Process Safety Management Implementation / Augmentation:
Most of the industries get satisfied with good Workplace Safety performance. They get surprise when some Incident happens.
Process Safety management focus on Prevention of Incidents and Sustainability of Safety Management. It is just like Technical Function of the company. It encompasses Technology, Facility and People competency.
It deals with :
· What can go wrong ?
· How likely is it ?
· What are the impacts ?
The Summary of these elements are mentioned below:
1. Process Safety Information : This is also known as Process Knowledge. Comprehensive Documentation for Process knowledge throughout the Life Cycle of facility for safe operation & maintenance is the aim for this element. It mainly covers :
· Equipment Design basis
· Plant Design Basis / Technology
· Hazards of process chemicals or materials
2. Process Hazard Analysis: Systematic identification of inherent hazards in process or activity, Evaluate the consequences and likelihood of Incidents / Accidents, Dangerous occurrence / Hazardous scenarios and Assess the Risk against the company’s defined criteria.
· What-If / Checklist Analysis
· Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP)
· Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)
· Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
· Event Tree Analysis (ETA)
· Cause-Consequence Analysis
3. Operating Procedure (OP) & Safe Work Practices (SWP) :
It should incorporate different process modes (Start up, Normal, Emergency), Operating limits, Health & Safety aspects for operator, Inbuilt Safety systems & its working.
· Hot Work Permit (HWP)
· Confined Space Entry / Vessel Entry Permit (VEP)
· Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO)
· Work at Height Permit
· Line Break Permit
· Permit to work on Electrical distribution system.
· Excavation Permit
· Heavy Lifting Equipment Movement permit
· Specific area vehicle entry permit (VEP)
· Access to process areas by unauthorized personnel
4. Management of Change (MOC) :
Management of change (MOC) is a process for evaluating and controlling modifications carried out in Design of facility, Technology, Equipment, Process chemical, Operation / Activities prior to its actual execution and changes to facilities that affect a covered process. It helps to ensure that changes to a process do not inadvertently introduce new hazards or unknowingly increase the risk of existing hazards. Changes are thoroughly scrutinized prior to its implementation. MOC is essential to maintain or enhance the safety originally designed into a facility.
MOC procedures shall assure that the following considerations are addressed prior to any change:
5. Quality Assurance (QA) :
Quality assurance efforts mainly focus on Design, Procurement, Receipt & Installation considering following:
6. Pre Start-up Safety Review (PSSR) :
The Pre Start-up Safety Review (PSSR) provides a final check of new and modified equipment to confirm that all appropriate elements of process safety have been assessed and addressed satisfactorily prior to using the process (commissioning, introducing hazardous chemicals, or introducing energy) and the facility is safe to operate, including:
7. Mechanical Integrity (MI) :
Mechanical Integrity (MI) is an implementation program which ensures that important equipment will be suitable for its intended use throughout the life of an operation. MI program focuses on maintaining and continuously improving a system integrity. MI program covers
1. Maintenance strategies
2. Selection of a PSM Critical Equipments
3. Maintenance procedures
4. Training to applicable personnel
5. Inspection, Testing, Preventive Maintenance (ITPM)
6. Spares Management
7. Repairs & Changes
Mechanical Integrity (MI) programs vary according to industry, regulatory requirements, geography and plant culture.
8. Training & Performance :
The purpose of Training element is to increase employees & contractors awareness on process hazards, Hazards identification, Actions taken to operate & maintain facility within safe established limits, Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response. Different types of trainings at different frequency for different groups of people by different trainers (Internal or External) with validation as per company’s requirement are considered. It covers Training Need Identification (TNI) of Programs, Training Objectives, Conducting Training, Evaluation of its effectiveness and improvements on it.
9.Contractor Safety Management (CSM) :
The overall objective of CSM is to improve contractor safety performance by fulfilling :
· To select the contractors based on their past safety performance & capability to meet organization safety requirements.
· To identify & communicate the required involvement and accountability of contractor before contract is awarded.
· To ensure that all site contractors are aligned with organization’s Safety Policy & Rules and are trained before work is started.
· To ensure that all site contractors are in compliance with contractual agreement and safety performance is evaluated.
