Ex-ante assessment of life cycle inherent safety (ExALIS) of industrial value chains

A holistic life cycle assessment of industrial value chains requires integrating the prospective safety performance of technologies, to reduce or eliminate potential impacts of accidents on humans and the environment. This study introduces a novel consequence-based inherent safety methodology—ExALIS (Ex-ante Assessment of Life cycle Inherent Safety)—designed to support proactive hazard identification during the conceptual design phase of industrial value chains. Unlike conventional approaches that focus on single process units, ExALIS adopts a life cycle perspective, addressing safety-related concerns across the entire value chain. By integrating inherent safety principles with life cycle analysis, it provides a holistic assessment, highlighting the impact of technological decisions on human health and the environment. Its modular design ensures adaptability across diverse sectors and decision-making contexts. To demonstrate its capabilities, ExALIS was applied to a case study addressing technological alternatives (biomethane and hydrogen) for clean energy supply to ceramic manufacturing plants. The findings show that ExALIS is able to assess latent hazards in seemingly sustainable options, highlighting the critical importance of an early incorporation of safety considerations in the design process to support forward-looking design strategies. Overall, ExALIS offers a practical and systemic tool to support the design of safer, cleaner, and more resilient industrial processes.