What is Process Safety Management in Oil and Gas?

The storage, use, and production of hazardous chemicals in process industries without effective Process Safety Management (PSM) can have extremely devastating consequences. Not only that, but accidents and incidents in these industries can have a much wider impact than the workplace in which they occur.

Process industries refer to sectors of the economy, such as oil and gas, where raw materials are transformed through chemical, physical, or biological processes into finished products. These industries typically involve continuous or batch processing of materials and are often characterised by large-scale production and the use of complex chemical or mechanical operations.

It's because of these intricate and high-risk processes that a need for robust and strong process safety management arises.

What is Process Safety Management?

Process Safety Management (PSM) is a framework that blends aspects of engineering and management skills focused on preventing catastrophic accidents and near misses, such as:

• Structural collapse.
• Explosions.
• Fires.
• Toxic releases.

In process industries, these accidents are associated with loss of containment of energy or dangerous substances such as chemicals and petroleum products.

PSM primarily starts with the identification and assessment of hazards. Once hazards have been identified, the responsible individual will look to implement safety measures and develop an emergency response plan. They will continuously monitor and improve safety practices to ensure that all necessary standards are being met in the workplace.

Process Safety Management Legislation

In the United Kingdom, the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 is the primary piece of legislation that covers process safety.

COMAH applies to sites that store or process dangerous substances in quantities exceeding specified thresholds, such as chemical plants, oil refineries, gas storage facilities, etc.

Essential requirements of the legislation include:

• Notifying the competent authority (the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) if they exceed the specified thresholds of hazardous substances.
• Conducting thorough risk assessments and implementing safety management systems to control risks.
• Establishing a Major Accident Prevention Policy (MAPP), which includes a description of how process safety will be managed.
• For higher-tier sites, a safety report must be prepared and submitted to the competent authority detailing how they manage and control major accident hazards.
• Emergency plans must be developed, tested, and coordinated with local authorities to manage potential major incidents.
• Regular safety audits and inspections must be conducted to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Differences Between Process and Occupational Safety

While Process Safety Management (PSM) and Occupational Safety share the goal of protecting workers and the environment, they differ significantly in their focus, scope, and approach.

PSM focuses on preventing catastrophic incidents that could result in widespread harm to people, property, and the environment. On the other hand, occupational safety focuses on protecting workers from everyday hazards in the workplace, such as slips, trips, falls, machinery-related injuries, and exposure to harmful substances.

While both process safety and occupational safety are critical components of a comprehensive safety management system, PSM deals with larger-scale, process-related risks, whereas occupational safety focuses on the day-to-day safety and health of individual workers and visitors to premises.

Why Is Process Safety Management Important?

The importance of proper Process Safety Management cannot be understated. One of the primary reasons for this is the serious consequences that can have widespread, devastating consequences on workers, communities, the environment and property.

You need to look no further than a few case studies from UK history to understand the toll that even the smallest lapse in proper PSM can have. The Flixborough disaster is one of the most infamous industrial accidents in UK history. It occurred on June 1, 1974, at a chemical plant, in Lincolnshire, which was producing caprolactam, a raw material for nylon. A temporary bypass pipe was installed to replace a leaking section of pipe in the oxidation reactor circuit. However, the bypass was not properly designed or tested, and it ruptured two months later and ignited. The explosion killed 28 workers and seriously injured 36 others. The blast also caused extensive damage to the plant and surrounding areas.

Even on a global scale, the 2020 Beirut explosion also serves as a stark reminder of these consequences as 218 people lost their lives, and a further 7,000 injuries and $15 billion worth of property damage had been caused. In this case, ammonium nitrate was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2013 and stored in a poorly maintained facility with little oversight or proper safety measures in place.

How to Implement Process Safety Management?

Implementing an effective Process Safety Management system requires a systematic approach, which includes the key steps below.

• Establish a PSM Policy.
• Conduct Process Hazard Analysis.
• Implement Safety Measures.
• Develop Operating Procedures.
• Provide Employee Training.
• Conduct Regular Audits and Inspections.

For more information about implementing process safety management practices, we strongly advise you to look into training, such as our NEBOSH HSE Process Certificate in Process Safety Management (PSM) course below.

This course is ideal for people working or are interested in working, in process industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals. It's the perfect qualification for newly appointed managers, junior managers, team leaders or safety representatives working in the process industry.