Companywide Approach

In addition, a companjwide PSM system is likely to yield ongoing programs that can be supported by a relatively small, centralized group of experts. 

At the same time, companies whose PSM requirements vary widely among locations may not find a centralized, compan3wide approach practical, unless PSM status is uniformly poor. In any case, some central coordination will help identify common issues and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience among locations. 

Depending on the findings of your PSM assessment, you may wish to consider a companywide (or centralized) approach if  

the current status o/ PSM is relatively low. If this is the case, it probably means there is not sufficient knowledge and expertise for local implemen- 

The centralized team(s) will approach PSM element by element. The teams develop detailed guidelines, procedures, and standards for each PSM element, which can then installed by facility management. Howevei in handling one PSM element at a time, teams must be careful to incorporate a consistent approach to those elements that are interrelated (e.g., training), and to the management system characteristics (e.g., documentation) that apply to the whole PSM system. 

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Consider the practicality of assembling and managing people with these kinds of qualifications in your company this may help you determine whether a companywide approach is feasible. Single divisions may offer stronger possibilities, since they usually have more common manupcturing processes and equipment. 

R. Suri. Quick Response Manufacturing A Companywide Approach to Reducing Lead Times. Productivity Press, Portland, OR, 1998. 

As previously noted, cility-specific approaches tend not to succeed where the overall current status of PSM is poor. Local staff will not have the necessary knowledge or experience of safety management to develop and implement a program without considerable outside assistance. Even if you have identified significant variations, if your team decides that overail PSM performance is low you should consider a companywide strategy rather than a facility-specific approach. 

Whether you have chosen a facility-specific, a companywide, or a h) rid approach, it may be helpful to consider your priorities in terms of both facilities and PSM elements. The goal here is to help determine what needs doing, in what order, and with what level of effort. 

If you have chosen a companywide strategy, you may want to begin with priority facilities another approach would involve launching the installation simultaneously throughout the company. If you re considering the latter, keep in mind that a companywide implementation strategy requires significant involvement of corporate staff. 

Experience shows that adopting the principles of lean manufacturing from assembly industries can be a powerful operational improvement lever. Lean management, first introduced by Toyota, appeals because it holds out a promise no other approach can make not only does it cut costs and improve quality, but it also stabilizes operations and matches supply with demand. A companywide lean transformation program structured around the improvement of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) may unearth a hidden capacity that is equivalent to adding another plant to the manufacturing network. Lean, however, should not only be applied in production, but across the entire value chain. 

Collecting the correct information to monitor and understand performance of the process safety management system, and its separate elements, can provide an unbiased and comprehensive view of system performance. This will alert the appropriate personnel to weaknesses in the process safety system. A companywide versus a site-specific approach to process safety auditing, evaluation, and improvement not only deals with better prioritization of identified improvement work but potentially provides better auditing and evaluation against those conditions that one site may accept as normal/acceptable over time. 

In the case of applying the bottom-up approach, the speed of getting networked companywide is much lower, but getting ahead step-by-step makes it possible to correct any mistakes and adapt to aU the recognized internal circumstances so that the risks are minimiz. ... 

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