Executing on a PSM Competence Program

An effective Process Safety Management (PSM) program requires specific attention to the competence of its staff and leadership. Organizations such as the IChemE Safety Centre have provided a model to develop PSM competence however what is needed to execute such a vision? Here are some of my thoughts.

There are 3 key components to a PSM competence model.

1. The PSM organizational structure -  that has provision for participation, facilitation, and technical authority skills.
2. The training and mentoring programs that need to be put in place to develop staff and leaders in PSM.
3. The ongoing experience needed to maintain skills.
   
   

Many organizations establish PSM evangelists, however, 1 or 2 parts of the above competence model often have little attention.

Organization Structure and PSM Competence

The typical roles for PSM activities (such as HAZOP or LOPA) include:

1. Facilitation – this can be internal or external
2. Participants including discipline specialists – typically internal
3. Technical Authority (TA) – this can be an internal or a trusted external resource.

The role of the facilitator and participants is well understood; however, the technical authority (TA) is key to maintaining standards across site(s), facilitators and external parties. The technical authority is typically the owner of the PSM procedures and approves any deviation(s) in the application of the procedures. The following flow chart is an example of how the TA interacts with other parties in the process.

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Guidance

1. If the organization “outsources” its facilitation requirements, then it is important that the company put standards in place to ensure the practices used are a high standard. Internal staff (or trusted partners) will need to act as a TA, so training needs to be geared towards developing them to this level.
2. Large organizations should look to develop technical authorities who develop the standards and approve the outputs from the various technical studies.
3. Avoid the pure outsource model, where the external party is the “expert” and must not be questioned. I have seen several organizations that have had to re-work PSM studies after being questioned by the regulator. Develop some internal expertise and hold external parties to account.

Training and PSM Competence

Training courses are often considered as being a key component to developing competence, however, they are only part of the development picture. Training delivery can be performed through the following formats:

1. Virtual on-demand (Introduction level)
2. Face to face open courses using standard workshops (Facilitator or Introduction Level)
3. Bespoke face to face courses for specific sectors and organizations (Facilitator or Introduction Level)
4. Live Simulations of specific activities such as HAZOP or LOPA (Facilitator Level)
5. 1 on 1 mentoring (Facilitator Level)

There are benefits of these different styles are as follows:

The required style of training depends on the trainee’s current level of competence and the risk management goals of the organization.

Guidance

1. Attendee's of PSM studies should be trained to introduction level.
2. Some internal staff should be trained to "facilitator level", even if they are not facilitating.
3. Facilitator training must be followed up with mentoring. Training alone is insufficient.
4. Live Simulations with assessments and structured feedback should be core to facilitator orientated courses. This is often used in the HAZOP space, however, there is no reason why this cannot be done for more technically orientated training such as LOPA.
5. Larger organizations should aim to develop bespoke training with sector relevant workshops.

Experience Development

After the training has been completed, a plan to consolidate and develop the skills is needed. This is especially important for facilitator training. The old saying “use it or lose it”, is relevant here. I believe for PSM activities, facilitators need to regularly perform their activities to be deemed competent. This is some guidance I have given a recent  client.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this topic, feel free to reach out to paul.feltoe@safetysolutions.co.nz.