Management of process safety through proper control of technology and facilities cannot be effective unless proper consideration is given to the safety contributions made by people. Personnel issues that affect process safety performance exist in all activities in a facility. Managing process safety through effective hiring, training and proficiency practices and human factors engineering can be the most important way of limiting the risk of chemical operations.
The Personnel element of this Process Safety Code recognizes that safe process operations are dependent upon the skills and knowledge of qualified employees. The goal of the Personnel element is to ensure that acceptable levels of competence are continuously maintained for workers in a facility - especially for those people in safety-critical jobs - including contractors. Six Management Practices (MPs) have been defined as essential components of the Personnel element. While these practices focus primarily on safe work activities of operating and maintenance personnel, some of the practices will be relevant to staff and management employees.
The following sections discuss each management practice. First, process safety activities are defined that may be useful in your quest for continual process safety improvement. Not all of these activities are appropriate for every company or for every facility within a company. You should choose the ones, and perhaps add others, that fit your company needs and culture. Secondly, examples are given for each activity to illustrate how companies like yours have successfully implemented them. Finally, pitfalls and considerations are discussed so that you will be better equipped to meet future process safety challenges. Space is provided for you to take notes and to personalize this Guide with ideas that you think may help your company or facility.
Management Practice 17: Job Skills
Identification of the skills and knowledge necessary to perform each job
The physical and mental requirements of each job at a chemical process facility should be identified and understood. Human factors methods can be used to optimize the man-machine interfaces so that realistic expectations of reliable human performance can be established. These job descriptions and expectations should form the basis for hiring programs and job advancement decisions. Implementing this management practice should contribute to satisfactorily trained
employees being placed in the appropriate work assignment to help ensure safe plant operations. These results can also help define the content for initial training programs (MP19) and establish criteria for employees to qualify for independent work (1VIP20).
PROCESS SAFETY ACTIVITIES
17.1 Analyze operating and maintenance job functions to determine which jobs can significantly affect process safety. • Use human factors methods to identify individual job tasks.
• Integrate the results of process hazard reviews that have identified critical tasks and actions. • Determine the knowledge and experience required of persons performing each task or set of tasks. • Construct written descriptions that profile job requirements.
• Identify the safety criticality of jobs and tasks to provide input to training and retraining programs.
PITFALLS AND CONSIDERATIONS
An operator whose job it is to respond to a unit upset by activating a shutdown switch is in a critical safety position. However, many employees in a facility play a role in process safety assurance, even though the bulk of their job may be routine. For example, a clerk that inadvertently logs in and marks a brass thermowell as suitable for service in a hydrogen peroxide storage and feed system is making a big mistake that could have significant safety consequences. Employee job descriptions and safety rankings must not get bogged down by perfunctorily classifying most jobs in the facility as safety critical. They must instead distill those important tasks and highlight them for proper employee orientation and training.
Management Practice 18: Safe Work Practices
Establishment of procedures and work practices for safe operating and maintenance activities
Concise, well-written, safe work practices and procedures equip knowledgeable personnel to manner. These practices and procedures bridge the gap between training and experience and offer employees critical guidance on how to protect themselves, other employees and the public from human error-induced accidents. The results from management programs are used to help develop and refine initial training programs and recurrent demonstration of competency.
PROCESS SAFETY ACTIVITIES
18.1 Using the results from job and task analyses (MPl'n, develop safe work practices for discrete tasks performed by operating and maintenance personnel.
• Develop and implement proper methods for taking laboratory analysis samples. • Define the use of specialized tools and equipment.
• Define the use of personal protective equipment.
• Develop recognition of hazards and appropriate emergency actions through the use of techniques such as Job Safety Analysis.
• Describe the use of lockoutltagout procedures, hot work permits, heavy lifting permits, confined space entry procedures and special activity (e.g., line break) permits.
18.2 Develop clear, written procedures for normal operating and maintenance activities.
• Develop clear instructions and checklists for start-up, normal operation, standby, recirculation and normal
shutdown actions. Include figures and illustrations for complicated tasks or refer to standard operating procedures for more information.
• Develop practical checklists for performing routine preventive maintenance on critical process equipment items. • Develop procedures explicitly dealing with process upsets and emergencies (e.g., loss of containment events). • Include essential safety equipment and personnel needed in routine and emergency maintenance activities. 18.3 Create a mechanism for employees to give fey on problems encountered in the use of established work practices and procedures.
• Conduct regular shift meetings to discuss problems.
• Conduct preventive maintenance and turnaround debriefings to share experiences and lessons learned.
• Appoint employee safety committees that review employee suggestions and make recommendations to company management.
PITFALLS AND CONSIDERATIONS
Written procedures and work practices that are not developed using employee input are likely to be inefficient and to fall into disuse. Minor changes in work practices accumulate over time, are passed down from veteran to new employees and must be reviewed and incorporated into a formal written program. Contractor work practices should be especially monitored for consistency with company practices (see MP 22).
Management Practice 19: Initial Training
Training for all personnel to reach and maintain profit in safe work practices and in the skills and knowledge necessary to perform their job
Properly selected employees with skills matched for the job combine with standard work practices and procedures to give a company the basics for safe human interaction with process equipment and facilities. To ensure that these skills and practices are properly applied, companies must provide thorough training. This training may include classroom, simulation and on-thejob activities and should be supplied by qualified instructors using consistent methods.