Management of Change as a Part of Caring about Safety

Abstract

No plant, including those manufacturing explosives or explosive articles, remains unchanged during its lifetime. But it is also known that changes − revisions in the original design − quite often contribute to adverse events. Operators therefore need to know how to manage the modifications safely, not increasing the danger for the operation, its employees or its surroundings. This article describes two accidents in the explosives manufacturing industry that were caused by a deficiency in the management of change. For both cases, a possible way as to how the accidents could have been prevented using proper management of the change procedure, based on risk analysis, is described.