SAFEX - Topical Papers

The following Topical Papers have been published. Copies can be downloaded by clicking on the relevant reference number of the Paper:

1. 01/2003 Lessons from Incidents Involving the Testing of Explosives (Andy Begg). The incidence of unplanned explosion during the testing of explosives in a factory environment is relatively low. This Paper describes some of the incidents that have occurred and the lessons that can be learnt from those in order to prevent a recurrence.
2. 02/2005 Corporate Memory (Andy Begg). Corporate Memory refers to the ability of an organization or even an industry to recall events of the past as strong inputs into its efforts to ensure the safety of today and tomorrow. Such incidents provide us with very relevant lessons. These lessons are really packages of knowledge which should be passed on to the benefit of everybody.
3. 03/2006 Production of TATB: A case study in making the risks of explosives manufacture as low as reasonably practicable (Dr Peter Moreton). The term “as low as reasonably practicable” (ALARP) suggests that a balance has to be struck between the cost of safety measures and the risk reduction achieved by those measures. The paper outlines a procedure for ensuring ALARP risk reduction for explosive manufacture by reference to one such operation: manufacture of TATB.
4. 04/2007 Managing the Environmental Impact of Bulk Explosives in Open Cast Mines (Peter McLachlan). A particular challenge a manufacturer of bulk explosives faces is how waste produced on a bench in an open cast mine should be handled in an environmentally responsible manner. The Paper describes trials that were conducted to destroy explosives manufactured by MMU’s to arrive at a safe and environmentally acceptable solution for managing any on-bench spillage.
5. 05/2008 Hazards in Emulsion Explosives Manufacture and Handling (Andy Begg). There have been many energetic incidents in the manufacturing processes associated with emulsions. This is partly because the materials and the processes are thought to be “safe” with a consequent relaxation of explosives disciplines. The paper attempts to explain why the perception that emulsions are “safe” is incorrect and extremely dangerous for those involved in working with them.
6. 06/2009 An analysis of some accidents involving manufacture, transport and storage of base emulsion (Dr Peter Moreton). This paper reviews the accident history for the manufacture, transport and storage of bulk emulsion. It is intended to help organizations identify potential accident scenarios that can arise during the above processes, and identify measures that might be implemented to reduce the risks inherent in these processes.
7. 07/2011 IMESAFR Version 2.0: A Next Generation Tool for Managing Risk Associated with Commercial Explosives Operations (John Tatom, Michael Swisdak and Lon Santis). This Paper is published as a Topical Paper because of its contribution to the domain of quantitative risk assessment. The tool it describes, IMESAFR, is very relevant to the commercial explosives industry using algorithms for debris and blast which many consider as state of the art for this type of application. IMESAFR (IME Safety Analysis for Risk) was developed and released by the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME) and A-P-T Research, Inc. (APT).
8. 08/2013 Progressive Developments of Polymeric Shock tubes for Initiating Systems (Christian Yakan-a-Nwai and Samir Mukhopadhyay). This paper presents a review on the progressive development of shock tube initiators. The properties and performance indicators of typical commercial high performance shock tubes are also disclosed
9. 09/2015 Development and Application of Quantitative Risk Assessment Methodology
   (Lon Santis, Michael Swisdak and John Tatom). This paper is a collection of articles that appeared in the QRA Corner column of SAFEX Newsletters Nos. 39 to 51 during the period December 2011 to December 2014.