This post analyzes an explosion at a cooling tower that was caused by the introduction of flammable hydrocarbons into the return cooling water. The event is examined in the context of the 20 elements of process safety published by the CCPS (The Center for Chemical Process Safety). They are listed below ― the ones that appear to be most relevant to this event are highlighted.

The full post is available at https://psmreport.substack.com/p/process-safety-beacon-cooling-tower.

1. Process Safety Culture
2. Compliance
3. Competence
4. Workforce Involvement
5. Stakeholder Outreach
6. Knowledge Management
7. Hazard Identification and Risk Management
8. Operating Procedures
9. Safe Work Practices
10. Asset Integrity / Reliability
11. Contractor Management
12. Training / Performance
13. Management of Change
14. Operational Readiness
15. Conduct of Operations
16. Emergency Management
17. Incident Investigation
18. Measurement and Metrics
19. Auditing
20. Management Review