Citation

Yue Y, Gai W, Boustras G. Safety Sci. 2023; 158: e105954.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105954

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The tragedy at the Port of Beirut has brought to light the inadequacy of current regulatory measures to support the safe and sustainable use of ammonium nitrate (AN), a chemical compound that continues to pose a threat to human safety. We counted all AN explosion accidents (ANEAs) that occurred worldwide from 1916 to 2020 and reviewed the regulatory regimes for AN in different countries. Based on detailed information on a set of typical accidents, deeper causes of accidents and the inadequate management of such accidents were discussed.

RESULTS revealed that the risk of AN explosions is present at all stages in both developed and developing countries. In the past 100 years, most accidents occurred in transportation (33%) and storage (29%), and accidents in the latter are more likely to cause severe consequences. During the amount of AN stored was less than 100 tonnes, the major accidents are less, but that does not mean they will not occur. It is necessary to develop effective control measures to achieve intrinsic safety based on technological improvements, eliminate information deviations, improve emergency response standards and actively seek regional cooperation. Overall, the rational allocation of cost inputs for prevention and resilience should be considered to suit the capabilities and development plans of enterprises and regions. Eventually, a global framework for AN management was proposed. This framework is designed to maintain a high level of safety and sustainable use of AN worldwide and to enable effective implementation and enforcement of safety measures.

Language: en

Keywords

Ammonium nitrate; Emergency response; Explosions; Information deviation; Regulation