The Need for Process Safety Management | Sustainable Business Forum

The term PSM stands for Process Safety Management and while many people may believe that PSM relates only to chemical processing, that is not the case. In fact, the benefits of developing a PSM program extend to any sort of productive ?process,? such as a paper mill, mining company or car assembly plants.
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Developing a structured risk management process, which includes conducting adequate risk analysis, has been proven integral in enabling organizations, particularly those in hazardous fields, to ensure effective prevention against serious business risks. Today, PSM refers to an ideal risk management process that takes into account the technology, equipment and people in a structured, broad and complete way, within a special management process, to provide the appropriate risk control.
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PSM is not something an organization can purchase from a supplier as an off-the-shelf item, nor is it a responsibility that can be delegated to the safety department. PSM is a management process that should be supported by the risk management team, generally belonging to the Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) area. It should be undertaken and supervised by line managers and supported by training, maintenance, procurement and contracts that are unequivocally led by the senior leadership.
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The Evolution of PSM
PSM programs were developed in response to several big workplace disasters, all of which were avoidable.
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Major workplace disasters early in the past century were due, almost exclusively, to ammonium nitrate operations, for instance Oppau (Germany, 1921), although sadly these events still haunt us in current times (Toulouse, France, 2001).
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Later, as industrial processes evolved several major disasters related to industrial processes occurred, such as Flixborough (United Kingdom, 1974), Bhopal (India, 1984) and BP Deepwater Horizon (United States, 2010), which showed that the risk lion was not well caged.
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Those disasters have spurred enterprises, governments and industry groups to devote resources towards developing better risk management processes. For instance, governments, considering the effects of previous disasters on the environment and neighboring communities, created regulations, standards and programs. Industry associations created management programs such as Responsible Care, the chemical industry?s global initiative that drives continuous improvement in SHE performance along with open and transparent communication with stakeholders.
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Today, having a PSM program in place is a legal requirement in the United States, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119, de 1992). Organizations must develop, manage and demonstrate Process Safety Management in order to comply. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also initiated the Risk Management Program Rule, 1996, 40 CFR Part 68, which makes compliance mandatory.
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Our Perspective and the PSM Seed
DuPont has been a driving force in the creation and adoption of PSM practices. After a serious process incident in 1965, DuPont directed each worksite to review all procedures and each facility?s plan regarding the potential for catastrophic events. After this review, each location initiated preventive measures as well as an annual change management review process. In 1973, a new guideline defined detailed methodologies and intervals for this analysis. A corporate manual for Risk Analysis was issued in 1978 and a detailed manual on Process Safety Management was published in 1979. DuPont?s lead in PSM is not only evident in our practices, but in the work of others, for instance when OSHA came out with their PSM program in 1992, it developed a program that is similar to our S&OH Guideline 6.1.
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Our perspective on PSM has continuously evolved over the years as new technologies have been developed, regulations and standards have been implemented and other risk mitigation tools have been created. PSM at DuPont is driven through a robust governance program that includes the development of corporate requirements and a first, second, and third party audit process that assures implementation.
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Today, DuPont operates a broad range of facilities, including chemical processing, mining, seed production, and electronics, and PSM is required for each of these operations.
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Although the practices and procedures for a solid PSM program are well described, investigations in the US by the US Chemical Safety Board have found that companies struggle with the implementation of PSM. Successful implementation of PSM requires companies to go beyond the technical components of PSM and implement a robust management process.
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Helping businesses to implement PSM is a joint effort that should consider the current management systems and compare them to the elements of an integral PSM program and all fundamental leadership management activities necessary to drive and support the program. This approach will build a unique and robust PSM system that will respect and keep the enterprise?s way of doing business while also creating a strong, resilient, interdependent safety culture.
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References
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1.?? ?James A. Klein. ?Two Centuries of Process Safety at DuPont,? http://cee.che.ufl.edu/AICHE_CEE_Klein_DuPont_Extended.pdf.
?? ?2.?? ?Omesh Garga. ?Quick 4-Step Review of Process Safety Management,? http://www2.dupont.com/DuPont_Sustainable_Solutions/en_US/assets/downloads/Quick_4-Step_Review_Sheet.pdf.
?? ?3.?? ?Charles A. Soczek - Personal Communication.
?? ?4.?? ?Mario L. Fantazzini. ?What is PSM?? series, Prote??o Safety Journal, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil, 2011.
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Source: http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/mario/52283/need-process-safety-management

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