Bhopal gas Tragedy: A safety case study

Abstract

This report provides an overview of the Bhopal Gas disaster which occurred at the Union Carbide pesticide production plant in India in 1984. A large amount of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) was released from tank 610 within the facility, a failure of safety and alarm systems allowed the gas cloud spread and kill thousands of people resulting in one of history’s worst chemical accidents. This paper will first discuss the plants setting and establishment before providing a brief background on the layout of the plant and the chemical process underwent. It will then discuss MIC and pesticide toxicity and the importance of safety systems within the plant and how Union Carbide’s plant failed to meet such standards. The second major section of the report will describe how the leak propagated and dispersed throughout the city, what emergency procedures were taken to counteract it, and its aftermath and effects both on the local people and the people involved with Union Carbide. The report will then discuss previous investigations about the tragedy and will focus primarily on the two biggest investigations conducted by both the Indian Government and Union Carbide respectively, investigating the proposed scenarios and their feasibility and whether there are other probable scenarios. The last major part of the report will discuss how such an incident revolutionized chemical process safety and the various conclusions that could be drawn from this