(54v) Preparation of Safety Cases for Petroleum Refineries

This paper presents a strategy for the preparation of Safety Cases for Oil Refineries within a Safety Case regulatory framework. The strategy also ensures compliance with California oil refinery safety regulations “Process safety management for Petroleum Refineries”, approved last year in U.S. The paper provides a ‘road map’ to the preparation of documented Safety Cases aimed to make this document the principal means by which the facility Operator controls and manages process safety risks during facility operation. Planning for safety case production work is also covered by providing recommendations to Operators on how this process must be conducted to ensure its robustness and to avoid ‘compliance mentality’ by challenging assumptions and established norms.

The paper recommends Operators to prepare a Safety Case production plan based on a 4-stage strategy which addresses technical, managerial and organizational aspects of process safety. Finally, examples are provided of the expected outcomes of the implementation of a Safety Case strategy for a Petroleum Refinery