Risk Based Process Safety: Providing Safety & Reliability Beyond the Chemical Industry

Catastrophic toxic releases, fire & explosions usually occur after a series of early warning signals, often subtle, are overlooked. Some organizations have been very successful in avoiding catastrophic events, even in environments with high risk factors and complex operations. Known as Highly Reliable Organizations (HROs), these operations have developed cultures that embrace the understanding of hazards and risk, drive proper management of risk, and value learning from experience.

The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) management system approach has created a globally recognized model that helps organizations develop effective catastrophic incident prevention programs. RBPS has become a well-respected resource for developing HRO culture and capability in organizations.

After several high-profile accidents in the 1980s, OSHA and EPA issued the PSM Standard and Risk Management Plan rule, respectively. These regulations have changed little over the decades, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the risk of catastrophic fires, explosions, and chemical releases is not limited to the chemical & refinery industry sectors.

Increasing number of organizations are recognizing the need to adopt process safety management systems and apply them beyond the limited scope of OSHA & EPA Process Safety regulatory requirements. An example of this is increased focus within numerous industry segments concerning the explosive hazards of combustible dust, and the inclusion of process safety management systems within NFPA 652 (2019), Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust. This increased focus has become a natural place for organizations in all sections to utilize the Risk Based Process Safety model to assess and improve Management System performance to reduce the probability of catastrophic incidents.

This presentation will provide:

• An overview of the CCPS Risk Based Process Safety model,
• Introduce practical approaches to apply process safety outside of traditional chemical industry segments, and
• Describe ways to improve an organization’s risk management effectiveness.

Several case studies from outside traditional chemical industry sectors will be offered to demonstrate how a holistic, risk-based approach to applying Risk Based Process Safety can improve any organization trying to manage potentially catastrophic risk.