A safety design approach for onshore modularized Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) liquefaction plant is discussed in this paper. As onshore modularized LNG liquefaction plants have both onshore and offshore plants features, and the safety in design for the plant can only be achieved when the project environment and specific design features are properly understood, this paper identifies specific safety design features of each plant (onshore and offshore) and compares the typical "onshore" and "offshore" safety design approaches. Based on this comparison and consideration for modularization features, a safety design approach for onshore modularized LNG liquefaction plant is proposed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.