Electrical power failures continue to represent a major threat to industrial operations. In industrial facilities handling hazardous substances, particularly those classified as Major Accident Hazard establishments, a total loss of electrical power is regarded as one of the most catastrophic initiating events. Such facilities should therefore be designed, constructed, and operated in a manner that minimizes the impact of this event and of similar disturbances. However, practical implementation of this principle is often insufficient or inconsistent. The effects of power interruptions in industrial installations can simultaneously impact multiple pieces of equipment (e.g., reactors, boilers, pumps, agitators) and several process operations (e.g., cooling systems). This study examines recurrent causes of malfunction, the main characteristics of electrical power interruptions, and the accident scenarios that may be triggered by failures in both primary and redundant power supply systems. Drawing upon the institutional experience of the authors in Italy, the purpose of this work is to provide essential guidance to operators of industrial facilities aimed at: a) preventing electrical faults, enhancing personnel training, and protecting both electrical and non-electrical systems and operations; b) ensuring the availability and reliability of overpressure relief systems; c) performing systematic inspection and maintenance of electrical components; d) ensuring the independence of power supply sources and conducting periodic testing of switching and transfer operations between them.
This paper outlines the risk analysis framework of LNG bunkering for a passenger ship, covering the complete process from risk assessment to operational execution. The capability of the approach is validated in a real-world case study in Northern Italy. A structured safety analysis was carried out to identify key risks and establish safe operating conditions. These results represent useful guidance for defining procedures, safety measures, and emergency measures for bunkering activities. Additionally, the study documents the conducted bunkering operation, detailing coordination among stakeholders, such as the ship-owner, LNG supplier, maritime authority, classification society, and governmental agencies. The integrated involvement ensured regulatory compliance and effective risk management. Findings from the site-specific assessment confirmed that a rigorous, risk-based approach, combined with multi-stakeholders, enables safer and more efficient LNG bunkering for passenger vessels. The applicative case-study provides practical safety insights for ports and operators, developing LNG bunkering capabilities, in line with the ongoing energy transition paradigm, evidencing the need of further studies as well for explicit rules and procedural guidelines to standardize safety exclusion zones.
Due to the constantly increasing energy demand and the necessity to find an alternative to polluting sources, hydrogen has been found as a viable alternative fuel, suitable for both the domestic and industrial usage. In the latest years, its suitability for the automotive sector has been investigated, leading to the conclusion that hydrogen might be the future of the transportation sector. However, because of its physical properties and reactivity, its handling denotes the growth of the safety issues already affective the usage of fossil fuels. The aim of this paper is to simulate via CFD the leakage of LPG built on a realistic accidental scenario, occurred in Rome, Italy, on July 4th, 2025, with a simplified model. The simulation is then compared to a hypothetic scenario with the same geometric model, where hydrogen is the fuel and it is stored in the tank at its typical storage conditions for the gaseous phase. In this way, it is possible to check the difference in the dimension of the flammable cloud created and the values of overpressure generated by the two potential explosions. The results of this comparison prove the need for more investigations on hydrogen safety if used for daily life applications, to determine which are the more suitable prevention and protection measures.
The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 marks a paradigm shift that transcends the technocentric focus on efficiency to integrate sustainability, resilience, and human-centricity. However, the adoption of this model in regions with heterogeneous technological maturity, such as Latin America (LATAM), faces significant structural barriers. This study proposes the design of a "Security 5.0 Characterization Matrix," a theoretical instrument that intersects the pillars of Industry 5.0 with a novel security triad (functional, informational, and humanized). Through a systematic literature review, critical requirements for evaluating industrial readiness are identified, offering a roadmap to mitigate emerging risks in the convergence of human-machine systems.
The manufacturing sector consistently reports a high incidence of occupational accidents, highlighting the need for proactive safety frameworks in strategic food industries such as wheat flour tortilla production. This study aims to develop and validate an Inherent Safety Self-Assessment Framework (ISSAF) that integrates occupational safety and food safety requirements. A mixed-methods multi-case study was conducted across three manufacturing plants with different automation levels in the San Fernando Valley, California. The framework integrates an expanded Ishikawa (5M) analysis, a Risk Analysis Questionnaire (RAQ), and a modified Inherent Safety Index (ISI) incorporating a Food Safety Risk Factor (FR-I). The RAQ demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = 0.89). Results show that the implementation of inherent safety principles, particularly simplification and substitution, reduced the overall risk profile by up to 35 % in low-automation environments and 12–22 % in more automated plants. Additionally, the framework facilitated the identification and elimination of microbial accumulation zones associated with equipment design. The findings suggest that ISSAF is an effective tool for integrating occupational and food safety considerations. While statistical correlation was not formally tested, a consistent association was observed between automation level and risk reduction potential. The framework offers a scalable approach for improving safety performance and supporting more robust and adaptable food manufacturing systems.
