Welcome to Module one of the Risk Based Process Safety (or RBPS) course.

This module
provides an introduction to the RBPS Management System and is presented by the Center
for Chemical Process Safety and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Most slides in this course will advance on their own when finished, however, you may use
the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen to move forward and backward as well.
If you have any questions about how the screen is laid out, or how to move around within
it, simply click the help tab above. If you want to print a hard copy of the contents of this
module, click the attachments tab above. Some modules will have additional reference
material available, also from the attachments tab at the top of the screen, and any images
which require attribution will also be listed in a document in the Attachments tab above. In
order to view or print any of these documents you will need to have a PDF viewer installed
on your computer. In addition, there is a glossary of terms and abbreviations that are used
throughout the course which is available from the glossary tab.

Most of the modules in this course will begin with an introduction to an incident that
illustrates the need for the particular Risk Based Process Safety element being covered, and
then progress to explain what was lacking that led to the incident, as well as how it might
have been prevented by having an effective Process Safety Management System in place.
So, we will begin by looking at four different incidents that were all the result of poor
Process Safety Management.

When you are ready to begin this module, click the forward arrow at the bottom of this
screen.

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lliopolis, Illinois. April 23, 2004.

A safety system interlock in the Formosa plastics plant is overridden. Five were killed and
two were injured. The company had a second major explosion 18 months later.

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Pasadena, Texas near the Houston Ship Channel. October 23, 1989

A polyethylene reactor at the Phillips high-density polyethylene plastics plant released

flammable vapors and exploded, killing 23 people and injuring 130 others.

The magnitude of the explosion was equivalent to an earthquake registering 3.5 on the
Richter scale, and debris was thrown as far as six miles away.

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Flixborough, England. June 1, 1974.

A vapor cloud explosion destroyed a cyclohexane oxidation plant killing 28 people and
injuring 36 others.

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Bhopal, India. December 4, 1984

A runaway decomposition reaction of methyl isocyanate at a pesticide plant produced a

toxic vapor cloud that killed more than 3,000 people and injured over 100,000 more,
rendering it the worst industrial accident in history.

The environmental and health effects of this incident will continue to impact local citizens
for generations to come.

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These are just a few of the incidents that have occurred during the course of history. But
what do all of these events have in common?

They were all lacking adequate process safety management.

So what do we mean by “process safety management?” Process safety management, or

PSM, is a disciplined framework for managing the integrity of operating systems and
processes that handle hazardous materials. This management system has been widely
credited for reductions in major accidents and improved process industry performance.

By applying good design, engineering, and operating principles we are better able to
prevent and control the release of hazardous materials and energy. Through better
controls we are able to avoid the fires, explosions, and toxic releases that result in serious
injuries, property damage, lost production, and environmental impacts.

These types of events, however, can only be prevented or mitigated if proper process safety
management practices are employed, and in many cases they are not.

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In this module we will talk about Process Safety Management in general terms and how
some companies have experienced a decline in safety activities in recent years. We will
introduce you to the CCPS Risk Based Process Safety Management approach and briefly
describe the four pillars that make up this system. We will discuss some of the overall
benefits of this RBPS approach to process safety management and provide you with some
ideas for where to learn more. So, let’s get started.

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Research has shown that since the original inception of Process Safety Management in the late
1980’s, many organizations have experienced a decline or “stagnation” in process safety activities,
resulting in significant process safety incidents. We know this because incident investigations
continue to identify inadequate management system performance as a key contributor to the
incidents, and audit results continue to reveal a history of repeat findings which indicate chronic
problems whose symptoms are addressed again and again but whose root causes are never
identified and eliminated.

So what could be causing this plateau effect or “stagnation?” The answers are most likely
numerous and varied. For example:
• Some organizations may equate the PSM process with governmental PSM regulations and thus
may take the position that “if it isn’t a regulatory requirement, I’m not going to do it!”
• Organizations may also be disproportionately focused on personal safety instead of process
safety because worker injuries occur more frequently and are easier to measure.
• The problem could also be that the organization is suffering from a lack of understanding or
communications surrounding the PSM concept.
• Often the business consequences of a major process safety incident is not understood.

