Action plans

The development of your action plan presents another opportunity to you to get employees involved. Managers and other employees can play an important role in mapping out the details they will be expected to accomplish. 

Action plans can serve as a road map to move your safety program from where it is now to where it should be. An action plan defines what steps should be taken and the order in which tasks should be performed, and it identifies who is responsible for completing each task [5]. The plan must be specific and flexible enough to respond to change as the management systems and program grow and develop [5]. 

An action plan has two main parts. The first part is a list of major improvements needed to effect change to the management system. Each element is assigned a priority, and a target date is established for completion. In addition, an individual is identified to monitor or direct specific elements of the plan [5]. 

The second part of the plan involves developing a quantifiable action plan for making each change. This requires you to specify what is to be accomplished determines specific steps required identifies responsibilities and assigns a target completion date [5]. 

The action plan will help you to monitor program improvements and to help prevent details from being overlooked. When several improvements are being made at the same time, it is easy to overlook a factor that may be an important prerequisite for the next phase of the plan [5]. 

---

At the completion of the review of the report, an action plan is formulated and changes agreed upon by the committee are implemented. A final check must be made by management to ensure that these changes are actually completed. 

The average value of the rephcates is reported along with the standard deviation, which reflects the variabihty in the measurement. Large standard deviations relative to the average measurement indicate the need for an action plan to improve measurement precision. This can be accomphshed through more rephcate measurements or the elimination of the source of variation, such as the imprecision of an instmment or poor temperature control during the measurement. 

Eastman Kodak has identified 10 core competencies and developed a process for their management and utilization within the company (29). Similarly, Eaton Corporation selected seven core technical competencies, ranked them in importance, assessed their importance vs the known state-of-the-art for the industry, and developed action plans to extend the life of each (30). Eaton subsequently found the company could bring to market products designed with proven building blocks, thus minimizing risk and the need for additional capital equipment. In addition, the competencies were found to be reservoirs of proprietary advantage that had not previously been put to work. 

Phase III Synthesis. (/) Identify options identify opportunities, target problem areas, and confirm options. 2) Evaluate options technical, environmental, and economic. (J) Prepare action plan waste reduction plan, production efficiency plan, and training. 

United Nations Committee on Natural Resources, Report of the Secretay General on Strategies and Measures for the Implementation of the Mar del Platta Action Plan in the 1990s, 1991. 

An action plan shoiild be developed by the appropriate personnel of the audited facility to address any deficiencies stated in the audit report. Action plans should state what is to be done, who is responsible for getting it done, and when it is to be completed. Ration e for not taking any action for any of the stated deficiencies should also be documented. The action plan is an important step in closing the audit process. 

It would not be unusual for some action plans to take a long time to complete. When extended implementation time is necessary, a follow-up mechanism should be used to document progress and show that an effort is being made to resolve the issues. Periodic (i.e., quarterly, semiannually) progress reports should be used as a follow-up method to ensure implementation. Future audits of the facility should include confirmation of the implementation of previous audit action plans. 

The final audit report, action plans, progress reports, and any closure report should be retained by the facility based on the facihty record retention pohcy. Typically, these items will be retained until future audit documentation replaces them. In some cases, audit records are retained for the life of the plant. 

In order to provide a realistic approach to eutrophication control, the NRA has developed a framework for gathering the scientific evidence and for presenting the relevant information needed for consultation with all parties involved in resolving the problems. This framework includes the production of Action plans for each water on a case by case basis. The principal reason for using this approach is because the NRA is attempting to persuade external... 

In the first stages of the development of an Action plan all control options are considered. In the case of lakes, this process is aided by a PC-based expert system , PACGAP, which looks at the physical and chemical characteristics of the lake to determine the most likely option for control. Once further, more detailed information has been collected on the lake s nutrient inputs and other controlling factors, amore complex interactive model can be used (Phytoplankton Response To Environmental CHange, PROTECH-2) to define the efficacy of proposed control options more accurately. This model is able to predict the development of phytoplankton species populations under different nutrient and stratification regimes. 

The Action plans will also include options for controlling nutrient inputs in the upstream catchments of affected stillwaters. These are likely to include reduction of nutrients from both point and diffuse sources and a range of different combinations aimed at reaching the target concentrations of nutrients required to achieve control in the receiving waters. 

Once the options have been clearly defined it will be necessary to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of each option. This has two main objectives. First, the overall cost of the project will need to be assessed to determine whether or not it is financially viable and, second, to ensure that those who will be required to incur expenditure are fully aware of the commitment needed. The financial benefits to users of the waters for recreation, fisheries, navigation, etc., are relatively easy to determine, but monetary valuation of the environmental benefits such as conservation and general amenity will be more difficult to define. As yet this aspect of the cost-benefit analysis has not been fully developed in the UK. Having determined a range of options and costs for eutrophication control in a particular catchment, consultation on the details of the Action plan with all those involved is needed before any plan can be implemented. 

