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.