On May 4, 1988, the PEPCON plant experienced three major and several smaller explosions that caused over $70 million in property damage and caused two deaths. The PEPCON plant produced Ammonium Perchlorate (AP), a major ingredient for rocket fuel. The PEPCON plant and the nearby Kidd Marshmallow plant were totally destroyed by the detonations. The initiating event for the explosions was a fire that originated in the Batch Dryer Building and spread to adjacent storage. Several factors combined to cause the AP in the major storage fields to detonate, the most important being lack of adequate separation between storage units. Welding and flame cutting procedure with poor fire watch protocol was the prime candidate for fire ignition. There were no automatic fire suppression systems at the plant. Buildings including the Batch Dryer Building were made of combustible building material (fiberglass). There was poor housekeeping and no control of AP dust generation. AP was stored in combustible polyethylene drums, aluminum tote bins, 30-gallon steel storage drums and fiber reinforced tote bags. There were high-density storage practices. In addition, a contributing factor to the rapid fire-spread was that the wind that day was blowing directly from the batch dryer building to the storage areas. This paper claims that if codes, standards, and well-known hazard identification safety techniques were implemented at PEPCON, then the disaster would have been averted. A limited scope probabilistic risk assessment was conducted to establish the effectiveness of various preventive and mitigative features that could have been deployed to avert the disaster. The major hazard at the PEPCON site was fire and explosion involving the processing, production and storage of AP, which was then and is currently stored as a class 4 oxidizer.

Ethical Engineering: A Practical Guide with Case Studies provides detailed and practical guidance in making decisions about the many ethical issues practicing engineers may face in their professional lives. It outlines a decision-making procedure and helps engineers construct an ethics toolkit consisting of professional models, a comprehensive set of ethical considerations and factors that help in weighing those considerations, and analyses of particular issues, such as reverse engineering a patented process. Illustrating case studies, both brief and detailed, are provided. Features: • Introduces the nature of ethical decision-making as applied to engineering values and issues. • Helps readers develop a detailed ethics toolkit that identifies options and solutions and allows them to monitor and adjust as necessary. • Features topics such as safety, sustainability, bioethics, diversity and equality, information technology and AI, as well as critical areas often overlooked in engineering texts, such as mentoring, advertising (for consulting firms), engineering sales, and much more. • Includes 85 case studies to illustrate a variety of scenarios. • Offers an international perspective with codes of ethics from around the world, including Saudi Arabia, India, New Zealand, Chile, and Japan. Emphasizing the importance of the moral life and of engineering as an occupation with high ideals, this book helps readers navigate a variety of real-world ethical issues they are likely to face in this increasingly interdisciplinary, global, and diverse profession.

Contents: Introduction, Qualitative Methods of Risk Assessment, Quantitative Methods of Risk Assessment-I: Consequence Analysis, Quantitative Methods of Risk Assessment-II: Rapid Risk Assessment, Quantitative Methods of Risk Assessment-III: Probabilistic Hazard Assessment, Studies on Chain, of Accidents (Domino Effects), Methods of Hazard Identification, Screening and Ranking, Application of Risk Analysis in Process Design.

Disaster management is a field which deals with minimizing the effects of disasters and casualties. It refers to planning and forming such methods that can help in predicting and controlling risks associated with disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, fire, industrial accidents, etc. This book covers in detail some existent theories and innovative concepts revolving around emergency preparedness and disaster management. It is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex advancements in this field. For all the readers who are interested in this field, the case studies included in this book will serve as an excellent guide to develop a comprehensive understanding. It aims to serve as a resource guide for students and experts alike and contribute to the growth of this discipline.