Whatever the reason, these types of issues, left unchecked, can do more than cause stagnation.
They can cause organizations to lose their focus on process safety. To remedy this problem, the
Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) has created a Risk Based Process Safety framework, or
management system, designed to help organizations maintain a safety focus and achieve process
safety excellence. This course will help you understand how to use this valuable tool.

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Now that you have a better understanding of why organizations might allow PSM to stagnate, let’s talk
about ways to prevent that stagnation. The Center for Chemical Process Safety’s Risk Based Process Safety
guidelines are designed to help organizations design and implement more effective process safety
management systems. They accomplish this goal by providing methods and ideas for:
• Designing a process safety management system.
• Correcting a deficient process safety management system.
• Improving process safety management practices.
The RBPS approach recognizes that not all hazards and risks are equal, and that using high intensity, and
usually high cost, practices to manage every hazard is an inefficient use of scarce resources. Thus, the RBPS
approach helps organizations streamline their processes by identifying the level of risk and the number of
resources required to manage the activities. This ensures there is an adequate number of resources
available and frees up other resources for tasks that address higher-risk activities.
This risk based approach is different from what many organizations have used in the past, however.
Companies that shift their thought processes to these new techniques are better able to move their
organizations from a compliance-based accident prevention system to one that is risk-based. In doing so
organizations become better able to:
• Improve their management system effectiveness on a continual basis.
• Apply risk-based design principles to non-regulatory processes.
• Integrate the process safety business case into an organization’s business processes.
• Focus resources on higher risk activities.
Now that we know why the RBPS approach is beneficial, let’s talk about how it is structured…

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The RBPS approach is based on four pillars that support the management system. They
are:

1. Commit to Process Safety

2. Understand Hazards and Risk
3. Manage Risk, and
4. Learn From Experience

Within each of these pillars are elements that form the basic components of the RBPS
approach. By focusing on each of these elements and following the guidelines on how to
implement the concepts contained in them, an organization can create and maintain an
effective process safety management program. The rest of this course will provide you
with an introduction to each of these elements and how they can be used. For now, let’s
take a quick look at each of the four pillars and what the individual elements are that make
up each one.

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Authentic Commitment to Process Safety is the cornerstone of process safety excellence.
In this first pillar there are five key elements:

1. PSM Culture (Leadership and Accountability)

2. Compliance with Standards
3. Process Safety Competency
4. Workforce Involvement, and
5. Stakeholder outreach

When establishing a Risk Based Process Safety management system it is important to

understand that, in order for the process to be successful, there must be strong leadership
and a solid commitment to it at all levels of the organization.

A workforce that is convinced that the organization fully supports safety as a core value will
tend to do the right things, in the right ways, at the right times, even when no one is
looking.

This behavior should be consistently nurtured and celebrated throughout the organization.
Once it is embedded in the company culture, this commitment to process safety can help
sustain the focus on excellence in the more technical aspects of process safety.

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In the second pillar, “Understand Hazards and Risks,” there are two elements:

6. Process Knowledge Management and

7. Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis

Organizations that understand hazards and risk are better able to allocate limited resources
in the most effective manner. Industry experience has also demonstrated that businesses
using hazard and risk information to plan, develop, and deploy stable, lower-risk operations
are much more likely to enjoy long term business success.

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The third pillar, “Manage Risks,” contains a total of nine elements:

8. Operating Procedures
9. Safe Work Permits and Practices
10. Asset Integrity and Reliability
11. Management of contract employees
12. Training and Performance Assurance
13. Management of Change
14. Operational Readiness
15. Conduct of Operations, and
16. Emergency Management

When managing risks it is important for organizations to focus on three issues:

1. Using good judgment when operating and maintaining processes that pose risks.
2. Managing changes to those processes to ensure the risk remains at an acceptable level.
3. Preparing for, responding to, and managing incidents that do occur.