Active and ongoing participation of contractors are essential to enhance the company/ contractor relationship by clearly defining roles and responsibilities, establishing expectations and maintaining communication throughout the relationship. Following steps are performed in CSM :
1. Contractor Pre-Qualification
2. Contract Preparation / Purchase Requisition (PR)
3. Contract Award
4. Training and Orientation
5. Contractor Work Management & Field Audits
6. Contractor Safety Performance Evaluation
10. Incident Investigation :
It includes :
· Pre-planning
· Initial response with notification to concerned team.
· Initial incident reporting & its classification.
· HSE investigation process (Team formation, Evidence identification, Collection and Management, Witness Interviews, Evidence analysis, Determination of Causal Factors and Root Causes, Recommendations, Report preparation)
· Communication of the findings
· Implementation of Recommendations and Follow-up system
· Continuous improvement through Lessons Learned
11. Emergency Planning and Response :
It is a well-known fact that Accidents can occur in world class process safety maintaining facility also.
This element improves the speed and efficiency of response during any emergency (On-Site / Off-Site) and hence minimize the impacts of an incident. Planning part mainly focuses on readiness or preparedness (How to handle an incident before it happens?). Response part focuses on Actions taken by different groups during emergency to contain the situation within shortest time.
A Well-Practiced Emergency Plan covers :
12. Auditing :
After reviewing the above Elements, How NEXA PSE will work for you to implement or augment the existing PSM system ?
NEXA PSE follows the internationally accepted Risk Based Process Safety guidelines.
NEXA PSE begins assignment by carrying out a GAP analysis to know where the facility stands from the PSM point of view. This will help to decide the forward path. After that training programs and workshops are arranged so that it will introduce PSM to all tiers of workforce.
Methodology include:
Hazard Identification : The pinpointing of material,system, process and plant characteristics that can produce undesirable consequences through the occurrence of an incident.
Risk Assessment : The process by which the results of risk analysis ( i.e risk estimates) are used to make decision,either through relative ranking of risk reduction strategies or through comparison with risk targets.
HAC is a method of analysing, classifying and delineation of any particular hazardous areas where explosive gas atmospheres may occur to allow the proper selection of electrical apparatus to be installed in that Area/ Environment considering height, ventilation, standards of maintenance, type of apparatus, operation and competent personnel available for inspection, which may affect the nature and extent of the hazard. When electrical equipment is to be installed in or about a hazardous area, it is frequently possible by care in the layout of the installation to locate much of the equipment in less hazardous or non-hazardous areas, and thus reduce the amount of special equipment required.
The Lightening Protection study carried out as per IS/IEC 62305 & NFPA 780 considering following :
The PSSR is a safety review conducted prior to start-up of a new or modified processing/manufacturing plant or facility to ensure that installations meet the original design or operating intent, to catch and re-assess any potential hazard due to changes during the detailed engineering and construction phase of a project. In other words, it ensures the “Ready for Start-up†status of process facility/units. The PSSR provides a final checkpoint for new and modified equipments/facilities to confirm that all appropriate HSE elements have been addressed satisfactorily and the facility is safe to start up. Objectives of Pre Start up Safety Review (PSSR) are to ensure the following:
Fire Risk Assessment covers :
1. Fire load calculation as per rule 66-A of The Gujarat Factories Rule 1963 & expression in terms of Gross Fire Load & Fire Load density.
2. Verify current firefighting arrangement (Fire extinguishers, Fire hydrant line, Sprinkler system, Smoke detection) with respect to current fire load (Fire Load Density) in each area.
3. Access healthiness of fire hydrant system, also adequacy check for its design parameter and layout at various plants whether they are meeting standard requirement or not.
4. Adequacy of existing fire protection system (Fire protection): - Assessment of existing Fire Protection System; - Pressure Drop Calculation of Existing Fire Hydrant System - Physical inspection of fire protection system (fire hydrant network & fire sprinkler system), - Fire extinguishers for its adequacy.
5. Lay out drawing of Fire Hydrant network and Fire Extinguishers review as per the TAC Fire Protection Manual.
Mechanical Integrity : MI is the programmatic implementation of activities necessary to ensure that important equipment will be suitable for its intended application throughout the life of an operation. MI programs vary according to industry, regulatory requirements, geography and plant culture. Mechanical Integrity covers
It is a gap analysis to know where the facility stands from the PSM point of view. This exercise highlights the priorities to start with and bring the implementation forward path in ordered way for workshops and training programs for easy integration of PSM into the regular workings of the facility. Process safety concepts are considered with a view to identifying gaps and issues with current methods in order to develop better methodologies for PSM implementation.
