Safety systems, standard operating

Prevention Program —Management System —Process Hazards Analysis —Process Safety Information —Standard Operating Procedures —Training... 

To develop a safe design, it is necessary to first design and specify all equipment and systems in accordance with applicable codes and standards. Once the system is designed, a process safety shutdown system is specified to assure that potential hazards that can be detected by measuring process upsets are detected, and that appropriate safety actions (normally an automatic shutdown) are initiated. A hazards analysis is then normally undertaken to identify and mitigate potential hazards that could lead to fire, explosion, pollution, or injury to personnel and that cannot be detected as process upsets. Finally, a system of safety management is implemented to assure the system is operated and maintained in a safe manner by personnel who have received adequate training. 

The NPRDS is an industry-wide system for monitoring the performance of selected systems and components at U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. Information in NPRDS is derived from a standardized format input report prepared by U.S. nuclear plant licensees. The plants are as)ced to submit failure reports on catastrophic events and degraded failures within the defined reportable scope reporting of incipient events is optional. Command faults are not reportable unless they malce an entire system unavailable. In addition, the plants are as)ced to file component engineering reports on all components within the selected systems and reportable scope. These reports contain detailed design data, operating characteristics, and performance data on the selected systems and components (over 3000 components, from approximately 30 systems, per unit). The selected systems are primarily safety systems. 

Checklist or Worksheet - A standardized listing which identifies common protection features required for typical facilities is compared against the facility design and operation. Risks are expressed by the omission of safety systems or system features. 

Company Process Safety Standard. Some companies define internal requirements and/or standards for implementing process safety systems across all their processing operations that handle hazardous materials and/or high-hazard-processing conditions. These companies require that any unit that meets its internal criteria for implementing its process safety standard will also participate in the metrics systems. 

At the heart of the safety case approach lies an understanding that is the operator of a facility—not the regulator—who decides how to ensure safe operations. This nonprescriptive approach to the management of safety is similar to the manner in which most PSM programs are prepared and administered. The operator of the facility, known as the duty holder, develops a safety system that is pertinent to that particular facility. The duty holder s performance is then assessed against his or her own standard. 

Performance standards are the key to an effective safety system. They specify what has to be done, when, by whom, and to what extent and ensure that the system is operating as planned in the achievement of objectives through linking roles and responsibilities to actions in a measurable way. 

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