A Resilient Approach to the Safety Management of Ageing and Obsolescence in Oil and Chemical Industries

Oil and chemical industries are subject to very strict legislations throughout Europe, in particular about the control of major accident hazards (Seveso Directive) and the integrated prevention and reduction of pollution (IPPC Directive). Further restrictions come from the legislation about the safety of chemicals as well as from that concerning occupational safety and health. Ageing of plants and equipment, due to corrosion and other phenomena, is currently a problem recognised by the Seveso Competent Authorities, as well Natural Technological (NaTech) risk and cybersecurity. This paper focuses on further critical issues emerging in Seveso industries. Equipment ageing produces also long-term environmental effects, which should concern also IPPC regulations. Another problem is obsolescence. The regulatory framework that guides chemical and oil industries is becoming tighter, hence establishments that are still in good condition could become unusable because the operator did not make in advance adequate changes to face the new context. Ageing of staff and organization is a further emerging issue. Market is becoming more and more competitive and financial context in many industries is becoming difficult. This paper outlines a few practical solutions, to face adequately these emerging critical issues by using a dynamic model for risk management. A case-study, which is a chemical coastal depot, is presented to understand the effects of new threats on safety in a very specific sector. The benefits of a dynamic risk assessment and management are discussed in the detail.