It is only following the collection and collation of nutrient data from all sources, including agriculture, the appreciation of control options, and the development and implementation of Action plans , that significant progress will be made with eutrophication control in the UK. 

Incident Investigation Previous incidents related to the chemicals or equipment involved in the new toll should be considered during the PHA and must be considered if subject to PSM/RMP compliance. In addition, procedures should be in place to describe how the client will be informed and involved in the investigation. It is veiy important to ensure that action plans addressing the root cause of past incidents were implemented. 

The assessor should establish whether the toller initiates regular formal (minimum biannually) performance review meetings with the client. Look for minutes, action plans, etc. 

Figure 6.2 Action plan for fire risk assessment...

Now you can reconsider the material balance equations by adding those additional factors identified in the previous step. If necessary, estimates of unaccountable losses will have to be calculated. Note that, in the case of a relatively simple manufacturing plant, preparation of a preliminary material-balance system and its refinement (Steps 14 and 15) can usefully be combined. For more-complex P2 assessments, however, two separate steps are likely to be more appropriate. An important rule to remember is that the inputs should ideally equal the outputs - but in practice this will rarely be the case. Some judgment will be required to determine what level of accuracy is acceptable, and we should have an idea as to what the unlikely sources of errors are (e.g., evaporative losses from outside holding ponds may be a materials loss we cannot accurately account for). In the case of high concentrations of hazardous wastes, accurate measurements are needed to develop cost-effective waste-reduction options. It is possible that the material balance for a number of unit operations will need to be repeated. Again, continue to review, refine, and, where necessary, expand your database. The compilation of accurate and comprehensive data is essential for a successful P2 audit and subsequent waste-reduction action plan. Remember - you can t reduce what you don t know is therel... 

When deciding which options to pursue as part of a waste-reduction action plan, consider each option in terms of environmental and economic benefits. 

Set out the intended action plan, within an appropriate schedule. Remember, it may take time for the staff to feel comfortable with a new way of thinking. It s a good idea to implement waste-reduction measures slowly but consistently, to allow everyone time to adapt to these changes. 

The Corrective Action Plan (CAP) relies on the sequential performance of activities which are conventional engineering practices. These activities include problem identification, development and evaluation of alternatives, and the implementation of the selected alternative. The three analogous phases identified in the CAP are as follows ... 

Interim measures may be separate from the comprehensive Corrective Action plan but should be consistent with, and integrated with, any longer-term Corrective Action (e.g., corrective measure through an order, an op erating permit, a post-closure permit or interim status closure requirements). To the extent possible, interim measures should not seriously complicate the ultimate physical management of hazardous wastes or constituents, nor should they present or exacerbate a health or environmental threat. Interim measures may add additional costs or work to the comprehensive Corrective Action. Such added costs or work do not preclude implementation of an interim measure. 

U.S. EPA. 1988a. RCRA Corrective Action Plan -Interim Final EPA/530- SW-88-028, OSWER 9902.3, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Washington, D.C., June 1988. 

The Corrective Measures Study (CMS) elements as outlined in the EPA document entitled RCRA Corrective Action Plan - Interim Final (U.S.EPA, 1988) provides guidance to the regulatory community on the steps practiced by the engineering community in the conduct of a feasibility study. These steps include ... 

The community HAZMAT emergency response plan can be a valuable source of information in developing site-specific emergency response plans and emergency action plans as required by HAZWOPER. 

Employers, at a minimum, must have an emergency action plan that will facilitate the prompt evacuation of employees when there is an unwanted release of a highly hazardous chemical. This means that the employer s plan will be activated by an alarm system to alert employees when to evacuate, and that employees who are physically impaired will have the necessary support and assistance to get them to a safe zone. The intent of these requirements is to alert and move employees quickly to a safe zone. The use of process control centers or buildings as safe areas is discouraged. Recent catastrophes indicate that lives are lost in these structures because of their location and because they are not necessarily designed to withstand over-pressures from shock waves resulting from explosions in the process area. 

Wlien there are unwanted incidental releases of highly hazardous chemicals in the process area, the employer must inform employees of the actions/procedures to take. If the employer wants employees to evacuate the area, then the emergency action plan will be activated. Eor outdoor processes, where wind direction is important for selecting the safe route to a refuge area, the employers should place a wind direction indicator, such as a wind sock or pennant, at the highest point visible... 

Employers shall develop a written action plan that implements employee participation in developing and conducting process hazards analyses and other elements of process safety. management. 

---