INTRODUCTION

Major accidents such as fire, explosion and toxic release should be avoided to prevent fatalities, environmental pollution and assets’ damage. It is getting harder to control the operation safely with the increasing scale and complexity of modern chemical process industries. It has been reported that nearly all accidents could be prevented if the basic process safety (PS) principles are consulted and implemented. Process safety is to prevent and mitigate accidental loss of containment of hazardous materials. Layers of protections in processes provide barriers to prevent undesired impacts and thereby accomplishing safety objectives. Nonetheless, it is insufficient if it is only to incorporate these layers of protections to reduce the risks. It is also important to consider how these layers of protections and consequent chemical process safety can be managed. Process Safety Management (PSM) emphasizes the management of hazards through a comprehensive program which integrates technologies, procedures and management practices. PSM offers a systematic and structured approach to identification, prevention and mitigation of process risks to ensure safe operation.

The course provides details on PSM elements that are fundamental to execute a safe industrial operation. The course covers topics on learning from incidents, understanding and managing hazards, regulations on PSM and safety management system elements which include the planning and ways of implementation. The course will also include process safety performance measurement, importance of measure audit and review, and safety leadership to enhance PSM in processing industries. Many practical examples from the industry will be discussed through case studies.