RISK-BASED PACKAGE DESIGN

The shipment of hazardous chemicals can pose significant risk to the g eneral public and the environment. These shipments are made in a varie ty of Packages ranging from small bottles to large tank trucks tank ca rs, and barges. However, the many standards and regulations that have been established to govern the design and use of these pack ages defin e what many consider to be the minimum requirements for risk managemen t. This paper presents a methodology that can be used to more thorough ly identify the risk, minimization options and verify the design of a package for a particular service. This method is based on the concept of a threat analysis of the proposed movement of the hazardous chemica l. The threat analysis looks for unusual (but realistic) threats to th e package that may result in the release of the hazardous chemical to the environment. Such unusual threats may include events such as: Drop ping of the package during lending; Accident en-route; External fire d uring shipment; Random acts of vandalism (using the package asa practi ce target); Puncture (fork lift collision with package, rail/truck acc ident); Crushing (sudden starting or stopping). By conducting an engin eering analysis of the strength and ability of the container to withst and these unusual events, a package design that can withstand the thre ats identified in the threat analysis can be defined.