Incident investigation, management program elements

On the other hand, there are a number of elements of fire prevention that overlap with elements of other programs. For example. Incident Investigation, Management of Change (MOC), Process Safety Information (PSI), and Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) input required for fire prevention can be derived from these same elements of the Process Safety Management (PSM) program. 

Incident investigation is only one of the many elements of a process safety management program, but it plays an essential role in identifying overall management system weaknesses on a continuous basis. 

Incident investigation is an essential element of every process safety management program. This book presents underlying principles, man-... 

Noninitiated changes cannot be controlled with the MOC program because no one knows about them until after an event. Instead, changes of this type are controlled by other elements of the risk management program such as asset integrity, process hazards analysis (PHA), and incident investigation. 

The second phase of the program will be more concerned with achieving quantified improvements in the facility s safety and environmental results. This phase is likely to emphasize elements such as Incident Investigation and Process Hazards Analysis in order to identify weak spots in the management systems. 

A program similar to that shown in Table 7.3 should be developed for the SEMS program once implemented. Some of the on-going work can be estimated with some confidence. For example, management by the SEMS coordinator can probably determine how many hours will be spent on hazards analyses each year. Other elements are much more difficult to forecast, however. For example, the level of effort to be spent on the Investigation of Incidents will inevitably depend on the number and severity of those incidents. The facility s incident track record may give some guidance, but the reality is likely to be quite different. 

Injuries are caused by a combination of factors. When investigating an injury or incident, those involved must look at conditions existing at the time of the injury, what behavior die employee was exhibiting, and what procedures management required and enforced. Dan Petersen, a highly respected safety professional who has studied safety behavior for many years, insists that it is not the elements of a safety program that get results, but rather the culture and the climate in which those elements exist. 

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