(53c) Blah, Blah, Blah!!! - Effective Individual and Team Communication Lead to Effective PHAs

Blah,
Blah, Blah!!! - Effective Individual and Team Communication Lead To Effective
PHAs

Mr. John T.
Perez, P.E.
Ms. Ashley
Bourne
Mr. Andrew
Madewell
Cognascents
Consulting Group, Inc.
11777-A Katy Fwy
Ste 438
Houston, TX
77079

john.perez@cognascents.com

Keywords: Hazard
and Operability Study (HAZOP), hazard identification, Insights ® Discovery,
Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Process
Safety Management (PSM), risk assessment, risk management, team communication,
team effectiveness.

Abstract

Process hazards analyses are structured, team-based
exercises focused on hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk
management.  A competent facilitator
serves a multi-disciplined team in applying the appropriate PHA methodology to
identify, assess, and safeguard vulnerabilities.  PHAs help a business define its overall risk
profile and subsequently its overall strategy. 

The various generally-accepted PHA methodologies are fairly
well-defined by industry and company-specific guidance documents.  PHA methodologies are processes that have
evolved in response to societal norms, organizational culture shifts, and
ever-changing regulatory requirements.  Unlike
PHA methodologies, which are typically bound by rule-sets and scope definition,
multi-disciplined teams made up of diverse individuals are typically unbound
when it comes to behavioral norms and personality types.  Hence, as with any process, it is not the
documented protocols that define the effectiveness of a process.  It is the people leading, establishing,
applying, and using the outputs of a process that determine its
effectiveness.  Hence, a PHA methodology
is only as effective as the team involved.

Many factors influence team performance, no matter the
task.  Communication is often touted as
the most critical factor for effective team performance.  Hence, team communication is critical for
effective application of a PHA methodology. 
But what is communication?  More
importantly, what is effective communication? 
Can a team's ability to communicate be assessed prior to attempting to
apply a PHA methodology?  If so, what
safeguards can be put in place to protect against communication vulnerabilities
at both the individual and team levels?

In this paper, the authors posit a team's communication
capacity and potential can be assessed prior to starting a PHA.  Specifically, the authors provide insight
through case study and idea synthesis of potential individual and team
communication vulnerabilities and safeguards. 
They also present tools and recommendations to enhance team
communication and subsequently PHA quality, which bear directly on operational,
organizational, and commercial integrity.

The target audience for this paper is anyone whose
responsibilities include (1) leading within an organization that uses PHAs, (2)
establishing PHA guidance documents, (3) applying PHA methodologies, and (4)
reviewing PHA outputs and reports; however, anyone who works on a team will
benefit from this paper's content.