OSHRI publishes “Risk Assessment Reports on Fires and Explosions”

Scientific analysis on accidents caused by chemical substances

June 8, 2011

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (OSHRI) of KOSHA published Risk Assessment Reports to prevent chemical accidents and identify their causes.

The reports published by OSHRI contain information on risk assessment, and thy target workplaces that have recently received technical support related to chemical accidents and explosions.

The reports are comprised of four volumes and the topics of each volume are:

   Dust explosion in the manufacturing process of non-explosive rock breaker

   Dust explosion of acrylic impact modifier and processing aid

   Fires and explosions of heating medium oil (polysiloxane) with the passage of time

   Dust explosion risk assessment of magnesium alloys

The physical and chemical properties of each material and the use of analyzing equipment for fire and explosion testing help to understand the cause of an accident. Also, by providing scientific data, it is possible to suggest measures that prevent similar accidents.

The reports are available for downloads at OSHRI’s website (http://oshri.kosha.or.kr/). OSHRI offers these reports to enable safety and health managers in worksites prevent accidents involving explosions caused by chemical substances and identify the causes should accidents occur in the future.

The reports were given ISBN (International Standard Book Number) from the National Library of Korea to improve accessibility and quality of the contents.

Director General Seong-Kyu Kang of OSHRI said, “The latest publications from OSHRI demonstrated a scientific and systematic analysis through a combination of highly qualified researchers and advanced equipment. They will be very useful in analyzing the cause of fires and explosions in industrial sites and prevent accidents.”

In February 2009, OSHRI had been recognized as a qualified institution under KOLAS (Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme) in dust explosion category, for the first time as a Korean research institute. Furthermore, OSHRI satisfies a total of 20 international standards for tests involving fires, explosions, and physical hazards.

<Photo 1> OSHRI published reports on risk assessment

<Photo 2> Risk assessment testing in OSHRI