(65b) Personnel Change Management: A Vital Component of Process Safety

Today’s workforce is in a constant state of flux. Companies readily expand and contract in size. Employees of all ages leapfrog to new job opportunities in the blink of an eye. Unplanned or sudden personnel changes can diminish the effectiveness of Process Safety Management (PSM) and Risk Control endeavors. What can be done to minimize adverse impacts in the organization from such volatility?

As Process Safety Practitioners, we know the value of change management for technical, equipment, and operational modifications. What about changes to or involving those persons who drive the evolution of compliance systems? There should be a process that guides how employees with PSM responsibilities are onboarded and how knowledge is transferred from incumbents to those in new roles to maintain continuity in PSM programs when employees leave or acquire additional duties. If the orientation and initial training of these personnel isn’t managed in a structured way, compliance systems like PSM are likely to wane over time due if these resources are not well-prepared to support the advancement of continual improvement efforts.

This presentation will review a process that can be used to facilitate changes for personnel in vital PSM roles. It will include a discussion of common positions to which this can be applied. It will also examine useful tools that can help organizations better prepare for personnel transitions and position employees who are new in a PSM role to support compliance requirements in an expedited manner and ultimately succeed in their obligations.