and cause billions of dollars in damages. They destroy homes, workplaces, and infrastructure, making it difficult for people to access shelter, transportation, and basic services. These disasters also disrupt production processes and weaken supply chains by impacting factories, production facilities, and transportation routes. On the other hand, disasters result in social and economic issues such as psychological trauma, migration, unemployment, and economic stagnation. Additionally, industrial accidents and chemical spills severely harm the environment by contaminating soil, water, and air resources.


Workers in various environments such as public institutions, the private sector, and industrial facilities are among the groups most at risk during a disaster. People residing in disaster-prone areas are exposed to the effects of disasters both directly and indirectly. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable to disasters, as they tend to have lower resilience, resulting in more significant damage.


To minimize the effects of disasters and enhance community resilience, a comprehensive preparation process should be conducted before, during, and after a disaster. In this process, identifying and assessing risks are priorities. Determining potential disaster scenarios and evaluating risks based on these scenarios are crucial. All businesses, including industrial facilities, and institutions should prepare a disaster and emergency management plan tailored to their specific needs and regularly practice this plan. Training activities are necessary to build disaster awareness and demonstrate proper behavior during emergencies. Buildings and other infrastructures need to be made resilient to disasters. The primary goal of disaster and emergency management efforts is to prioritize life safety, minimize material losses, and ensure the uninterrupted continuity of business processes in the face of any disaster or emergency. Disaster and emergency plans aim to enable businesses to adopt a proactive approach to natural or human-caused disasters and emergencies, minimizing potential adverse effects and ensuring business continuity.


Disaster and Emergency Plan Preparation Stages: Mitigation and Preparedness Activities

 

To prepare a Disaster and Emergency Management Plan, it is crucial first to establish a Planning Team that will carry out the necessary analyses and planning activities, such as hazard and risk assessments. It is essential and indispensable for this team to include experts and employees from various departments. Once the Planning Team is formed, the first task is to sequentially identify the hazards that the facility or business is currently exposed to or may be exposed to.


Industrial facilities/businesses should conduct a detailed analysis of potential hazards and risks such as earthquakes, floods, fires, explosions, and chemical spills in the area where they operate. This analysis should include determining the impact of these risks on the business. In this context, prioritizing the identification and determination of hazards is crucial for conducting effective risk analysis and mitigation efforts. Identifying hazards is one of the fundamental aspects of Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA). Methods such as HAZOP, MATRIX, CHECK LIST, Job Safety Analysis, ETA-Event Tree Analysis, and What if can be used to identify and evaluate hazards. This allows the facility to understand the types of incidents it may face and implement appropriate measures.


After identifying hazards, the next step is to determine which of these hazards pose risks to the facility and to conduct a risk analysis. Risk management is crucial for minimizing risks and reducing losses in potential accidents. In facilities that use hazardous chemicals, it is important to identify the risks to employees, nearby individuals, and the surrounding environment. Developing a comprehensive Disaster and Emergency Management Plan for both internal and external emergencies is essential for effective intervention. During risk assessment, national and international regulations and facility conditions should be considered during the planning phase.


Risk management is a critical process for preventing potential accidents and minimizing their impacts in facilities where hazardous chemicals are used. This process requires a systematic approach to ensure the safety of employees, the environment, and the facility itself. Through this assessment, potential hazards and the magnitude of risks should be identified. Based on the results of the risk assessment, a detailed disaster and emergency management plan should be developed for potential internal and external emergencies. This plan should include emergency scenarios, the roles and responsibilities of response teams, communication protocols, and evacuation procedures.


A good risk management system helps prevent potential accidents and minimizes their impacts. Effective risk management should be an integrated, unified, customized, and inclusive dynamic process aimed at continuous improvement, incorporating existing information and cultural factors. Risk analysis is a necessary, systematic process for assessing the potential impact, occurrence, and consequences of incidents that may occur in systems with damage potential across various activities. The diversity in risk analysis procedures has allowed for the emergence of many techniques and choices suitable for each situation.


After completing risk analyses, a model can be developed using the SSEÇTİK (STAPLEE) criteria, which provides a practical theoretical framework for short- and long-term planning to reduce significant risks and damages from disasters and emergencies. This model can help establish damage reduction principles for identified risks in the facility and develop a strategic framework to minimize socio-economic impacts and losses on the environment.

