Standards, management program elements

The various elements of the error management program such as the development of high quality procedures and training and effective feedback and communications systems need to be supported by policies and standards to implement these policies. The development of these policies is an important strategic aspect of the implementation process. 

To evaluate a programs effectiveness, management should look at both noncompliances and near-misses. Too many near-misses will result in a noncompliance—it is just a matter of time. Near-misses can include calls to the hotline about particular conduct, even if the conduct was not technically a violation of a law or a standard. Program elements have to be continually assessed to optimize effectiveness. 

Standards in safety are referred to as measurable management performances. Standards are set for the level of work to be done to maintain a safe and healthy environment free from actual and potential accidental loss. Standards are established in writing for all the safety and health management systan elements. Without standards the management program has no direction or safety expectations established. (If you don t know where you re going, any road will take you there.)... 

A SEMS and an SMS are not tolaUy different systems, but they are not interchangeable. From a safety standpoint, the two systems have a similar focus, and the processes involved and elements within each are similar. Both the SMS and the SEMS focus on continual improvement and apply processes already in use for International Organization for Standardization quality and environmental management programs. 

The ISA84 committee created ANSI/ISA-84.01-1996 to supplement OSHA 1910.119 in the areas related to the implementation of instrumentation and controls necessary for safe operation. Rather than repeating OSHA 1910.119 mandates, the standard references OSHA 1910.119 for some key program elements. Specifically, ISA-84.00.01-1996 does not provide specific requirements for safety management, hazard and risk analysis, pre-start-up safety review, or training. ISA-84.00.01-2004 provides requirements for each of these areas. 

The basic element of any management program for PPE should be an in-depth evaluation of the equipment needed to protect against the hazards at the workplace. The evaluation should be used to set a standard operating procedure for personnel, then train employees on the protective limitations of the PPE, and on its proper use and maintenance. 

The discussion then moves on to the Safety and Environmental Management Program (SEMP—the standard issued by the API in the early 1990s) and the newly published SEMS. These topics are front and center stage for any company operating in US waters. But they possess universal relevance. The principles and application of the elements of SEMS can be applied to any production platform or drilling rig anywhere in the world. 

The PSM Standard is a performance-oriented standard that requires the employer to prevent catastrophic releases from covered processes by executing a 14-element safety program. All processes with highly hazardous chemicals are required to have a management system that addresses each element of the standard. 

Denise LeBlanc is the Group Leader for the Marine Sciences Group and the Manager of the Certified Reference Materials Program at the Institute for Marine Biosciences (IMB) of the National Research Council of Canada. The Certified Reference Materials Program manufactures instrument calibration standards and certified reference materials for shellfish toxins, PCBs, PACs, and trace elements in marine sediments, in biological tissues, and in seawater. Her experience resides in the manufacture and long-term production of reference materials. 

Management interviews and the examination of program documents and records reveal whether the safety and loss prevention program contains essential elements with written standards of performance based on Dow s best global know-how. 

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