8th Process Safety Management Mentoring (PSMM) Forum

The Process Safety Management Mentoring (PSMM) Symposium is a tutorial-based track aimed at professionals new to the workforce, new to the field of process safety, and to those simply interested in strengthening their knowledge of process safety.  The framework for the track is grounded in the 20 elements of the CCPS’s risk-based process safety approach (aka “RBPS”).

PSMM Chair

• Brenton Cox, PSMM_chair@aiche.org 

Topics: 

• Tutorials in Process Safety 
• The Day PSM Hit Home 
• Process Safety Management Mentoring for Mentors (PSM³)
• What Should be Keeping You Up at Night But Isn't 
• Case Histories (GCPS Joint Session)

Tutorials in Process Safety 

The objective of these sessions is to a provide basic process safety element tutorials for the attendees.  These introductory and basic content sessions are co-sponsored by three main symposia tracks in the Global Congress:  the Loss Prevention Symposium (LPS), the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Symposium, and the Process Plant Safety Symposium (PPSS).  Examples of topics include the following:

1. Loss Prevention Symposium (LPS) – focused on technological advances in process safety
   • ​Tutorial sessions in PSMM include: Modeling and consequence analyses of fires, explosions (including combustible dusts), toxic releases, and reactive chemicals; siting of buildings and equipment; explosion prevention; pressure relief systems; and fire protection

2. Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) – focused on promoting and advancing process safety management practices
   • ​Tutorial session in PSMM include:  Risk based process safety (RBPS); Vision 20/20; committing to process safety; understanding hazards and risks; managing risks; learning from experience
   • One session to focus on Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative (UPSLI)

3. Process Plant Safety Symposium (PPSS) – focused on application of best practices for personnel at the plant level
   • ​Tutorial sessions in PSMM include: Practical applications of process safety management principles (see the CCPS RBPS elements); risk analyses; layers of protection analyses; operational discipline

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The Day PSM Hit Home 

Many process safety professionals have lived and worked through “learning experiences” that made them realize just how critical a good process safety program is. The three invited speakers will share how significant incidents changed their view on how they understood and applied process safety principles.

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Process Safety Management Mentoring for Mentors (PSM³)

Focused on strategies and lessons learned when bridging the gap between academic preparation and professional expectations in the field of Process Safety.

As the generation of engineers largely responsible for laying the foundations of Process Safety leaves the workforce, it takes with it firsthand knowledge of the whats, whys, and hows underpinning the field. While a great focus has been paid to improvements in undergraduate process safety education, on the job training is still a major conduit for this information. This session is a call to share best practices and lessons learned for mid- and late-career professionals in supervisory roles, tasked as mentors to young professionals in the field of Process Safety, while also providing benefit to those newer to field. Example topic areas include: Strategies for backfilling PSM expertise; Long term mentorship; What to expect / not expect from recent graduates or those new to Process Safety.

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What Should be Keeping You Up at Night But Isn't 

Focused broadly on hazard recognition and lessons learned from careers in Process Safety.

Ignorance of the hazard is a convenience excuse after an incident, but an unfortunate one. The aim of this session is to drive this excuse to obsolescence. How do we fight the various factors that can act to prevent hazard recognition and control? Unlike the Day PSM Hit Home, talks in this session need not be motivated by a single incident. Rather, talks should focus on the incident that hasn’t occurred, and how to recognize it, prevent it, or mitigate its consequences. Example topic areas include: investigation and sharing of lessons learned from near misses; hazard identification; operational discipline; human reliability.

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Case Histories - GCPS Joint Session

Reviews of process safety incidents provide valuable learning opportunities.  This session invites papers to help understand the causes and lessons learned from incidents in the industry with an emphasis on events that have helped define and develop the process safety field over the years.