2019 1st Place Essay |
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Process Hazard Analysis An essay by Kendall Newton In the late 1990's after a large number of serious process safety accidents around the industry, many which included United Steelworker Union members, companies, unions and employees started working together to make efforts to lower the number of worker fatalities and cataclysmic incidents.In order to do so, the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (PSM) standard was put into place. PSM includes fourteen steps or controls; one of them being Process Hazard Analysis. There is a level of depth that goes into Process Hazard Analysis and there is good reason for that. PHA's purpose is to "..determine failure points, methods of operation and any factors that could potentially lead to accidents," (NGE Consulting) as well as analyze the possible they serve. With Process Hazard Analysis,workers can identify a place in a process where something could go wrong and evaluate the severity of its consequences. Because of this, the odds of intercepting an issue in the facility,have become greater, lowering the possibilities of catastrophic events involving hazardous chemicals. My father,a United Steelworker Union member, works at an oil refinery and is very familiar with the PSM and all its pieces. He explained to me just how crucial PHA is atthe refinery, "because it is so thorough, it can sometimes take as long as eight weeks to complete." Knowing that all these processes are put in place to keep people like my Dad safe while doing his job, gives my family and I a higher sense of comfort and peace when he walks out the door to go to work. With regulations such as Process Safety Management, evaluating safety hazards can be done thoroughly. Process Hazard Analysis and its many steps plays a key part in maintaining safety,for our refineries, our families and our communities. Works Cited "Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)." Six Sigma Safety,www.oshatrain.org/courses/mods/736m4.html. "Process Hazard Analysis·NGE." NGE, 21Jan. 2019,https:Ungeconsulting.com/process-hazard-analysis/. |
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