Process Safety Exam 1

Process Safety

focuses on people, chemicals, the equipment, and near environment of the chemical plant

OSHA Rules (PSM)

inside fence line

EPA Rules (RMP)

outside of fence line

CCPS PSM

risk-based process safety method

CCPS risk

Hazard, magnitude, frequency

Due-diligence

Just obeying the law doesn’t mean that the law is the best you can do; you and your company can be technically obeying the law and you stil get hurt or die; you can still get sued

General Duty Clause

Companies must know the hazards and assess potential impacts to workers and environment, design and maintain safe facility to prevent accidental releases and accidents, and minimize the consequences of accidents and accidental releases

four elements of process safety

commitment to process safety, understand hazards/risks, manage risk, learn from experience

commit to process safety

four elements of process safety: cornerstone, leadership and workers commitment

understand hazards and risk

four elements of process safety: better able to allocate resources, stable, lower-risk operations; businesses that use resources to understand hazards and risk enjoy longer-term success

managing risk

four elements of process safety: prudently operate/maintain processes, manage changes to those processes, maintain the integrity of equipment using quality materials, fabrication, methods, and repairs, respond and manage incidents that occur

learn from experience

four elements of process safety: monitor and use internal and external information, learn from the company’s incidents and near-misses and other companies’

Process Safety Management System

a set of values, assumptions, concepts, and practices that form a structure for supporting the management and integrity of hazardous operating systems and processes by applying good design principles, engineering, and operational practices

commitment to process safety

process safety culture, compliance w/ standards, process safety competency, workforce involvement, stakeholder outreach

understand hazards and risk

process knowledge management, hazard identification and risk analysis

manage risk

operating procedures, safe work practices, asset integrity & reliability, contractor management, training and performance assurance, management of change, operational readiness, conduct of operations, emergency management

learn from experience

incident investigation, measurement & metrics, auditing, management review and continuous improvement

Process safety culture

the common set of values, behaviors and norms at all levels in a facility or organization that affect process safety (how we do things here, what do we expect here, how do we behave when no one is looking)

process safety culture

maintain a sense of vulnerability (look for warning signs)

process safety culture

avoid normalizing deviations, reluctance to simply explain

process safety culture

confirm risk assessments regularly

process safety culture

reverse the burden of proof → not safe until proven safe

process safety culture

ensure open communications and strong & fast learning capabilities from accidents, near-misses, and other published accidents

process safety culture

Deference to expertise

process safety culture

ensure production pressures are not compromising safety priorities

process safety culture

individual empowerment, mutual trust, responsiveness, different than personal/occupational safety culture

compliance with standards

a system to identify, develop, acquire, evaluate, disseminate and provide access to standards, codes, laws, and regulations that affect process safety

compliance with standards

includes: internal/external codes and standards, national/international standards, Industry Association Guidance → Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP)

Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices

RAGAGEP

regulation

an authoritative rule dealing with details or procedure; a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law

code

a systematic statement of a body of law especially one given statutory force

standard

established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example

performance based

what needs to be accomplished

prescriptive

what to do and how to do it

OSHA Process Safety Management

a US regulation, performance based, covered facilities must comply but need not do more

CCPS 20 Elements of Risk Based Process Safety

an industry standard/guideline (optional), performance based, broader, emphasizes continuous improvement

compliance with standards

sources of standards: specific bodies created to develop standards, consortia of companies w/ similar safety issues, often based on experience/accidents/expert calculations/etc.

Companies can create their own standards

supplement industry standards, fill gaps where there is not an applicable industry standard, define their company management systems, define their engineering practices

process safety competency

combination of knowledge, skill/expertise, and training needed to deem someone as well-qualified and capable relating to process safety

process safety competency

continuously improving knowledge and competency of the company as a whole: knowledge (develop, discover, enhance), competency (inc. knowledge, and disseminate throughout company)

process safety competency

ensuring the appropriate info is available to people who need it

process safety competency

consistently applying what has been learned

process safety competency

proactive as a company (top down approach)

process safety competency

getting info and needed safety out of people’s heads, down on paper, and then disseminated throughout companyw

workforce involvement

enables the active participation of company and contract works in the design, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the RBPS management system → personnel at all levels and positions of the company should have roles and responsibilities for enhancing and ensuring the safety operations

workforce involvement

the most appropriate people are involved int he review of the workforce down to operators and all feel free to provide candid view W/O fear of adverse consequences to their career

stakeholder outreach

strives to make relevant info available to a variety of individuals or organizations that can be affected (or believe that they’re affected) to engage in dialogue abt PSM

stakeholder outreach

seeking individuals or organizations affect by company decision: establish relationships w/ federal/state/local authorities, establish relationship w/ community organizations/other companies

stakeholder outreach

provide accurate info abt the company and facility’s products, processes, plans, hazards and risks (especially for emergency management)

stakeholder outreach

follows up commitments to stakeholders and solicits feedback

process knowledge management

physical, chemical, and toxicological information related to the chemicals, process, and equipment; used to document the configurations of a process, its characteristics, its limitations and as data for process hazard analyses

process knowledge management

activities associated w/ compiling, cataloging, and making available process safety information

process knowledge management

focuses on info that can be recorded in documents: written technical documents/specifications, engineering drawing and calculations, chemicals & equipment used (hazards), specifications, selection of safe operating limits, SDS, etc. → requires expertise of a variety of engineers