 

In 2003, FEMA developed a process known as SSEÇTİK (STAPLEE). SSEÇTİK stands for Social, Political, Economic, Environmental, Technical, Administrative, and Legal criteria. These criteria are used to examine the results of SWOT analyses of proposed risk and damage reduction actions as part of a comprehensive plan addressing all natural or natural-resource hazards. This planning tool provides support and assistance in determining community priorities for risk and damage reduction.


Taking necessary measures to reduce or eliminate risks is essential (e.g., installing fire alarm systems, identifying emergency exits, constructing earthquake-resistant buildings).


Emergency and Disaster Plan Preparation Stages: Response and Recovery


Emergency and disaster planning has become increasingly important in recent times. While much of the focus so far has been on the immediate response and search and rescue activities, the response phase itself is also of great significance. Specifically, a lack of command and/or leadership during the response phase can exacerbate the negative impacts of the disaster.


The absence of an effective command and leadership structure during the response phase can lead to coordination issues, resource wastage, and delays in the response process. Additionally, the lack of response plans before and during the disaster, or the inadequacy of these plans, negatively impacts the effectiveness of the response process, and communication gaps between different organizations can complicate coordination during the response.


For these reasons, establishing systems such as the Incident Command System (ICS) in industrial facilities and organizing teams according to this structure is of critical importance.


At this stage, it is essential to form disaster and emergency response teams, identify the teams that will respond during disasters and emergencies, and provide them with necessary training in the preparation phase. Concurrently, informing employees about their actions during disasters and emergencies and conducting regular drills is crucial. It is also important to make necessary plans for effective communication with employees and other stakeholders during a disaster.


A quick and effective response according to the procedures established by trained personnel during a disaster or emergency, ensuring the safe evacuation of employees and others, and providing first aid to the injured are required. Additionally, taking necessary precautions to prevent damage to facilities, equipment, and other assets is also important at this stage.


The recovery process is a comprehensive set of activities aimed at minimizing the negative impacts of a disaster and/or emergency, and restoring damaged infrastructure, economic activities, and social life. The goals of this process include repairing physical damage caused by the disaster or emergency, compensating for economic losses, rebuilding social structures, and creating a resilient framework for future similar events.


The recovery phase is a long-term process aimed at helping facility employees return to their normal lives after a disaster and/or emergency. This process not only involves repairing physical infrastructure but also aims at economic revitalization, strengthening social solidarity, and building a more resilient structure against future risks.


To prevent the recurrence of risks caused by disasters and emergencies, it is crucial to develop permanent solutions, make buildings and systems more disaster-resistant, support the resumption of business activities, increase employment, and revitalize the regional economy through supportive policies. Additionally, it is essential to rebuild damaged buildings in a safe and sustainable manner, have workers, businesses, and government institutions collaborate to contribute to the community’s reconstruction, and update disaster management plans based on new conditions and experiences to ensure more effective preparation for potential future disasters.


Conclusion

For industrial facilities, disaster and emergency plans are crucial for ensuring both employee safety and the sustainability of the facility. An effective emergency plan is necessary to safeguard workers during disasters and emergencies. Such plans should include evacuation routes, emergency exits, and first aid procedures. Disasters and emergencies can cause severe damage to facilities and disrupt production processes, so disaster and emergency plans are designed to identify risks in advance and implement measures to ensure the continuity of operations.


Having a pre-prepared plan is critical for providing a quick and effective response in sudden emergencies. These plans clearly outline the steps teams need to take. Many countries legally require industrial facilities to develop disaster and emergency plans. Furthermore, disasters and emergencies can lead to significant financial damage to facilities. A well-developed emergency plan can mitigate damage and minimize financial losses, and it can also assist in managing insurance claims. Effective management during disasters and emergencies helps preserve the facility's reputation, and a good plan enhances the confidence of employees and stakeholders.


Emergency plans help employees understand what actions to take during a disaster, and regular drills allow them to learn and practice these actions in real scenarios. Having a continuity plan is crucial for quickly resuming operations after a disaster. This plan outlines the necessary steps to ensure that the facility can continue its operations without interruption.


In summary, disaster and emergency plans are critical for both human safety and operational continuity, especially for industrial facilities in the chemical industry. Such plans are essential for reducing the impact of disasters and ensuring a swift recovery.



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