Environmental Risk Assessment of Sponge Iron production unit in Khorasan Steel Company Using Comparative Methods ETBA and JSA

The present study was conducted in line with the manufacturers’ awareness and tendency towards minimizing the hazards associated with workplace compounded by technological developments and utilization of modern machinery leading to the increase of both production rates and eventual soaring risk probabilities. Employing Job Safety Analysis (JSA) and Energy Trace and Barrier Analysis (ETBA) methods, the study aims to assess the environmental risk of direct recovery unit.
The process began with identification of environmental risks associated with this unit through the abovementioned methods. After identification of risks, the strengths and weaknesses of each method were compared, and finally separate evaluations were conducted using each method.
Findings: Six high-risk jobs were identified in Job Safety Analysis Method. 47 hazards were identified to be at the unacceptable risk level in 2 cases, unfavorable risk level in 28 cases and acceptable risk level in 17 cases. In Energy Trace and Barrier Analysis method, 9 types of energy were identified by using energy checklist. The most important risks associated with these energies are reduction gas leakage and increase of gas pressure inside the furnace. In this method, 17 risks were identified in to be at the unacceptable risk levelin 3 cases, unfavorable risk levelin 7 cases, acceptable upon revisit in 3 cases and acceptable with no need for revisitin 4 cases.
Implementing the security principles based on personal observations and interviews with experts and using opinions of production experts, proposition was made to make use of a general method combining the two aforesaid methods instead of applying each method separately in orde to ensure the highest efficiency and staff safety.