Hazard is a physical situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or

environment.
Hazards may be natural or technological. Natural hazards are those that have an
effect on population resulting from the natural processes in the environment, like flood,
earthquake etc. on the other hand, technological hazards are the threats to people and lifesupport systems that arise from the mass production and transportation of goods and
services. Technological hazards are socially constructed, not acts of God or an extreme
geophysical event, they are products of our society, to the extent that the initiating event
arises from a human agency. Technology itself may range from a single toxic chemical to
an entire industry such as nuclear power; the degree of human involvement also varies.
Some researchers include occupational and life style risks, others include health issues
involving long term exposure to chemical pollutants or low level hazardous waste as well as
the safety issues which threaten group deaths by concentrated release of energy or
materials.
Industrial hazard is a type of technological hazard, industrial hazards can occur at any
stage in the production process, including extraction, processing, transportation, storage,
use and disposal. Losses generally involve the release of damaging substances (e.g.
chemicals, radioactive and genetic materials) or damaging levels of energy from industrial
facilities. This usually occurs in the form of explosions, fires spills, leaks or wastes. Releases
may be sudden and intensive, as in a power-plant explosion, or gradual and intensive, as in
the buildup of ozone destroying chemicals in the stratosphere or the progressive leakage of
improperly disposed toxic wastes
Identification of hazard risks is the first step in performing a risk assessment

Modes of a hazard
Hazards are sometimes classified into three modes:[2]

DormantThe situation has the potential to be hazardous, but no people, property, or

environment is currently affected by this. For instance, a hillside may be unstable, with the
potential for a landslide, but there is nothing below or on the hillside that could be affected.

ArmedPeople, property, or environment are in potential harm's way.

ActiveA harmful incident involving the hazard has actually occurred. Often this is referred to
not as an "active hazard" but as an accident, emergency, incident, or disaster. Most hazards are
dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm once a hazard becomes
"active", it can create an emergency situation. A hazardous situation that has come
to pass is called an incident. Hazard and possibility interact together to create risk.

Types of Hazard
Hazards are generally labeled as one of five types:

Physical hazards are conditions or situations that can cause the body physical harm or intense
stress. Physical hazards can be both natural and human made elements.

Chemical hazards are substances that can cause harm or damage to the body, property or the
environment. Chemical hazards can be both natural or human made origin.

Biological hazards are biological agents that can cause harm to the human body. These some
biological agents can be viruses, parasite,bacteria, food, fungi, and foreign toxin.

Psychological hazards are created during work related stress or a stressful environment.

Radiation hazards are those which cause harm or damage to the human body by affecting the cell
directly.

Classifying hazards
By its nature, a hazard involves something that could potentially be harmful to a person's life, health,
property, or the environment. One key concept in identifying a hazard is the presence of stored energy
that, when released, can cause damage. Stored energy can occur in many forms: chemical, mechanical,
thermal, radioactive, electrical, etc. Another class of hazard does not involve release of stored energy,
rather it involves the presence of hazardous situations. Examples include confined or limited egress
spaces, oxygen-depleted atmospheres, awkward positions, repetitive motions, low-hanging or protruding
objects, etc
There are several methods of classifying hazard, but most systems use some variation on the factors of
"likelihood" of the hazard turning into an incident and the "seriousness" of the incident if it were to occur.
(This discussion moved away from hazard to a discussion of risk.)
A common method is to score both likelihood and seriousness on a numerical scale (with the most likely
and most serious scoring highest) and multiplying one by the other in order to reach a comparative score.
Risk = Hazard Vulnerability Capacity
This score can then be used to identify which hazards may need to be mitigated. A low score on likelihood
of occurrence may mean that the hazard is dormant, whereas a high score would indicate that it may be an
"active" hazard.
An important component of "seriousness if incident occurred" is "serious to whom?" Different populations
may be affected differently by accidents. For example, an explosion will have widely differing effects on
different populations depending on the distance from the explosion. These effects can range from death
from overpressure or shrapnel to inhalation of noxious gases (for people downwind) to being exposed to a
loud noise.

