Development of a Model to Implement, Operate and Measure Process Safety Culture in Process Industries

Investigating the causes of process accidents in industries emphasizes the importance of different aspects of Process Safety Culture (PSC). The purpose of this study was to design a PSC measurement model to identify the strengths and weaknesses of PSC and provide an appropriate background for improving the performance of Process Safety Management (PSM), leading to reducing or eliminating unfortunate process incidents.

 To extract the theoretical foundations, the international best practices in the field of PSM were examined, focusing on the PSC element, and the most comprehensive model was selected based on the defined criteria. Referring to the selected model, the key principles of PSC, their essential features, the activities required to implement each of the essential features and the different levels of performance expectations for each activity were developed. Based on the developed content, a system-field PSC audit checklist and a questionnaire were prepared and its validity and reliability were determined. The checklist and questionnaire were then completed in a petrochemical complex in 2022 and the results were analyzed.

The most comprehensive model from the PSC perspective is the Risk Based Process Safety of the American Center for Chemical Process Safety. The confirmed validity and reliability of the PSC questionnaire as well as the findings from the audit process and filled questionnaires in the case study showed that the proposed model can be practical and applicable to be used in process industries.

The PSC is a determining factor in how to manage process risks. The proposed model can be used as a suitable tool for implementation, operation, status assessment, performance measurement and finally maintenance and promotion of PSC in process industries.