Although some facility siting considerations such as initial site selection are one time decisions, many facility location/layout and personnel protection factors can change significantly over time as e.g surrounding population encroach, plant capacity increase and new materials are brought on site.
That is why facility siting is not a one time exercise but should be done with each successive hazards entry. Facility siting considers :
Tank Farm Safety Risk Assessment covers :
1. Safety Management Adequacy Study for Dyke :-
2. Underground Storage Tanks Adequacy study :-
All chemical reactions implicitly involve energy changes (energy of activation + energy of reaction), for these are the driving force. The majority of reactions liberate energy as heat (occasionally as light or sound) and are termed exothermic. In a minority of reactions, the reaction energy is absorbed into the products, when both the reaction and its products are described as endothermic. All reactive hazards involve the release of energy in quantities or at rates too high to be absorbed by the immediate environment of the reacting system, and material damage results. The source of the energy may be an exothermic multi-component reaction, or the exothermic decomposition of a single unstable (often endothermic) compound.
All measures to minimize the possibility of occurrence of reactive chemical hazards are therefore directed at controlling the extent and rate of release of energy in a reacting system. Some of the factors which contribute to the possibility of excessive energy release are
Airborne dust created by the handling of many industrial materials can combine in an air/dust mixture that could result in a violent, damaging explosion. A combustible dust is defined by the NFPA (Standards 68 and 654) as “any finely divided solid material 420 microns or smaller in diameter which presents a hazard when dispersed or ignited in air.†ISO is even more conservative and reports any finely divided solid material smaller in diameter 500 microns may present an explosion hazard. Most organic (carbon containing) and metallic dust will exhibit some combustibility characteristics. Therefore, if dust is present in any form within a working environment efforts should be taken to assess whether the potential for a hazard exists or not, and to devise appropriate practices and safeguards to mitigate the risks.
Dust explosions can result when a flame propagates through combustible particles that have dispersed in the air and formed a flammable dust cloud. Whether an explosion happens or not depends on the supply of oxygen to the fire and the concentration of the fuel. If the concentration of the oxygen or the fuel is too high or low, then an explosion is very unlikely.
Industrial dust explosions can be instigated by many sources, including static sparks, friction and glowing or smoldering materials. But before dust can explode, the following factors need to be present:
A HAZOP is a qualitative study used to identify potential hazards and operability concerns, and to facilitate consensus on recommendations that arise. The study identifies process deviations from design intent and their potential consequences. The “guideword†HAZOP technique is the most widely applied in industry. In a guideword HAZOP, a dedicated team studies available process information (such as Process and Instrumentation Diagrams) and systematically applies the guidewords with appropriate parameters to the various lines and vessels in the process to determine if a deviation from the design intent or normal process condition is possible. The cause, consequence, safeguards, and recommendations, if needed, are documented for each piece of equipment discussed. A HAZOP team is typically composed of individuals representing a variety of technical specialties.
Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is a formalized tool for assessing the risk exposure to employees, the environment, company assets and its reputation. Using quantified analysis and complex modelling software the QRA can estimate the hazard frequency and analyse the worst-case potential consequences (e.g. toxic effects, pool fires, jet fires, explosions etc.). These results can then be compared with the acceptance criteria and recommendations made based on Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and evaluation of additional risk reduction measures. For consequence analysis, NEXA PSE typically uses the ALOHA Software. ALOHA examines the progress of a potential incident from the initial release to far-field dispersion of flammable and toxic materials for both gaseous and two-phase releases. Consequence analysis determines the consequence of hazardous events as a result of pressurized releases of hydrocarbons. ALOHA models for discharge, dispersion and formations of Pool Fires, Jet Fires, Flash Fires and Vapor cloud explosion can be carried out. If toxic materials are present in the product composition, toxic releases for consequence analysis can be modeled.
Pressure systems requires more focus on Relief System for Equipment & Plant safety. Adequacy study of Relief System considers following aspects :
1. A Strategy for Major Accidental Release Prevention
Operating companies are often challenged with making the right decision in balancing safe and reliable plants with limited labour and financial resources. Additionally, many operating companies in the India have specific requirements to perform Process Hazards Analysis (PHAs) that conform to national or local statutory regulations. A PHA is a form of hazard analysis that can take many forms, from qualitative to semi-quantitative to fully quantitative.