Part 2 of 2 Anvil Whitepapers describing PSM systems and how to create effective PSM management.
Written by: Matt Hula, Anvil Resource Manager - Process, with Linda Ricard
Published May, 2024
Part 2: Building Your PSM Facility
OSHA holds industries accountable for managing highly hazardous chemicals in their facilities to include toxic chemicals, reactive chemicals, and flammable liquids and gases. They know that chemicals, when not managed safely, could cause “disastrous incidents with extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal consequences.” Because of this, OSHA has developed Process Safety Management (PSM) standards to drive down risk in production operations and for auditing purposes. As a result, companies may hire PSM experts to help them build process safety management systems.
Accordingly, here are the four steps that PSM consultants will follow when bringing a non-PSM compliant facility into OSHA compliance and then build process safety management systems:
• Identify safety gaps.
• Advise the client on OSHA regulations.
• Define a PSM plan.
• Execute the PSM plan.
Step 1: Identify
Initial discussions with the client focus on the extent of their Process Safety Management knowledge and therefore potential gaps in their current safety program. Some questions PSM consultants might ask new clients include the following:
Is your facility OSHA regulated?
Does your company have a database of Process Safety Information (PSI)?
Are there electronic copies of your P&ID’s?
Does your team update the PSV files if a change was made to the process?
Do you have any investigation logs for past safety incidents?
Who is your compliance auditor?
What is your process narrative and will that help me understand the process?
Has your site had any incidents in the past 5 years?
