(55a) Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) - Driving Operational Efficiency | AIChE

(55a) Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) - Driving Operational Efficiency

Authors 

Hawkins, S. - Presenter, Environmental Resources Management, Inc.


Process manufacturing companies across all sectors and geographies are facing a crisis associated with rapidly aging infrastructure. In fact, a recent study by The Economist reported that 87% of executives interviewed reported that aging infrastructure has had an impact on their operations with one in ten stating that it has caused severe problems in their facilities. At the same time, these companies are faced with ever-increasing production demands, a need for rapid innovation, and a changing workforce population. All of these trends present a significant process safety and reputational risk for companies to manage.

The core Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) concepts not only provide a holistic approach to protect employees from catastrophic accidents and releases; but in most cases also drive production efficiencies, increase equipment reliability and life span, promote quality improvements, and enhance business continuity measures. This is accomplished by application of a wide range of process safety management elements that fall under the following four basic pillars of RBPS: Process Safety Leadership/Commitment; Risk Assessment/Identification; Risk Management; and Learning and Continuous Improvement.

This presentation will present the following:

  • Brief overview of the basic concepts of the 20 elements of RBPS as provided by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) framework;
  • The benefits of developing and implementing process safety management systems for manufacturing processes faced with the challenges of operating under current economic conditions; and
  • Best practices in RBPS program implementation based on recent case studies.