Implementing inherent safety throughout process lifecycle

Inherent safety should be implemented as early as possible in the design life cycle, since the changes in process design are easier and cheaper the earlier they are done. The problem is, how to evaluate process alternatives in the terms of inherent safety in the early design phases, when much of the information is missing. In this paper the process life cycle phases and the possibilities of implementing and evaluating inherent safety are discussed. The applicability and accuracy of an inherent safety index method is presented by a case study.