(52n) Breaking the Paradigm: The Mindset Changes of PSM the Ally & Asset, Not the “Necessary Evil”

The Sphera safety report 2020[1] found that 75% of organizations have incorporated safety into their corporate culture, but only 40% have a well-defined roadmap to improve process safety performance. Most respondents said they are collecting safety data, but they are not actively using it to help manage the risk. In the authors experience, one of the frequently reason is limited Process Safety Management (PSM) knowledge. Surprisingly, this is seen at the top organizational levels: PSM is quite often seen as the necessary evil and not as an ally as it must be. It should not be seen as a heavy burden to deal with, but a vital asset essential for safe operations. PSM must permeate as a philosophy, as an intrinsically part of the organization. The limited knowledge of PSM leads people to see it as “an enemy to deal with”, an obstacle, a factor to delay projects, an additional cost & an additional work, instead of a priceless set of principles, a belief that will drive changes into organizations and facilities. A truly PSM oriented facility will produce returns on investment by preventing accidents and safe lives. To accomplish the goal all members of the team must be engaged and managers are the ones to “practice what they preach”. Therefore, management training in process safety is urgently needed. This paper uses some PSM examples, based on the authors’ experience, as a part of the strategy to increase the managers and the teams’ knowledge so they can move forward from “compliance with regulations” to a “new PSM oriented behaviour”, then PSM becomes a reality.

[1] Sphera Safety Report 2020, published by Sphera Nov. 2021