AI: Only For Old(er) Process Safety Experts
50+
The topic of AI (Artificial Intelligence) has dominated internet discussions over the course of the last two years. I spend much of my time writing ― primarily books and blog posts. Therefore, I have been intrigued to learn how one aspect of AI ― Large Language Models (LLM) ― can be helpful. I also need to know their limitations.
In a recent post Charles Hugh Smith made the following comment regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI).
. . . the few people I personally know who have taken lengthy, nuanced dives into AI and found real value are in their 50s, meaning that they have a deep well of lived experience and a broad awareness of many fields. They have the knowledge to make sense of whatever AI spits out on a deeper level of interpretation that the neophyte or scattered student.
In other words, the quality of an AI’s analysis depends on the quality of the prompt. But the quality of the prompt depends on the knowledge and experience of the person making the prompt, thus creating a hint of circular logic.
This is something that I have experienced when writing process safety management (PSM) posts. I have found Large Language Models (LLMs) to be very helpful ― but the key word here is helpful. They do not provide complete, accurate and comprehensive answers.
Here are how LLMs can help the process safety expert:
They can identify overlooked items.
They can provide new systems-related insights.
They can develop training materials and quizzes.
In order to illustrate the importance of expertise when creating a prompt I selected a recent Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Safety Alert #501. It is to do with problems with bypassed safety devices.
I entered two prompts into ChatGPT-5. The first was as if I knew nothing about process safety. The second prompt was much more detailed, and called on my knowledge of process safety management. Here they are:
Prompt #1
Please find attached BSEE Safety Alert 501. What process safety management / SEMS lessons can we learn from this report?
Prompt #2
Please repeat the analysis using the following parameters.
Do not use the analysis that you just completed.
Analyze according to the 20 CCPS elements:
o Process Safety Culture
o Compliance
o Competence
o Workforce Involvement
o Stakeholder Outreach
o Knowledge Management
o Hazard Identification and Risk Management
o Operating Procedures
o Safe Work Practices
o Asset Integrity / Reliability
o Contractor Management
o Training / Performance
o Management of Change
o Operational Readiness
o Conduct of Operations
o Emergency Management
o Incident Investigation
o Measurement and Metrics
o Auditing
o Management ReviewThe lack of bypass documentation is to do with Safe Work Practices and Conduct of Operations.
The data historian problem is to do with Management of Change and Knowledge Management.
The maintenance bypass problem is also to do with Safe Work Practices. It also suggests problems with Process Safety Culture.
The group bypass selectors is similar to the maintenance bypass issues, but also needs to consider Operating Procedures, and maybe Operational Readiness.
The ‘different interpretations’ suggests problems with training.
Both prompts generated lengthy responses, so I will not provide them in full in this post. Suffice to say that the first response was mostly about the management of safety bypasses. The second response was more to do with management systems, and so was considerably more useful.
Quiz
Either way, the LLM was able to create the following quiz.
1. What is the primary principle when applying a bypass to a safety device offshore?
A. Bypass as many devices as necessary to prevent nuisance trips
B. Only bypass the minimum number of devices necessary for the task
C. Use group bypasses for convenience during maintenance
D. Leave the decision solely to the control-room operator
2. Which type of bypass carries the highest risk of unintentionally disabling multiple safety functions?
A. Function-specific bypass
B. Time-limited bypass
C. Group bypass
D. One-shot bypass
3. What is the most common problem with “maintenance bypasses”?
A. They are too difficult for operators to apply
B. They disable both high- and low-function trips from a device at once
C. They always auto-expire after a short time
D. They are only used by contractors, not operators
4. How should bypasses be managed to ensure safe operations?
A. Use an informal logbook if convenient
B. Leave them until the next turnaround
C. Require a formal bypass permit or documentation system
D. Only track them if regulators are scheduled to visit
5. What is the main concern if a bypass remains in place for a long period of time?
A. It can cause data historian storage issues
B. It increases the chance of safety-critical protections being unavailable during a real upset
C. It makes startup easier for operators
D. It reduces the need for training
6. When nuisance trips cause repeated bypassing, what is the best response?
A. Accept bypasses as the new normal
B. Disable the safety device permanently
C. Engineer out the nuisance by fixing or relocating the device
D. Instruct operators to ignore the alarms
7. Why is it important that the control system HMI clearly displays active bypasses?
A. To reduce the number of alarms in the system
B. To ensure operators and supervisors know which protections are unavailable
C. To allow for faster startup
D. To satisfy IT requirements
8. Which process safety element is most directly linked to the proper documentation of bypasses?
A. Workforce Involvement
B. Safe Work Practices
C. Emergency Management
D. Stakeholder Outreach
9. If operators and supervisors interpret regulations differently on when bypasses are allowed, which PSM/SEMS element needs improvement?
A. Training and Competence
B. Contractor Management
C. Knowledge Management
D. Auditing
10. Before restarting a facility after shutdown, which step should be part of the Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR)?
A. Confirming that no unintended bypasses remain active
B. Extending all bypasses for 24 hours as a precaution
C. Adding group bypasses to speed startup
D. Resetting historian data to zero
✅ Correct answers:
1–B, 2–C, 3–B, 4–C, 5–B, 6–C, 7–B, 8–B, 9–A, 10–A.
