(56g) Existing Challenges in Incorporating Process Safety Management in Developing Countries

The majority of the products that we consume in our daily life are produced in developing countries because of socio-economic factors. Most of these manufacturing companies are an important part of the international markets, providing products and raw material of desired specifications for other industries around the world. Demands from developed countries and their own local needs can only be met with safer productions. Various incidents that have occurred in these manufacturing industries indicate the lack of comprehensives process safety programs and regulations. Because of this weakness, the rigorous standards and regulations that the multinational companies promise to follow tend to get less effective when it comes to implementing them in developing nations. Most of the employees working in these industries are aware of the occupational hazards, but identifying and managing the process hazards requires proper safety management systems. Hence, developing countries needs to create strategies to improve the safety management systems.

This paper presents the resulting root cause analyses on incidents that could be attributed to Process Safety Management in the developing countries, and compares their existing practice/regulations with OSHA PSM or EPA Risk Management Program. The key issues for incorporating good management systems are identified. Based on these identified challenges, recommendations for best practices are provided to improve the current situation with regard to process safety and risk management programs in developing countries.