(179a) Effective Operational Discipline Programs

To achieve successful process safety performance and consistent management of process risk, effective process safety programs must include emphasis on safety culture and leadership, process safety systems, and operational discipline (OD).  Effective OD programs help ensure that well-designed process safety systems are successfully implemented and help achieve consistent, desired, day-to-day performance. Failure to follow process safety system requirements can result in unsafe behaviors, unsafe acts, and ultimately, serious incidents and injuries. A focus on OD requires continued commitment by company leadership to ensure appropriate systems, procedures, and safe work practices have been established and by workers at all levels in the company to consistently follow and meet these requirements. This presentation reviews the benefits, key concepts, and practical applications of effective OD programs for evaluating and improving OD in order to help improve process safety performance.