Maintenance process safety management

It is important that the inspection and maintenance activities be docn-mented as reqnired per company practice and any process safety management regnlatory reqnirements. Maintenance records shonld indicate the inspection resnlts and the scope of maintenance work performed, if any. Before the flame arrester is reinstalled in the process, it shonld be visnally inspected to make snre that reassembly conforms to the mannfactnrer s recommendations. Some companies affix a tag to the flame arrester indicating the inspection and maintenance date. 

This book addresses the design, development, and installation of process safety management systems, but does not address subsequent operation and maintenance of those systems. The book s goal is to help you put together a workable, effective program and put it in place within your com pany or plant. 

Process safety management is based on the principle that appropriate management systems are needed in every area that has an impact on operational safety, from design through operation and maintenance to decommissioning. This same principle can be applied to other asp>ects of safety, health, and environmental control. 

Identified hazards can either be reduced at the root (e.g., reduction of inventory) or by introduction of protective systems (e.g., automatic emergency shutdown). The increased understanding of the chemistry and the process that is obtained from hazard evaluation procedures provides guidance for many other elements of process safety management as well (e.g., procedural instructions, emergency strategies, personnel training, and preventive maintenance). 

Overall plant-wide maintenance is an element of fire prevention. It is shared with the business need to maintain the production process, as well as with Process Safety Management and other health, safety, and environmental programs. 

Piping and Instrumentation Diagram Probability of Failure on Demand Process Hazard Analysis Pressure Indicator Protection Layer Preventive Maintenance Process Safety Incident Database Process Safety Management Pressure Safety Valve (Relief Valve)... 

The Exxon president reviewed some of his company s process safety management practices relating to maintenance ... 

Twelve process safety elements have been identified as important in the context of plant design, construction, start-up, operation, maintenance, modification, and decommissioning. This does not include personnel safety, transportation issues, chronic releases to the environment, or community response, which are separate and important issues. Process safety management must deal with each element. Even the best companies, with the best safety records, have room for improvement. 

Pick up a dictionary and find the entry for procedure. One definition is a particular course or mode of action. A simple statement, but to procedure users, writers, and managers concerned with process safety, the word procedure impUes much more. The Center for Chemical Process Safety s approach to Process Safety Management relies on written procedures to document both hands-on operations and maintenance activities as well as to describe the Process Safety Management S5retem itself. This book was written to help select and implement actions that will... 

Chapter 8 summarizes why operating and maintenance procedures are a critical part of Process Safety Management, the typical costs associated with procedure development, and the return on investment. 

The need to keep procedures up-to-date and accurate is a theme that mns throughout this book. Chapter 2 clearly shows that document control is a key element of process safety, environmental responsibihty, and quality. A workable Process Safety Management system requires that you control the access, review, approval, revision, and maintenance of procedures. If your plant has a Total Quality Management System in place, such as ISO 9000, document control for operating and maintenance procedures is essential to keep your certification current. 

Process safety management is the primary requirement that drives process plants and refineries to establish quality control programs for incoming materials and spare parts. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 has defined regulations for process safety critical equipment and systems that include such requirements. Other reasons for quality control programs may be equally important, for example when failure has a significant impact on capability to make product or leads to excessive maintenance costs. 

The permit system is mandated under the Process Safety Management standard, the element titled Non-routine Work. There are different permitting systems used by the chemical processing industry. Some permits are developed by a particular plant and apply only to that plant. Each plant may have its own permit system that addresses routine work and maintenance. Some permit systems, however, are required by regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Sometimes companies need to outsource various aspects of process safety management, such as maintenance. The initial decision to contract out such activities as well as the choice to change service providers should be considered an OCM. More information regarding the initial decision to outsource process safety functions is covered in Chapter 7. 

Process safety is a prerequisite to worker safety and begins when the plant or manufacturing line is on the drawing board. From comprehensive design and hazard analysis through preventive maintenance and employee training, we assure our operations not only meet the Occupational Safety Health Administration s (OSHA) Process Safety Management standard, but also are intrinsically safe. 

The resolutions, which were filed by the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, call on the board of directors at Marathon Oil, Valero, Tesoro, and ConocoPhillips to disclose the board s oversight of process safety management, staffing levels, and the inspection and maintenance of refineries and other equipment. A similar proposal was also filed at Sunoco but was withdrawn when company officials agreed to comply with the request. 

Again, hot work is that type of work that involves welding, grinding, cutting, and other flame- or potential spark-producing activity that might be performed in the vicinity of processes covered by the process safety management rule. The hot work permits provide for fire safety in conjunction with that type of work and typically include written authorizations and procedures for special controls and surveillance requirements. Most important is the coordination of maintenance and operations. 

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