Effectively Manage Pre-Startup Safety Reviews Using Process Safety Enterprise®

Process Safety Enterprise^® (PSE), a cloud-based platform, helps manage Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSRs), 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 PSSRs
• Reporting and Dashboard/KPI: Provides real-time insights into activities
• PSSR Workflow: Guides users through PSSR definition, required checklists, approvals, pre and post-startup action items, notifications to impacted employees, and completion.

A case study highlights how PSE and a thorough PSSR could have prevented this disaster by effectively managing a startup.

Introduction

PSSRs are crucial for complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) 29 CFR 1910.119 standard. The PSSR ensures that changes to the Process Safety Information (PSI) element are reviewed and tested if needed and that all impacted personnel are notified of the change before startup occurs. PSSRs can be extensive for a new facility or very brief for a small change, but these changes must be reviewed, approved, and notified before being used in the covered process.

Businesses often encounter challenges in overseeing this process, as it involves understanding the impact of the change and the various aspects that must be checked and possibly tested. PSSRs must review the construction and design of modified or new facilities and ensure that all safety, operating, maintenance, and emergency response procedures are updated and trained before startup. New facilities must complete a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), and any recommendations must be resolved or implemented before startup. Modified facilities must have a Management of Change (MOC) with completed action items. Overlooking these requirements risks the safety of employees, plant assets, the community, and the environment. Moreover, an accident resulting from missing or inadequate reviews could lead to production interruptions.

An effective PSSR program should include identifying the required checklists and when they are required for various changes. The checklists should be specific to your facility and processes and can be customized within the PSE workflow. Training should be tracked for all employees impacted by the change and include the updated Process Safety Information (PSI), such as procedures and chemical hazards. A document management system is needed to create, update, and store the PSI.

An effective PSSR workflow helps companies document, plan, execute, and store the needed documents. 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 PSSRs effectively. This white paper delves into the key features of the PSSR workflow and how it benefits companies seeking to improve and elevate their systems to manage the inherent hazards of making changes in a covered process.

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^®.