Whitepaper
Incident Investigation (Part 1): A Key Element in Effective Process Safety
Process Safety Incident and Near Miss (or better Near Hit) Investigation
Improve your process safety performance by objective expert support in your incident investigations
Near misses (we like to call them near hits) provide a wonderful opportunity to identify gaps in your Process Safety Management systems and, therefore, improve them and prevent the occurrence of actual incidents or major events.
Professionalism and expertise are required to sift through the evidence, perform pertinent tests and provide an independent expert opinion. Objectivity is required and experience is a plus.
We can meet both expectations with our team of experts specializing in process safety incident investigation, and with our own methodology. With uncompromising professionalism, we are equipped to analyze incidents in a range of industrial contexts, relying on field experience and our own state-of-the-art laboratories and testing facilities.
Our experts are trained not only to investigate the immediate causes of a given incident, but also to analyze the root causes in the aftermath.
Your Benefits
- Access to expertise, experience and testing under one roof
- Reliable expert opinions on a range of industrial topics
- Cost savings through timely case resolution
A thorough approach to process safety incident investigation
DEKRA has developed an own methodology for incident investigation, thus ensuring a scientifically supported, consistent approach also aligned with Organizational Process Safety. Our focus is not only on what caused an incident but also on ruling out what did not contribute. We also adhere to relevant guidelines such as the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) “Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations”. At DEKRA we use state-of-the art digital tools to support our experts along the investigation process.
Our experience in providing expert witness documentation includes incidents in the chemical, pharmaceutical, oil/petrochemical refining and distribution, food, metallurgical, powder processing, paint and agricultural industries. We have investigated:
- Fires involving gases, vapors, aerosols or mists, dusts, powders, and solid materials
- Explosions involving gases, vapors, aerosols or mists, dusts, and powders
- Spontaneous and pyrophoric combustion
- Overpressures and hazardous material releases caused by thermally unstable materials
- Overpressures and hazardous material releases caused by runaway reactions
- Electrostatic discharges, and the consequences of such discharges
- Flammability, combustibility, and explosibility of materials
- Hazards involved in the transport and storage of dangerous goods
- Ignition source identification
- Unusual or unanticipated hazardous properties of materials
We incorporate science and technology to validate information and evidence collected from incident sites. Along the way, we rely on our laboratory facilities, which are equipped to conduct thermodynamic tests on chemical reactions, tests to determine flammability and combustibility properties of chemicals and other materials, tests to evaluate electrostatic hazards, and non-routine or special-purpose tests in blast-resistant test cells. Combined with lab results, our conclusions are based on our knowledge of chemistry, physics and chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering as well as on experience in industrial processes and incident investigations.
Why DEKRA?
- We are a team of specialists in safety incident investigation.
- We have a network of laboratories and experts to provide necessary testing.
- We specialize in providing objective expert witness opinions required during litigation.
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