Process Safety Management Training

Preventing Chemical Accidents

Introduction to Process Hazard Analysis

First Edition

Process Safety Management Training

from the

NJ Work Environment Council

This material was produced under grant SH-17813-08-60-F-34 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This curriculum is revised from materials originally developed by the United Steelworker’s Tony Mazzocchi Center for Safety, Health, and Environmental Education and produced by the Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization, funded in whole or in part with funds from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor (grant number SH-16632-07-60-F-42).

Table of Contents

About WEC ii

Preventing Chemical Accidents iii

The Small Group Activity Method iv

The Factsheet Reading Method vi

Activity: Introduction to Process Hazard Analysis 1

Task 1 2

Task 2 13

Evaluation 21

About WEC

The New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC) is a non-profit collaboration of organizations working for safe, secure jobs, and a healthy, sustainable environment.

Visit WEC’s website at www.njwec.org

For more information about WEC programs and services, contact:

Rick Engler, Director

New Jersey Work Environment Council

142 West State Street - Third Floor, Trenton, NJ 08608-1102

Telephone: (609) 695-7100

Fax: (609) 695-4200

E-mail: info@njwec.org

Preventing Chemical Accidents

Unexpected releases of highly hazardous toxic, reactive, or flammable chemicals create the possibility of a disaster for workers, employers, and communities.

OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standard helps prevent accidental releases of highly hazardous chemicals, thus protecting employees, as well as plant neighbors.

Effective worker training about PSM helps achieve safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces.

In New Jersey, PSM regulates approximately 100 facilities, including certain chemical plants, oil refineries, food processors, electric utilities, warehouses, and public and private sector water and sewage treatment operations. PSM may also cover other types of facilities. PSM has special provisions for contractors working in covered facilities.

WEC’s training curriculum covers key aspects of the PSM standard. Training introduces the concept of systems of safety and accident prevention and why facilities should establish an organizational structure to oversee PSM implementation. WEC addresses OSHA’s performance-based requirements for a plant “mechanical integrity” program. Training also covers accident, incident, and near-miss investigations, focusing on root causes. WEC also can provide training on related subjects, such as the New Jersey Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA), employer and worker/union rights to participate during OSHA and TCPA inspections, and development of effective labor-management safety and health committees.

For more information, contact:

Denise Patel, PSM Outreach Coordinator

WEC, 142 West State St, Third Floor

Trenton, NJ 08608

Call: (609) 695-7100, Extension 305

Fax: (609) 695-4200

E-Mail: dpatel@njwec.org

The Small Group Activity Method

Basic Structure

The Small Group Activity Method* is based on a series of problem-solving activities. An activity can take from 45 minutes to an hour. Each activity has a common basic structure:

• Small Group Tasks

• Report-Back

• Summary

1. Small Group Tasks: The training always begins with groups working together at their tables. Each activity has a task, or set of tasks, for the groups to work on. The task asks that the groups use their experience and the factsheets to solve problems and make judgements on key issues.

2. Report-Back: For each task, the group selects a scribe that takes notes on the small group discussion and reports back to the class as a whole. During the report-back, the scribe informs the entire class as to how his or her group solved the particular problem. The trainer records each scribe’s report-back on large pads of paper in front of the class so that everyone can refer to them.

3. Summary: Before the discussion drifts too far, the trainer needs to bring it all together during the summary. Here, the trainer highlights the key points of the activity and brings up any problems or points that may have been overlooked during the report-back.

*The Small Group Activity Method (SGAM) is based on a training procedure developed by England’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the

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