TSA Insight Magazine Issue 26 - Magazine - Page 33
F R O M C L I M AT E
RISK TO ACTION:
A PRACTICAL
F R A M E WO R K F O R
M A N A G I N G N AT E C H
HAZARDS
limate risk is no longer
a future problem
For decades, tank
storage facilities have
been designed using historic climate
data. Flood levels, wind loading,
drainage capacity and temperature
ranges have traditionally been based
on weather patterns that engineers
could reasonably expect to remain
relatively stable throughout an asset’s
life. That assumption no longer holds
true.
C
Across the UK, operators are already
experiencing more frequent flooding,
higher summer temperatures, more
intense storms and increasingly
unpredictable weather patterns.
These changes are beginning to affect
the integrity of critical infrastructure,
emergency response arrangements
and, ultimately, major accident risk.
For COMAH operators, climate change
is not simply an environmental issue. It
is becoming a process safety issue.
Natural
Hazard
Triggered
Technological Accidents (NaTech)
occur when natural events initiate
or worsen industrial accidents.
Floodwater may disable pumps or
electrical systems. Heatwaves may
reduce cooling efficiency and increase
vapour pressures. High winds may
damage structures or interrupt utilities.
Severe weather can also restrict
emergency response exactly when it
is needed most.
The challenge is not simply identifying
these hazards. The challenge is
integrating climate adaptation into
existing Safety Management Systems
in a structured, proportionate and
auditable manner.
Rather than treating climate change
as a separate environmental exercise,
leading operators are beginning to
embed climate resilience into the
same risk management processes
already used for major accident
hazards.
That shift represents one of the most
significant developments in COMAH
management for many years.
I s su e
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