Managing your process hazards as a means of conforming to ohsa requirements

There is considerable evidence that improper changes have directly caused or through the “domino sequence” led to many of the major accidents that have occurred in the chemical process industry and related industries that use hazardous chemicals and technology. Central Government has recognised the importance of careful management of change(MOC) for ensuring the safety of chemical operations and the quality of manufactured goods by the proposed adding of the Major Hazardous Installation Regulation to the OHSA (Act 85 of 1993).

The concept and the need to properly manage change are not new; many companies have adopted MOC procedures. It is common practice nowadays to perform detailed risk assessments on any new or intended project to ensure safety and reliability of the project. Yet, incidents and near misses attributable to inadequate management of changes on existing systems and processes continue to occur. To improve the performance of MOC systems throughout industry, managers need advice on how to better institutionalise MOC systems within their companies and plants.

The purpose of this paper is to define the important features of MOC systems and to assist in the implementation and management of process hazards. MOC systems help ensure that changes to design and operation of company facilities will not adversely affect employees, the public, or the environment. This document outlines a process that can be used for designing, developing, installing, operating, and maintaining MOC systems at individual company sites.

This paper is intended for an audience ranging from plant and corporate managers of process safety to workers who have differing levels of knowledge about the principles of safely managing change. It is primarily designed to equip people responsible for MOC systems with new ideas for implementing and improving MOC systems. It was indeed a privilege to have met the personnel of JBF Associates, Inc. and Process Safety Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, without whose lectures and study material (including the book “Managing process changes”) this paper would never have seen the light. They have succeeded in putting me firmly on the “process safety road”.