The Role of Risk Assessment in Promoting Safety. Paper 2: Handling of Explosives in Ports

Abstract

In 1993, large quantities of ammunition were moved through a number of commercial ports in the UK following the implementation of various military drawdown programs. These movements were subject to the normal statutory controls governing the handling of explosives in the UK, and the drawdown programs for the year were completed without incident. The statutory controls have been designed both to guard against accidents and to ensure limited consequences in terms of numbers of fatalities and damage to property in the unlikely event of accidental explosion. The success of these statutory measures applied to commercial ports is demonstrated by an excellent safety record, which shows the occurrence of only one very minor (non-fatal) explosive event m post-war times. However, all operations involving transportation of dangerous goods cannot be entirely free of risk, albeit that this risk may be very low. To optimize the safety of such operations it is desirable to carry out a detailed examination of the risks involved and implement any measures necessary to reduce the risks to a level "as low as reasonably practicable" (ALARP). Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) provides a tool to help achieve this goal, though this is currently not a statutory requirement for licensed ports in the UK. The risks of moving explosives through UK ports have recently been studied in detail using the techniques of QRA and a report on this work is due to be published in the coming months. This paper describes the study of the risks arising from movements of ammunition through one particular port, the Port of Felixstowe, undertaken as part of the 1993 military drawdown program. The paper summarizes the results obtained and discusses measures taken to optimize the safety of such movements.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1994
Accession Number
ADA498974

Entities

People

  • P. A. Moreton
  • R. Merrifield
  • R. W. Barnes

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Ammunition
  • Cargo
  • Collisions
  • Containers
  • Data Analysis
  • Emergencies
  • Explosion Effects
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Fire Fighting
  • Fires
  • Gantries
  • Risk
  • Risk Analysis
  • Rocket Engines
  • Transportation

Readers

  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security
  • Systems Analysis and Design