Hazard Trends and Problems for Safety in Industrial Waste Treatment

Abstract
Over 4 Billion tons of industrial waste are generated every year in Japan. Treatment of industrial waste results in a high frequency of accidents as compared with other industries. Chemical-related accidents in particular are increasing because of the range of substances and mixtures requiring treatment, the numerous dangerous combinations, and various difficulties associated with assessing the frequency of occurrence of each identified mixture. etc. We illustrate latent hazards in recycling processes, treatment
facilities, and the storage/transportation of industrial wastes using our database of waste treatment accidents. The database contains about 2,600 accidents that occurred during the treatment, storage and transporting of wastes and soil.

Key words: industrial waste, waste treatment, fire, explosion, safety