(126c) Keeping the Tiger in the Cage

“Try to change situations, not people...” Trevor Kletz

The hardest part of process safety can be connecting stakeholders with... what is process safety? One group of stakeholders (Group A) are senior leaders, who have accountability, and control the decisions around resources we will commit to process safety. Another group of stakeholders (Group B) is operators, maintenance personnel, or other ‘front line’ people who are physically the closest to the process safety hazards.

With each of these groups, the term ‘process safety’ may not convey the intent. Each of those two words have multiple meanings and the combination of the two does not intuitively convey the intent. Generally, the word safety prevails over the term process safety. I find this especially true when explaining my title to friends, neighbors, and family.

For many years, I struggled with how to simplify the message and decided that “Keeping the Tiger in the Cage” just might be an effective way of explaining... and it worked. This phrasing helped explain that the tiger represents the hazardous materials and the cage represents the process: pipes, vessels, reactors, etc. It worked and has continued working, leading to improved performance in process safety in every year since embracing Keeping the Tiger in the Cage as a vision statement.

As for stakeholder engagement, it really helps Group A and Group B connect with their importance and accountability in process safety. I have used the analogy to build out educational materials and metrics.

This paper will cover the concept of intended message versus perceived message. Feedback on the Tiger in the Cage phrase has been positive, indicating that the phrase helped clarify the difference in process safety and occupational safety. Each item in our long-range plan must be aligned with how it will help achieve our vision. Feedback has also supported that the simplicity of the educational materials and metrics conveys the value and interconnectivity of the various process safety programs more clearly than the more traditional training, which focusses on methods and tactics.

This paper will share some of the concepts, as well as the framework for the metrics. There will be visual imagery, using the Tiger in the Cage to illustrate program effectiveness. The intent is to stimulate thought about how effective communication is within your process safety organizations, and the value of not complicating the expectation. Consider the audience and their level of exposure to process safety concepts. Consider the value they place on process safety. If you consider these concepts overly simplistic, you will not be the first. However, the value I have realized is real, and I believe worthy of sharing.