Containing Failure

It is also common practice to plan for the failure of safety

systems through
containment and isolation methods. The use of isolating valves,
also known as
the block and bleed manifold, is very common in isolating
pumps, tanks, and control
valves that may fail or need routine maintenance. In addition,
nearly all tanks
containing oil or other hazardous chemicals are required to have
containment barriers
set up around them to contain 100% of the volume of the tank in
the event of a
catastrophic tank failure. Similarly, long pipelines have remote-
closing valves
periodically installed in the line so that in the event of failure,
the entire pipeline is
not lost. The goal of all such containment systems is to provide
means of limiting the
damage done by a failure to a small localized area.
Occupational Safety
Many hazards exist in workplacesin factories, offices, shops,
farms, and
construction sites, for example. Machines, environmental
pollutants, improperly
designed work stations, and electrical and radiation hazards are
all causes of
workplace accidents. With the growth of the safety movement,
industries have been
made responsible for injuries to workers. Employers are
required to provide benefits
to injured workers for the time lost from work, to pay for
medical and surgical care,
and to supply benefits to dependents if a worker is killed on the
job. Today, insurance
companies help employers develop ways of evaluating risks and
of taking action to
prevent accidents.