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On March 23, 2005, a huge explosion and fire took place at a BP refinery in Texas City, Texas, killing 15 people and injuring many others, some of them severely. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concluded that the explosion was, “…a result of organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the company.” Among the major reasons for the incident:

Procedures were not followed Ineffective communication during startup Training was ineffective The unit was understaffed and not supervised Operators were likely fatigued

Their conclusions clearly indicate the involvement and direct influence of all levels of the company. Moreover, they indicate a lack of competence in fulfilling the responsibilities of safe production toward the community and the employees, underscoring the importance of process safety competency.

The lessons learned from the 2005 Texas City refinery incident crystallize the importance of a sound process safety competency. Read this newsletter for guidance on what constitutes optimal individual and organizational process safety competency.

Achieving process safety competency does not have to come down to experiencing an incident or even a near miss firsthand. Rather, companies should learn from others and put all the recommendations made to others on their own radar and then audit their processes against such recommendations to keep staff and facilities as safe as possible.

Have a great and safe day.

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