What Went Wrong?

Trevor Kletz, OBE, D.Sc., F.Eng. (1922-2013), was a process safety consultant, and published more than a hundred papers and nine books on loss prevention and process safety, including most recently Lessons From Disaster: How Organizations Have No Memory and Accidents Recur and Computer Control and Human Error. He worked thirty-eight years with Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., where he served as a production manager and safety adviser in the petrochemical division, also holding membership in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England. He most recently served as senior visiting research fellow at Loughborough University, and adjunct professor at the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, Texas A&M University.

Acknowledgments. Preface. Units and nomenclature. Preparation for maintenance. Modifications. Accidents caused by human error. Labeling. Storage tanks. Stacks. Leaks. Liquefied flammable gases. Pipe and vessel failures. Other equipment. Entry to vessels. Hazards of common materials. Tank trucks and cars. Testing of trips and other protective systems. Static electricity. Materials of construction. Operating methods. Reverse flow and other unforeseen deviations. I didn't know that. Problems with computer control. Inherently safer design. Reactions-planned and unplanned. A final word. Recommended reading. Index.