How to Manage Process Safety Risks During Organizational Change

This presentation has been updated to reflect changes in industry and ongoing customer interest.

It has long been acknowledged that when not properly evaluated and controlled, changes to physical equipment and procedures in a facility can lead to serious incidents with potentially severe consequences. Management of change (MOC) systems, replete with a variety of electronic systems, flow charts, and checklists, have been developed by many reliable organizations throughout the world to manage these physical changes. However, it is less commonly recognized that other types of changes, to things such as job responsibilities, loss of key personnel, or even changes in shift hours can have an adverse impact on process safety. These and other non-physical changes, collectively referred to as organizational changes, can lead to incidents with potentially severe consequences. Due to their focus on managing physical changes, many MOC systems have overlooked or only superficially addressed organizational change management (OCM) and the impact of organizational changes that affect process safety.

Organizational change is an unavoidable aspect of doing business. There is a large variety of changes which fit under this umbrella of organizational change.  Any of these could result in catastrophic consequences if they are not successfully administered. Effective OCM procedures must include a system for managing potential modifications to a variety of organizational aspects.