Process safety management
Traditionally, process safety management received
less attention than personal or'
occupational safety. Phil Eames, principal consultant
for ABB, explains to Rhian Owen'
the benefits for operations managers, senior process
engineers and safety specialists'
of deploying an effective safety system within
an organisation.
Rhian Owen: ABB helps companies in an array of
sectors to'
improve their management of process safety, but
what are the'
challenges the pharmaceutical industry faces?
Phil Eames: Manufacturing active pharmaceutical
intermediates' generally involves a large number
of chemical components,' including very toxic
chemicals. Manufacturing processes usually' require
the extensive use of large quantities of flammable
solvents' and manufacturing sites employ a diverse
portfolio of processes' and chemistry types. Many
of these processes involve complex' reactions
and flammable dusts that require extensive experimental'
work to define their hazardous properties, while
some processes' employ glass components and are
therefore inherently less robust' than typical
process plants.
The 'campaign' nature of production
presents a barrier to the'
building up of extensive process knowledge over
long periods of'
time and also presents the additional hazards
involved in breaking'
containment to reconfigure the process plant.
The high value of'
pharmaceutical intermediates and products can
draw attention'
away from the process hazards associated with
site utilities such'
as steam generation and incineration.
Does the pharmaceutical sector still need
to improve process safety management (PSM )?
Serious incidents continue to occur across the
sector, including'
fires, explosions and toxic releases. The pharmaceutical
industry'
acknowledges the need to improve PSM and, in common
with the'
rest of the process industries, understands that
process safety has'
received less attention since the advent of the
personal safety'
revolution in the mid-1990s.
Describe ABB's approach to process safety.
ABB has extensive experience in process safety,
both in PSM'
systems (such as development, auditing and providing'
independent assurance) and in the technical aspects
of process'
safety (for example, hazard identification, risk
assessment and the'
design and management of protective systems).
The firm believes'
that the understanding of process risk lies at
the heart of process'
safety management and this is very much a core
competence of'
ABB Consulting, which evolved from the organisation
that'
invented the hazards and operability study technique.
ABB's capabilities in terms of process
safety, integrity'
management and functional engineering mean that
it can offer a'
wide range of solutions; for example, not only
process hazard'
identification and risk assessment, but also the
implementation'
and ongoing maintenance of risk reduction measures.
Explain why a process safety system is an
essential part of PSM and what elements it needs
to include.
Effective control of process risk requires systematic
and disciplined'
management, and that is why a PSM system tailored
to the'
organisation's hazards is essential. The
critical elements of the'
system are process hazards analysis and risk assessment,'
management of safety-critical equipment and procedures,'
management of change, emergency preparation, performance'
measurement and ongoing assurance.
What's the balance between effective leadership
and a PSM system.
Leadership in terms of process safety demands
the development of'
a disciplined organisation and this can only be
done through the'
effective deployment of the process safety management
system.
Leadership's prime task is to promote the
system and seek'
continual assurance that it is being applied effectively.
Leadership'
cannot achieve success by simply demanding high
performance,'
and just expecting the system to work and the
people to get on'
with it; leaders need to take an active interest
on a daily basis.
What are the benefits of attending an ABB
PSM best practice course?
The benefits are gaining an understanding of
the elements of a'
PSM system and receiving practical advice on implementation'
based on ABB's extensive operational experience
and its'
knowledge of best practice, which comes from consulting
some of'
the most respected organisations within the process
industries.
What are the benefits of deploying ABB's
approach?
The benefits are exploiting the knowledge and
experience of'
ABB consultants involved in applying industry
best practice for a'
wide variety of organisations. ABB's competitive
edge derives'
from the experience of its consultants and their
ability to apply'
practical, tailored (not prescriptive) solutions,
and from its diverse'
capabilities. This enables ABB to provide holistic
solutions,'
helping to identify improvement opportunities
and to identify and'
implement the answers; for example, ABB can provide
expertise'
to conduct process hazards analysis such as hazard
and'
operability studies, and to provide the multifunctional'
engineering and project management resources to
implement'
the resulting recommended actions in a timely
way.
|
