Physics and the physical design of an industrial or process steam boiler play a key role in determining the overall and day-to-day safety of a steam boiler.
When it comes to the overall operation, the majority of current steam boilers meet the required safety standards, and catastrophic explosions are rare.
However, many in the industry believe watertube boilers have less intrinsic risk than firetubes, not only based on the reduced potential energy stored within the smaller water content but on the physical design and day-to-day concerns.