Accidental events in chemical and process industries may have catastrophic
consequences. The present chapter aims at discussing the hazards and risks in chemical and
process industries, where chemical species are used and/or transformed. After defining the
concept of chemical risk, the possible accidental events in the process industry are presented
based on their probability of occurrence. Some examples of relevant chemical accidents that
occurred in the past are thoroughly discussed further. Safety measures (i.e., preventive and
protective procedures) in safety and process industries and primary and secondary reactions are
also described. Finally, a screening method capable of providing a hazard evaluation by
calculating the power released during the thermal decomposition of a substance (i.e., the
CHETAH method) is presented.
Keywords: Accidents, Risk, Probability, Primary and Secondary Reactions, Chetah Method.