Sources and types of industrial hazards in a chemical plant

All the types of hazards identified above (physical, chemical, biological, radiation and psychological
hazards) can be forms of industrial hazards in a chemical plant, depending on the kind of product
manufactured by plant, the production methods, location of the plant and attitude of the workers towards

their jobs. Fire, explosions and toxic releases are different types of actions that can be considered as
industrial hazards in chemical plants.
FIRE
Fire hazards can occur due to a blocked cooling vent, overloaded electrical system, an insufficiently
protected fuel storage area with high oxygen concentration, or things, which in a fire can pose a hazard to
people such as materials that produce toxic fumes when heated or blocked. There are essentially six types
of fire associated with hazardous material discharges, with the type of fire as a function not only of the
characteristics and properties of the spilled substances but also the circumstances surrounding its release
and/or ignition. The following are the different types of industrial fires in a chemical plant:
Fires caused by flammable and combustible gases: these are fires that occur when gas or gas vapour
either from a damaged container or punctured pressurized container comes in contact with in ignition
source.
Liquid pool fire: this fire involves a quantity of liquid fuel such as gasoline spilled on surface of land or
water, a complication is that the liquid fuel depending on terrain may flow down slope from the accident
site into sewers, drains or into the water intakes of a facility and cause internal fires and explosion. These
fires can cause Boiling liquid Expanding vapour explosion of containers subjected to the flames.
Fire involving flammable solids and metals: flammable solids are any solid material, other than that
classed as an explosive which under conditions of normal transportation is liable to cause fire through
friction, retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or which can be ignited readily and when
ignited, burns so vigorously and persistently as to create serious hazard, this class of solids include some
metals, spontaneously combustible and water-reactive materials.
Fire involving ordinary combustibles: these are fires associated with paper, wood and other solid waste.
Fires from Energized Electrical Equipment: these fires occur in electrical computing equipment that
are charged with interpreting data, maybe due to a voltage overload or shorted circuit.

EXPLOSION
An explosion is a sudden increase in volume and release of energy inn a violent manner, with the
generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. Most common form of explosions in plants are
chemical explosions, generally it involves a rapid and violent oxidation reaction that produces large
amount of hot gases. Chemical explosions can be of 2 types, thermal and non-thermal. There are several
types of chemical explosions as follows;
Container or tank over-pressurization explosions: these occur as a result of excessive pressure within a
sealed tank and are deemed as non-thermal explosions (no fire), they occur when excessive pressure cause
the wall of a container to rupture violently
Dust explosion: these results from the ignition of a mixture of finely divided combustible solid and air.
The effect of such an explosion is comparable with the ignition of an equal volume of air mixed with
flammable vapour.

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion: occurs from the sudden release of a large mass of
pressurized liquid to the atmosphere resulting from an external flame impinging on the shell of a vessel
above the liquid levels and weakening the shell causing sudden rupture.
Gas or Vapour explosion: a gas or vapour within flammable limit concentration may cause a deflagration,
explosion or detonation upon ignition. These can occur when the fuel-air mixture is confined, partially
confined or completely unconfined.

TOXIC RELEASE
Release of toxic gases into the environment due to some failure is known as toxic release. These gases can
cause some harm to the human body.
Most toxic substances can be classified as irritants, asphyxiants and narcotics, systemic poisons,
sensitizers, carcinogens, mutagens, and/or tetragenic substances.
Irritants: they are substances with the ability to cause inflammation or chemical burns of the eyes, skin,
nose, throat, lungs and other tissues of the body they come in direct contact with.
Asphyxiants: they are typically non-toxic gases that may cause injury by inhalation only if they are
present in air in such high concentrations that they displace and exclude the oxygen needed to maintain
consciousness and life. A good example is Nitrogen
OTHER HAZARDS: these include hazards associated with working with machines, working with highly
reactive chemicals, hazards from working with various tools, hazards from falling objects, hazards
associated with working in low visibility conditions or extreme weather conditions, slippery floors, etc

