Process Safety Performance Improvement through Leading Key Performance Indicators

The primary objective of monitoring process safety performance is to provide ongoing assurance that risks are being adequately managed and controlled. In PETRONAS, its process safety performance monitoring and reporting requirements are detailed out in the PETRONAS Technical Standard (PTS) on HSE Performance Monitoring & Reporting. This document describes both the lagging and leading Process Safety Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Identification of these KPIs are based on the American Petroleum Institute (API) 754 Recommended Practices on Process Safety Performance Indicators, with specific terms aligned to that of PETRONAS.

Process Safety Leading KPIs serve as early warning signs of challenges or potential dangerous deterioration within critical systems related to the multiple layers of protections put in place to avoid major accidents. Knowing that process risks are effectively controlled has a clear link with business efficiency, as these indicators can be used to reflect plant availability and optimised operating conditions.

Effective monitoring and reporting of PS Leading KPIs are crucial to support process safety implementation throughout the asset lifecycle covering design, operation and maintenance stage as well as the supporting aspects such as operating discipline, human behaviour and capability management.

This paper will discuss about establishment, verification and analyses of the PS Leading KPIs, and how these KPIs and the analysis result are being used as input to the overall business risks management.