A Hazard Index for Chemical Logistic Warehouses with Modified Flammability Rating by Machine Learning Methods

With the rapid development of chemical process plants worldwide, the safe storage of hazardous chemicals continues to be an important topic. Chemical warehouse incidents related to fire and explosion are reported constantly. These incidents not only cause direct economic loss but also harm the local environment. Therefore, an accurate hazard identification method for a logistic warehouse is valuable since it can help people recognize the potential hazard in the chemical storage area. In this study, a storage hazard factor (SHF) was developed to evaluate and rank the inherent hazards of chemicals stored in logistic warehouses. In the calculation of SHF, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) hazard diamond was used to quantify the instability hazard; the U.S. Department of Energy’s Protective Action Criteria (PAC) values were utilized to modify chemical health hazard, and two machine learning based methods were used for the classification of flammability. The SHF and safety penalty factors (e.g., quantity, population density) were then utilized to create a hazard index of the facilities. This index can be used not only for developing a proper emergency response plan but also for effectively communicating risk with the residents who live near the facility. In addition, the index can be used by governments to allocate the resources better for first responders to make fire protection strategies, and by stakeholders to improve the risk management.