Prioritization of hazards
Hazards can be identified and prioritized using the SMUG model. The SMUG model provides a means for
prioritizing hazards based on the risk they present during an emergency. The SMUG model stands for
Seriousness, Manageability, Urgency, and Growth.
Harzardous waste management
hazardous-waste management, the collection, treatment, and disposal of waste material
that, when improperly handled, can cause substantial harm to human health and safety or
to the environment. Hazardous wastes can take the form of solids, liquids, sludges, or
contained gases, and they are generated primarily by chemical production, manufacturing,
and other industrial activities. They may cause damage during inadequate storage,
transportation, treatment, or disposal operations. Improper hazardous-waste storage or
disposal frequently contaminates surface and groundwater supplies. People living in homes
built near old and abandoned waste disposal sites may be in a particularly vulnerable
position. In an effort to remedy existing problems and to prevent future harm from
hazardous wastes, governments closely regulate the practice of hazardous-waste
management.

Hazardous-waste characteristics

Hazardous wastes are classified on the basis of their biological, chemical, and physical properties. These
properties generate materials that are either toxic, reactive, ignitable, corrosive, infectious, or radioactive.
Toxic wastes are poisons, even in very small or trace amounts. They may have acute effects, causing death
or violent illness, or they may have chronic effects, slowly causing irreparable harm. Some are
carcinogenic, causing cancer after many years of exposure. Others are mutagenic, causing major
biological changes in the offspring of exposed humans and wildlife.
Reactive wastes are chemically unstable and react violently with air or water. They cause explosions or
form toxic vapours. Ignitable wastes burn at relatively low temperatures and may cause an immediate fire
hazard. Corrosive wastes include strong acidic or alkaline substances. They destroy solid material and
living tissue upon contact, by chemical reaction.
Infectious wastes include used bandages, hypodermic needles, and other materials from hospitals or
biological research facilities. Radioactive wastes emit ionizing energy that can harm living organisms.
Because some radioactive materials can persist in the environment for many thousands of years before
fully decaying, there is much concern over the control of these wastes. However, the handling and disposal
of radioactive material is not a responsibility of local municipal government. Because of the scope and
complexity of the problem, the management of radioactive wasteparticularly nuclear fission wasteis
usually considered an engineering task separate from other forms of hazardous-waste management and is
discussed in the article nuclear reactor.
Transport of hazardous waste

Hazardous waste generated at a particular site often requires transport to an approved treatment, storage,
or disposal facility (TSDF). Because of potential threats to public safety and the environment, transport is
given special attention by governmental agencies. In addition to the occasional accidental spill, hazardous
waste has, in the past, been intentionally spilled or abandoned at random locations in a practice known as
midnight dumping. This practice has been greatly curtailed by the enactment of laws that require proper
labeling, transport, and tracking of all hazardous wastes.
Transport vehicles

Hazardous waste is generally transported by truck over public highways. Only a very small amount is
transported by rail, and almost none is moved by air or inland waterway. Highway shipment is the most
common because road vehicles can gain access to most industrial sites and approved TSDFs. Railroad
trains require expensive siding facilities and are suitable only for very large waste shipments.
Hazardous wastes can be shipped in tank trucks made of steel or aluminum alloy, with capacities up to
about 34,000 litres (9,000 gallons). They also can be containerized and shipped in 200-litre (55-gallon)
drums. Specifications and standards for cargo tank trucks and shipping containers are included in
governmental regulations.

Treatment, storage, and disposal

Several options are available for hazardous-waste management. The most desirable is to reduce the
quantity of waste at its source or to recycle the materials for some other productive use. Nevertheless,
while reduction and recycling are desirable options, they are not regarded as the final remedy to the
problem of hazardous-waste disposal. There will always be a need for treatment and for storage or
disposal of some amount of hazardous waste.