Safety hazards associated with air‐emission controls

Air‐emission controls have been installed in refineries since 1990 to comply with environmental regulations such as Benzene NESHAP and the Clean Air Act. Companies have experienced incidents associated with these air‐emission controls, but the extent of the problem could not be quantified. In this paper, we present the results of a survey of the member companies of API's Safety and Fire Protection Subcommittee (SFPS) to determine the number and type of air‐emission controls which have been installed, and the types of incidents which they have experienced. The survey was completed in February 1998.