PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT
A systematic approach to major accident hazard management

Major accidents happen infrequently due to the care taken in development of equipment codes, and the increasing expertise of plant designers and operators.

However, many companies face major challenges related to the speed at which operations have to be installed, the manpower downsizing often required, the environmental pressures which may cause process changes, in some cases the ageing of plant, and in other cases the acquisition of other company sites.

Despite all the challenges, a company must ensure that safety management is adequate and (if possible) compatible between one site and another, so that performance standards can be established and maintained.

What is Process Safety Management (PSM)?
PSM is a part of safety management, which is concerned with major hazards impacting safety, environmental damage and business loss.

Oil & Gas businesses are significant users of PSM methods, particularly where there are hazardous processes or large inventories of flammable or toxic materials. Regulators expect the operators of high hazard plants to implement measures to ensure that their plants are operated and maintained in a safe manner.

PSM techniques are numerous - from process screening and concept selection, through hazard identification, consequence evaluation, risk assessment, ALARP study, pre start-up action response auditing, to inspection and auditing during operation.

Your benefits
The major aim of PSM is to develop plant, systems, and procedures to prevent unwanted releases, which may ignite and cause toxic impacts, local fires, or explosions in plant or nearby premises. In addition, PSM can also address issues related to the Operability, Productivity, Stability, and Quality output of processes, leading to the specification of safeguards against undesirable events.

Spin-off from the aims results in reduced exposure to lawsuits, penalties, public liability claims, and hikes in insurance premiums. Other intangible benefits include retention of corporate image.

The principles of PSM apply throughout the lifecycle of a plant or installation to ensure that the facilities can be managed safely and achieve acceptable levels of business risk overall.