AIChE (the American Institute of Chemical Engineers) and its Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) have released a new white paper, “Recommendations for Establishing Process Safety Investigation Boards.” According to Scott Berger, CCPS’s executive director, “the continued growth of process industries around the world should focus us all — engineers, corporate leaders, regulators and policy makers — on learning from past mistakes so we can eliminate industrial catastrophes.”
The white paper’s recommendations are designed to guide the establishment of Process Safety Investigation Boards (PSIBs) in countries where they have not been established, and also to provide suggestions for improving the effectiveness of boards that do exist. Berger explained that expanding the number of PSIBs and improving their quality will result in better investigations of catastrophic events, identifying their causes, and recommending specific actions to prevent recurrence. Communicating those recommendations to facilities and populations vulnerable to similar incidents, and recommending improvements to governmental and private sector response, are other ways PSIBs can strengthen process safety practice, he said.
The white paper points out that the process industries support essential economic and social development. However, their dependence on highly hazardous materials and processes can present daunting challenges. While incidents are rare, a single catastrophic event can have extraordinary consequences, with loss of life, environmental contamination, and disruptions of supply chains on which much of modern life depends. “Without a stronger safety infrastructure, the global pattern of incidents can be projected to grow as larger populations demand greater productivity” and a higher standard of living over the next several decades, the report says.
However, because catastrophic incidents are so rare, facilities are likely to be poorly equipped to self investigate. And, even if they are able to conduct thorough investigations, the lessons learned may not be widely shared. Therefore, PSIBs can provide the expertise to investigate these accidents and develop recommendations to prevent recurrence.
The white paper outlines key factors critical to the success of a PSIB, including creating a high-performance organization through a board with diverse backgrounds and expertise that operates transparently; defining a clear scope of investigations; conducting timely, in-depth investigations to identify root causes and contributing causes, and then issuing recommendations supported by the evidence; communicating lessons learned to stakeholders; and encouraging cooperation of the investigated company, for example, protecting it from suits related to information unique to Board investigations.
According to Berger, the recommendations align with CCPS’s Vision 20/20, which envisions a future of great process safety built on five industrial tenets: culture, standards, competency, management systems, and lessons learned. Vision 20/20 is also founded on four themes to address society’s needs for enhanced stakeholder knowledge, responsible collaboration, harmonization of standards, and meticulous verification.
For a copy of the white paper, visit http://www.aiche.org/community/committees/public-affairs-information-com....
About AIChE
AIChE is a professional society of 50,000 chemical engineers in 100 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontiers of chemical engineering research in such areas as energy, sustainability, biological and environmental engineering, nanotechnology and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.
About CCPS
CCPS is a not-for-profit corporate membership organization within AIChE that identifies and addresses process safety needs in the chemical, pharmaceutical and petroleum industries. CCPS brings together manufacturers, government agencies, consultants, academics and insurers to lead the way in improving process safety. Members, working in project subcommittees, define and develop useful, time-tested guidelines that have practical applications that run the gamut from human factors to qualitative and quantitative risk analysis to security vulnerability to inherently safety design. With more than 100 publications, CCPS is at the forefront of efforts to improve process safety performance. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org/ccps.