Process Safety Culture

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crewmembers aboard. After extensive investigation, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) concluded that the organizational safety culture gaps contributed significantly to this loss. Upon review of The CAIB report, the CCPS Technical Steering Committee concluded that the same cultural factors that impacted NASA could also impact on the chemical and petroleumn industries. CCPS invites chemical, petroleum, and other companies to use these materials to evaluate their company's process safety culture and to develop improvement strategies.

Developing, sustaining, and enhancing the organization's process safety culture is one of elements in the RBPS pillar of committing to process safety. CCPS members invite you to start the journey by reviewing the Building Process Safety Culture Tool Kit and then explore resources listed below to understand the attributes of a sound culture, and how your organization might begin to enhance its own culture.

Go out and lead on Process Safety Management

Apr 3, 2012
David Snowball
This paper will share the UK's experience of risk control for major hazards and will emphasise the key role corporate governance and leadership plays in the management of major hazard risks. The paper will outline the joint work undertaken between industry and the Health and Safety Executive in...

Operational Group for Process Safety

Apr 3, 2012
Maria Clara Saraiva
With the increase in requirements for monitoring and improving process safety indicators on a thermoelectric unit linked to a Braskem Basic Petrochemical Site in Brazil, a large range of knowledge among engineers and operators were found. The theme Process Safety was commonly confused with...

Selection of Appropriate Ignition Models for Fire and Explosion Assessments

Apr 3, 2012
Anna Qiao
A release of flammable substances can result in various fire or explosion events depending on whether there is an immediate or delayed ignition. Although developments have taken place in producing fit-for-purpose ignition models, there remain significant uncertainties, including how to identify the...

Taking a Risk for Safety

Apr 3, 2012
Ian Sutton
Taking a Risk for Safety Over the last twenty years companies in the process industries have invested heavily in their occupational safety programs. These investments of time and money have been made in many areas, including training, behavior-based safety and the use of PPE. The results have been...

Fire From Iron

Apr 3, 2012
Marc G. Sáenz
Although the potential consequences of combustible dust explosions are becoming more widely known, the potential consequences of combustible dust fires are sometimes overlooked. The CSB investigated three incidents involving combustible iron dust at Hoeganaes Corporation. Two people died from burns...

ìBridging SEMS Between the Owner, Operator, and Contractorî

Apr 3, 2012
Ester Brawley
As of November 2011, offshore platforms have been required to develop and implement a Safety and Environmental Management (SEMS) Program. The offshore industry has many unique challenges that their onshore counterparts have not had to face. One of the biggest challenges facing the offshore industry...

Gains From Getting near Misses Reported

Apr 3, 2012
Bill Bridges
[An earlier edition of this paper was first presented at the “International Conference and Workshop – Process Safety Incidents,” 2000, organized by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)] The need for effective root cause analysis is finally gaining the spotlight in the chemical process...

The CCPS Reactivity Evaluation Software Tool

Apr 2, 2012
Edward M. Davis
Incidents involving uncontrolled chemical reactions continue to result in injuries, fatalities and economic loss and harm in industry. These incidents are often the result of not identifying or understanding the chemical reactivity hazards involved in storage, mixing or processing operations. The...

Are Your Credits Worthy?

Apr 2, 2012
Lisa Long
Chemical and petrochemical manufacturing processes can be subject to high consequence, low frequency events. Process Safety Management programs are intended to identify and eliminate or manage the hazards associated with these events. In recent years, industry has increasingly turned to...

Half a Century of Olefin Plant Accidents: The Role of Mechanical Integrity

Apr 2, 2012
Sebastian Diaz
Sebastian Diaz, Aon energy Risk Engineering, League City, TX. Email: sebastian.diaz@aon.com Russ Davis, CSP Aon Energy Risk Engineering, League City, TX. Email: russ.davis@aon.com Keywords: mechanical integrity, loss of containment, major accidents Abstract Since OSHA's Process Safety Management...

Retired and Dangerous

Apr 2, 2012
Robert F. Wasileski
“Planning not to retire is simply not a viable retirement strategy.” — Catherine Collinson, Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies The Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) process is an important component of a facility's strategy to managing the risks associated with process...

Improving the Performance of Established PSM Programs

Apr 2, 2012
James A. Klein
Many facilities have now implemented and maintained PSM programs for 20 years or more, but these facilities continue to have sometimes serious incidents and injuries suggesting a continuing need to improve their PSM performance. Of course, new requirements are often added to upgrade PSM programs,...

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