Process Safety

Evolution of the Approach: From HSE to Process Safety

Traditionally, the focus in manufacturing has been shifted towards classic HSE — preventing injuries, falls, and cuts. However, statistics on major industrial accidents show that catastrophic consequences arise from systemic equipment failures and violations of technological regimes. Implementing Process Safety Management (PSM) is becoming a necessary step for enterprises striving to eliminate the risks of explosions, fires, and large-scale incidents. During the webinar, Sergey Bobkov, Head of PSM at the United Metallurgical Company (OMK), discusses practical tools for proactive production risk management.

Mechanical Integrity of Equipment and Visualization

The foundation of process safety is monitoring the condition of critical equipment, the failure of which leads to production downtime or severe consequences. Using metallurgical assets as an example, the speaker demonstrates how the mechanical integrity (MI) assessment system works. The key tool is a risk matrix that allows prioritizing measures and moving threats from the "red" zone to the acceptable "green" zone during budget planning.

Special attention is paid to visualization: labeling critical equipment, color-coding pressure gauge scales, thermal imaging inspection of electrical panels, and adapting installations for the Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) system. Such measures eliminate ambiguous interpretations of safe operation parameters by different operators and prevent operation in pre-emergency modes.

Pre-Startup Safety Reviews and Management of Change

A significant portion of industrial incidents occurs during the equipment startup phase. To minimize this risk, pre-startup safety review (PSSR) checklists are implemented, where identified issues are divided into critical (Category A, where operation is strictly prohibited) and non-critical (Category B). The presentation details the management of change (MOC) process. Any equipment modification must undergo an initial risk assessment to prevent situations where unauthorized intervention leads to hidden threats and subsequent component failure.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• What is the fundamental difference between process safety and classic HSE?
• How to classify equipment by criticality level and create a risk assessment map?
• What criteria to use during pre-startup reviews to block the operation of potentially hazardous installations?
• How to properly assess risks when implementing technical changes and local improvement proposals?
• How does the visualization of equipment operating parameters help personnel prevent emergency situations?