I was present at a conference some years ago when it was stated that five of the ten largest accidental man-made explosions that had ever occurred had happened in ports. The focus of the conference was not specifically concerned with either ports or major accidents but that statement and the facts to back it up have remained with me over the years. At the time of the conference the UK's Flixborough chemical explosion and Italy's Seveso chemical release had already taken place, and India's Bhopal tragedy was not far off. Whilst the port industry's experiences with explosives have since given rise to comprehensive controls, these major accidents inland have also resulted in controls, some of which have just been updated. As these provisions apply in some degree to ports, major accident hazards and their control is the subject of this month's column.
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