A Practical Three-dimensional Tool for Real-time Safety-security Risk Assessment of Process Facilities

Plants that process and store significant quantities of hazardous substances can become targets of malicious attacks, potentially leading to major accidents, e.g., fires, explosions, and toxic dispersions, which could also lead to domino effects toward neighbouring units. Despite the rising interest in the security of process facilities, current tools offer at most semi-quantitative evaluations based on simplifying assumptions. Moreover, intentional attacks escalate quickly, so they are not well represented using conventional risk tools. The aim of this work is to show the progress in the development of a tool for Integrated Safety-Security (ISS) risk assessment and related domino effects. The graphical interface of the tool is made by the 3D reconstruction of the plant. Real-time data are then associated with critical assets. The tool evaluates the probabilities and 3D consequences of accidents given real-time and/or user-input data, e.g. meteorological conditions; moreover, the performance of safety and security barriers is included in the evaluation. The tool allows for the real-time and 3D calculation of risk. In the present contribution, we provide an application of the tool to showcase its potentialities. We show how tracking real-time changes in process parameters is essential to map the risk of the areas surrounding the plant. Possible weaknesses can therefore be highlighted using this tool, which could guide technical response measures and investments to reduce the vulnerability of industrial installations.