When the Process Safety Management regulation in the United States was new, one facility manager said, “I know what process safety is ― it’s HAZOPs!”
In fact, the HAZOP method is just one of seven of one of the fourteen elements of PSM in the OSHA standard. However, what the manager said actually made sense. He knew that unless he and his managers did not know what hazards were present then they could not eliminate those hazards.
When starting a new process safety program (as the manager in our story was doing) it makes sense to tackle the management elements in the following order.
1. Get the P&IDs Up to Date
Piping and Instrument Diagrams (P&IDs) are foundational to almost all process safety work. If they are incomplete or out of date then all other work ― including the HAZOPs ― is on shaky ground.
2. Implement the Management of Change (MOC) Program
The day after the P&IDs have been updated someone, somewhere will make a change that requires them to be updated. This has to be done through the MOC program.
3. Start the First Round of Process Hazards Analyses
As our manager said,
“If I don’t know what my hazards are, how can I fix them?”
Something all Engineers should do from the start is to walk the job site, understand everything about how equipment is actually installed and how it relates to the P&ID . Only then can they understand any problems in relation to the process and know how to address the issues with the overall process. P&IDs don't show elevations , distances or the environment,, or potential hazards Only then can they possible develop a plan to fix! Engineers who rely purely on P&IDs will never find the answers.
Excellent post, thanks