Nihar Kanti Rout
Industrial safety Engineering
June 2025
The paper examines the application and success of Safety Management Systems (SMS) in the control of the operational risks of anhydrous ammonia (NH3) which is a common, yet very dangerous, industrial chemical. Based on a qualitative research design that relies on a large amount of secondary data, the research appraises safety practices in several sectors in India such as chemical manufacturing, fertilizer manufacturing, refrigeration, water treatment, and agro-based industries. Major SMS elements, including employee training, equipment maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, emergency preparedness and safety audits were examined in order to comprehend their contribution in lowering the rate and severity of ammonia-related accidents. The results indicate high difference in the level of SMS compliance across sectors. Other industries like chemical and fertilizer industries had high scores in safety, good frequency of training and better emergency systems which led to fewer and less serious accidents. Conversely, agro-based and water treatment demonstrated ineffective SMS, a high rate of safety procedures violation, and scarce resources, being more prone to the occurrence of the incidents. Notably, the statistics show that there is a direct relationship between an increase in SMS investment and subsequent decrease in incident rates, which further underlines the importance of maintaining constant financial and managerial investment in safety.
1057- 1073
© Airo Journals 2021