hazard identification and risk analysis (HIRA)

all activities involved in identifying hazards and evaluation risk at facilities to determine if the risks to employees, the public, and environment are w/in a company’s risk tolerance → that which has not been identified cannot be prevented or mitigateds

hazard identification and risk analysis (HIRA)

some companies use the term Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) to meant the study done to satisfy OSHA PSM standard; while Hazard Assessment means any other study

hazard identification and risk analysis (HIRA)

qualitative tools for hazard analysis: what-if/checklist analysis, Hazards and Operability Analysis (HAZOP), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

hazard identification and risk analysis (HIRA)

semi-qualitative toolds: failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA), layer of protection analysis (LOPA)

operating procedures

written (electronic and hard copy) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and info necessary to operate equipement and processes and includes operating instructions, process descriptions, operating limits, hazards, and safety equipment requirements

operating procedures

should be provided for all operating modes: start-up, shut-down, routine, temporary & emergency (risks from deviations)

operating procedures

jointly developed by engineers and operators, any changes to approved documents fall under management of change (MOC)

safe work practices

an integrated set of policies, procedures, permits, and other systems that are designed to manage risk associated w/ non-routine activities such as performing hot work, opening process vessels or lines, or entering a confined space; formalized process to help control hazards and manage risk associated w/ work NOT directly involved w/ process operations

safe work practices

examples: maintenance & inspections, Lock-Out-Tag-Out (LOTO), Hot work, line break, confined space entry, heavy lifting, etc.

job safety analysis

JSA

job safety analysis

systematically identify hazards associated w/ each step of a job and determine actions for eliminating or controlling those hazards

job safety analysis

one defines the job scope, breaks it down to discrete steps, identifies any potential hazards associated w/ each step, and then eliminates or mitigates those hazards

asset integrity & reliability

systematic implementation of inspections, tests, and maintenance to ensure that equipment & safety devices are properly designed, installed, and remains in proper working order throughout their life

asset integrity & reliability

ex: proper selection of materials, inspections/tests, preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, repairs

contractor management

a system of controls to ensure that contracted services support both safe facility operations and the company’s safety goals (process & occupational); care must be taken in the selection, acquisition, use and monitoring of contracted services

contractor management

contractors must be trained before starting, authority & responsibility must be clearly defines, periodic monitoring of safety & performance, appropriate recrods

training and performance assurance

practical instruction in job and task requirements and methods to enable workers to meet some minimum initial performance standards, to main their proficiency, or to qualify them for promotion to a more demanding position

performance assurance

the way that a company determines if and how personnel have understood the training in practical situations

Management of Change

MOC

management of change

ensures that changes to a process (equipment, operation & maintenance) do not introduce new hazards or increase existing hazards

management of change

1. define what is the change

2. identify hazards and analyze the risk

3. communicate the change & conduct training before implementation

4. make change to process safety information

operational readiness

method to confirm current, new or modified processes or equipment are safe to start up (Pre-Startup Safety Reviews PSSRs OSHA)

operational readiness

ensures that: the construction and equipment meet design specs, safety/operating/maintenance/emergency procedures are in place, safeguards that may have been bypassed are verified to be in service, all sensors/instruments/valves/etc. work, training has been completed

conduct of operations

execution of operational, engineering, and management tasks in a deliberate structured manner; real-time manifestation of the Process Safety Culture Every day and day-to-day, beyond operational discipline

operational discipline

the pursuit of a consistent and high level of human performance

conduct of operations

plan the work then work the plan

emergency management

identifying, assessing, planning for emergencies including process safety incidents, natural hazards, and other disruptive events; document in writing, train and drill, obtain needed resources, communicate w/ stakeholders (especially neighbors)

emergencies

process safety incident, natural disasters, incident at neighboring property, pandemic, intentional attack or sabotage

emergency management

emergency planning and response: protect people (onside, offsite, emergency responders), respond appropriately to large accidents (explosions, chemical and energy releases)

emergency management

encompasses activities that occur before, during, and after an emergency

emergency management plan

1. plan defensive response actions

2. plan offensive response

3. develop written plan

4. provide physical facilities and equipment for response at strategic locations

5. maintain/test facilities and equipment

6. determine when operator response is appropriate

7. train the emergency response team (ERT) members including re-train/refresh

8. plan communications w/ workers, contractors, neighbors, authorities

9. inform and train all personnel

10. periodically review emergency response plan

incident investigation

reporting, investigating, tracking, and learning from incidents and near-misses

incident investigation

used to identify and eliminate causes of incidents

measurements and metrics

establishes performance and efficiency indicators to monitor the effectiveness of the RBPS management program: use leading/lagging indicators, collect/analyze metrics data, present metrics to management

lagging indicators

reactive/follows an event; actual demonstration that a desired safety level was NOT being met

leading indicators

predictive/precedes an event; signals an event has a higher probability of taking place, if no corrective action is taken the event is more likely of occurring

auditing

a systematic, independent review to verify whether management systems are performing as intended and correct gaps before an incident occurs (includes scheduling, staffing, performing, and documenting); resolve recommendations and track completion

management review and continuous improvement

the ongoing evaluation of management system performance by management taht fills the gap between routine evaluation and audits