Effectively Manage Safe Work Practices Using Process Safety Enterprise®

Process Safety Enterprise^® (PSE), a cloud-based platform, helps manage safe work practices, ensuring compliance with OSHA's PSM standard. This white paper details the key features of PSE, including:

Document Control System: Easily stores and retrieves documents Intelligent Form Builder: Creates customizable forms Action Tracking System: Manages all tasks related to permits Reporting and Dashboard/KPI: Provides real-time insights into activities Safe Work Permit Workflow: Guides users through permit initiation, prework, approvals, execution, extension/renewal, and completion.

A case study highlights how PSE and a confined space safe work permit could have helped to prevent this disaster by managing safe work practices effectively.

Introduction

Safe work practices are vital to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) 29 CFR 1910.119 standard. The standard requires safe work practices in section "f(4)" for operating procedures and section "k" for hot work. These practices include confined space entry, line breaking, and lockout/tagout (LOTO). Many companies also utilize a general safe work permit for all work in the covered process in addition to specific work permits. Safe work practices address the activities' hazards and ensure adequate safeguards are in place to manage those hazards before, during, and sometimes after the work is performed.

Businesses often encounter challenges in overseeing these procedures, as they involve the intricacies of developing and implementing each safe work practice. The process includes identifying applicable work practices, generating permits to address potential hazards, and administering training—all of which demand considerable time and resources. Overlooking these responsibilities risks the safety of employees, plant assets, the community, and the environment. Moreover, an accident could lead to production interruptions.

An effective, safe work practice program should include identifying the work practices used at the facility. A policy or procedure should state if certain practices, such as line breaking, are prohibited or require management approval. For the applicable work practices, permits should be created that identify the known hazards and require a trained person to assess and address those hazards before work begins. Air monitoring or other activities during and after work may also be required to manage the hazards. Training should be tracked for all employees to be aware of the permit requirements and permit issuers who must thoroughly understand the hazards and how to mitigate or eliminate them. A document management system is needed to create and store the original and completed permits.

Effective, safe work practice systems help companies document, plan, execute, and store required safe work practices. This workflow can help companies comply with the PSM requirements of the 29 CFR 1910.119 standard.

For businesses serious about implementing a comprehensive PSM compliance system, ioMosaic offers the Process Safety Enterprise^® (PSE) (Figure 1). PSE is a cloud-based platform enabling easy ongoing management of process safety data, helping businesses achieve compliance, manage risk, and remain competitive. Unlike any other system available in the market today, PSE is a centralized web-based application that integrates all PSM elements and workflows, making it THE ultimate solution for managing safe work practices effectively. This white paper delves into the key features of the safe work practice workflow and how it benefits companies seeking to improve and elevate their systems to manage the hazards of various work practices.

To help you better understand the requirements of the PSM standard, we recommend a PSM Essentials eLearning course like the one offered by Process Safety Learning^®.