Chemical accidents have had an increasing trend both in developed and developing countries in the two recent decades. Inappropriate infrastructures make developing countries more vulnerable to chemical accidents. Assessing chemical risks and defining the relevant causes as well as variables are necessary for reducing the injuries and causalities of such chemical incidents. The aim of this study was to explore the causes and parameters affecting occurrence of chemical accidents. The study was performed in 2018. The systematic review adopted in this paper was based on a step-wise process including framing questions, identifying relevant works, assessing the quality of studies, summarizing the evidence and lastly discussing methods, results, and findings. It used bibliographies, citation databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and other available records to find an answer to the question of what the effective parameters are on the chemical accident occurrence. Descriptive and thematic analyses were performed to find the articles. The written manuscript was evaluated by PRISMA checklist. It examined 24 peer-reviewed English papers, four reports, and one guideline. It found 39 variables mostly contributing to the occurrence of chemical accidents during this systematic review study. These variables were classified into three main causes and four categories. The main causes included direct/immediate factors, indirect/external/environmental factors, and root parameters. Prevention and mitigation chemical action plans are required to establish chemical safety and preparedness against chemical incidents. Further studies are needed to make the causes, categories and variables more valid, specific, and detailed based on the characteristics of production, storage, transportation, and chemical disposal activities.
BACKGROUND: Chemical accidents have imposed casualties and high economic and social consequences to Iranian industries and society. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of risk factors involved in occurrences of the chemical accidents and predicted the time of occurrences in Iranian chemical factories. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was implemented in 574 chemical facilities with more than 25 employees from 2018 to 2020. Collecting data instruments were 2 checklists with 15 and 25 three-point Likert scale questions, respectively. Chi square and Monte Carlo tests assessed the relationships between independent risk factors and dependent hazardous chemical accidents. Cox semi-parametric and log-normal parametric models were used to predict the upcoming time of chemical accidents based on the impacts of risk factors understudy. Data analyses were performed using Stata and R software. RESULTS: The results showed that safety data sheets, labeling, fire extinguishing system, safe chemicals storage, separation, loading, transportation and training were statistically significant with occurrences of the chemical accidents (P-value < 0.05). Loading and transportation were mostly related to chemical incidents and reduced significantly the expected time of chemical events (P-value = 0.028). CONCLUSION: Establishing a comprehensive chemical accidents dataset and strict governmental supervision on chemical safety regulations are suggested to decrease the chemical accidents at regional and local levels in chemical plants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.