By managing risks, organizations are better able to achieve and sustain long-term, incident-
free, and profitable operations.

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And the fourth and final pillar, “Learn from Experience,” contains four elements:

17. Incident Investigation

18. Measurement and Metrics
19. PSM Auditing, and
20. Management Review and Continuous Improvement

Despite a company’s best efforts, operations do not always proceed as planned, so

organizations must be ready to turn their mistakes, and the mistakes of others, into
opportunities to improve process safety efforts. Learning from experience involves
monitoring and acting on both internal and external sources of information. The least
expensive ways to learn from experience are to:

1. Apply best practices to make the most effective use of available resources.
2. Correct deficiencies exposed by internal incidents and near misses.
3. And apply lessons learned from other organizations.

In addition to recognizing these opportunities to better manage risk, companies must also
develop a culture and infrastructure that helps them incorporate the lessons learned and
apply them in the future.

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By focusing on all four pillars of the RBPS system, organizations can improve process safety
effectiveness, reduce the frequency and severity of incidents, and improve long-term
safety, environmental, and business performance.

This risk-based approach can also help organizations avoid gaps, inconsistencies, over work,
and under work that can lead to system failure.

These pillars and their respective elements will be discussed in more detail as you progress
through this course.

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For process safety management to work most effectively, companies should integrate their
RBPS practices with other management systems, such as those for product quality,
equipment and human reliability, personnel health and safety, environmental protection,
and security.

When applying these principles companies should use the RBPS criteria to design, correct,
or improve process safety management system elements, and should focus on process
safety effectiveness as a function of performance and efficiency.

In the end the ultimate goal of Risk Based Process Safety is to prevent incidents from
occurring.

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In this slide we’ll take a very quick look at how the RBPS Guidelines actually work.

These guidelines propose a management system structure, offer examples of emerging

effective practices, and define a risk-based strategic implementation process that can help
companies find effective ways to break through their process safety management barriers
to become more effective and to operate safer processes.

The tabs on this slide indicate the basic structure of the RBPS system. Each of the tabs links
to a description of technical issues that are addressed within or excluded from the scope of
the RBPS elements.

This course covers the first three components of this work breakdown and some of the
fourth. The final pieces of information are covered in the "Risk Based Process Safety
Guidelines" book and provide an additional level of detail as to specific actions companies
can take. It is recommended that organizations wishing to implement this system obtain a
copy of the red Risk Based Process Safety Guidelines book in order to have access to this
additional information.

Click on each of the tabs at the left to read a description of that part of the RBPS
Management system. When you are finished, click the arrow below or the “Next Slide”
button above to continue with this module.

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The RBPS management system is not meant to represent the sole path for compliance with
process safety regulations, nor is it meant to establish new performance-based
requirements for process safety. However, in some sense, the RBPS approach does
establish new risk-based expectations for process safety management.

Companies, whether novices or veterans in process safety management practices, will

benefit from examining, adapting, and incorporating the risk based process safety
management approach throughout the entire life cycle of their operations. The RBPS
design and implementation process described in this course can be used to develop and
implement a practical process safety management system that has a level of detail and
effort commensurate with the process hazards and risks associated with each facility. In
the modules that follow, we will delve into more depth for each of the elements in the Four
Pillars and talk about how to use RBPS to implement a Risk Based Process Safety
Management system that will provide you with the best possible opportunity to effectively
manage process safety for your organization.

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The modules that follow will provide you with much more information about the RBPS
approach and how to begin to implement its process safety system in your own
organization.

You can also obtain more detailed information about RBPS in general from both of the
books shown here as well as others that are available at the CCPS website.

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You have reached the end of this module. When you are ready, please use the navigation
provided to take the quiz. Remember, you must take and pass the quiz to receive credit for
this module. Once you have completed the quiz for this module, you may use the AIChE
navigation to begin the next module.

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