James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2024

CL4040 - Safety, Environment and Sustainability in the Process Industries

Subject Description

Safety, environmental and sustainability issues are critical concerns for engineers in industry. Designing and operating safe and sustainable systems that enhance society and the environment in which those systems are situated, are key skills that must be developed. The genesis of those skills find their place in the undergraduate curriculum, and are especially focussed upon in this subject. CL4040 is divided into two halves. The first is concerned with developing the skill of risk management for decision making to analyse, assess and improve the safety characteristics of socio-technical chemical process systems. This includes learning from past accidents in the chemical industry, hazard identification, quantitative consequence and frequency analyses, evaluating risk and making a design as to how to treat the risk. Safety risk assessment and treatment involves consideration of inherently safer design principles. Importantly, the limitations to the effectiveness of traditional risk assessment practices will be discussed, to encourage the students to develop a realistic appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the tools they are using. The second half of the subject focusses on environmental impacts and sustainability. It is designed to develop students with skills in life cycle assessment, pollution control technologies in air, water and land. It also covers the basic philosophy, principles and practical guidelines for sustainable development of industries. A key theme running through this subject is to make the students aware of their responsibilities as an engineer across safety, environment and sustainability issues and practices.

Learning Outcomes

• demonstrate knowledge of risk and safety analysis techniques in chemical engineering
• analyse risk and safety cases in process industries
• explain the implications of legal, ethical, sustainability and environmental impact responsibilities in chemical engineering decision making
• evaluate projects using sustainability and life cycle assessment principles and techniques

Subject Assessment

• Written > Test/Quiz 1 - (55%) - Individual
• Oral > Presentation 1 - (15%) - Group & Individual
• Written > Problem task - (10%) - Individual
• Written > Project report - (20%) - Group & Individual

Note that minor variations might occur due to the continuous subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.

Availabilities