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Introduction To Process Safety Identification of Hazards and Critical Controls

This document provides an introduction to process safety. It discusses identifying hazards and critical controls to prevent catastrophic events at industrial facilities. The key points are: 1) Process safety focuses on preventing major accidents by controlling hazards and risks from dangerous substances. This is important given the potential for severe explosions, fires or toxic releases. 2) Employers must identify all hazards and risks, but pay special attention to critical controls - those most important for preventing or mitigating incidents. 3) Critical controls must be carefully managed to ensure their objectives are clear, responsibilities assigned, checks performed regularly, and their effectiveness verified over time.

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Mohamed Ahmed
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179 views

Introduction To Process Safety Identification of Hazards and Critical Controls

This document provides an introduction to process safety. It discusses identifying hazards and critical controls to prevent catastrophic events at industrial facilities. The key points are: 1) Process safety focuses on preventing major accidents by controlling hazards and risks from dangerous substances. This is important given the potential for severe explosions, fires or toxic releases. 2) Employers must identify all hazards and risks, but pay special attention to critical controls - those most important for preventing or mitigating incidents. 3) Critical controls must be carefully managed to ensure their objectives are clear, responsibilities assigned, checks performed regularly, and their effectiveness verified over time.

Uploaded by

Mohamed Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Process Safety

Identification of Hazards and Critical Controls


Agenda

1 Intro

2 What is Process Safety?

3 Identify Critical Controls

4 Ensure Critical Controls are Effectively


Managed

5 Next Steps

2
WorkSafeBC Process Safety Initiative
• Initiative began in 2018. Current focus industries:

• Oil & Gas

• Biogas

• Chemical Processing

• Pulp & Paper

• Wood Pellet Processing

3
Why Did We Launch a Process Safety
Initiative?

• Gain greater understanding of


process:
• Hazards

• Risks

• Controls

• Catastrophic event focus

• Ensure employers recognize their


ownership of their hazards and risks
4
Regulatory Framework in B.C.

• Ensure worker health and safety

• Provide and maintain premises in a


manner to ensure health and safety
of persons at or near workplace

• Risk assessment for emergency


events involving hazardous
substances

• Emergency plan

5
What is Process Safety?
What is Process Safety?

• Preventing loss of control and loss of containment


and mitigating the consequences

• Focus on hazardous substances and risks of


catastrophic explosions, fires, and toxic releases

7
Process Safety vs. Personal Safety

• Mechanisms of causation – managing higher levels of energy


in process safety

• The scale of potential consequences – more severe in process


safety

• The focus on engineering and design – safety of system vs.


safety of those who interact with system

• Personal Safety: Begin with the worker and determine


hazards such as “falls, “struck by”, “trips”

• Process Safety: Begin with the equipment and processes and


determine hazards such as “valve failure”, “explosion”,
“release of hazardous substance”
Reference: Safety Institute of Australia and Energy Safety Canada
Process Safety Management:
Standards vs “Managing”

9
How Do We Expect Employers to Manage
Major Hazards?

Identify hazards and major incidents

Identify credible causes of incidents (threats)

Implement controls to ensure health and safety

Identify critical controls

Ensure critical controls are effectively managed

10
Identify Critical Controls
Bowtie

Reference: Energy Safety Canada


12
What is a Control or Barrier?

Control - intended to prevent or mitigate


• Act
• Object
• System (act + object)

Reference: ICMM 13
James Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model

Reference: Energy Safety Canada


14
In many cases we know the threats and we
know the controls
The causes of
Good Practice
many incidents
on how to
are also well
The types of control the
known
incidents that causes is also
occur are well known
known
Many incidents
result from failure to
implement well
known controls for
identified risks

Reference: Noetic Group 15


Identifying Critical Controls

Hazard
Identification

Risk Data & People’s


Assessment Standards Experience

Filter – Identify Critical Controls

Monitor Critical Controls

Image Reference: Noetic Group 16


From Controls to Critical Controls
How do you identify what is critical?

• May be critical if any of the following apply:


• Is the control crucial to preventing the event, or
minimizing the consequences of the event?

• Is it the only control or is it backed up by another


control in the event that the first fails?

• Would its absence or failure significantly increase


the risk despite the existence of other controls?

• Does it address multiple causes or mitigate multiple


consequences of the unwanted event?

17
Ensure critical controls are
effectively managed
For each critical control, do you know?

• What are its objectives?

• Who is responsible?

• What has to happen to make it work?

• How is it checked, by whom, and at what


frequency?

• How are the checks verified to ensure


effectiveness?

Have a system to document the above

Reference: Noetic Group


19
Examples of Controls

• Hazard: pressurized vessel – corrosion

• Threat: loss of integrity

• Control: non-destructive testing followed by


maintenance (if required)

• Hazard: pressurized vessel – pressure

• Threat: over pressurization

• Control: pressure relief valve

20
The Critical Control Management Process

Reference: ICMM
21
Next Steps
Process Safety Initiative Phases

• Phase 1 – Initial Engagement and Site


Visit

• Introduce initiative

• Familiarization with site work process

• Phase 2 – Additional Site Visit(s)

• Examine the employer’s assessed


hazards, risks, and controls, with a
focus on critical controls

• Review of the effectiveness and


management of controls and critical
controls
23
How To Prepare for Future Engagements:
• Demonstrate knowledge of the hazards, risks, and
controls (especially critical controls) to minimize risk

• Demonstrate that controls have been appropriately


selected and that a system is in place to ensure
effectiveness

• Demonstrate an effective system of organizational


learning

• Ensure workforce is informed and engaged

• Ensure that senior management support and


oversight for process safety is implemented
24
Questions?

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