Despite the introduction of safety cases and safety management systems, major accidents continue to cause great concern within the upstream and downstream sectors. Due to DNV’s concern about the continuing impact of major accident hazards the isrs7-PSM tool is now being launched. This new approach will assess and improve the process safety management performance of potentially high hazard operations.

The tragic accident at the BP Texas City site with the subsequent Baker and Chemical Safety Board reports served to confirm DNV’s experience that management systems directed towards the management of occupational safety issues did not perform well when it came to the management of Major Accident Hazards.

“Based on this reality, there has been an obvious need for a fresh approach to the assessment and improvement of the multiple barriers which are required to achieve effective Process Safety Management,” says Graham Bennett, who is DNV Energy’s downstream business leader.

He continues: “DNV has therefore developed the new isrs7-PSM tool. This assesses the status of the multiple layers of hazard management protection such as process plant condition, people issues, management effectiveness, and key business processes. In addition, it helps driving the improvement process.”

The new approach takes a holistic view of the management of major accident hazards by recognising that all areas of the business - from HSE, to asset management and supply chain management - have critical roles to play in ensuring process safety management excellence.

The isrs7-PSM tool will significantly improve the process of identifying hazards, implementing effective control measures, establishing performance standards, measuring performance, and implementing improvement activities.

Graham Bennett explains that DNV has already undertaken a number of process safety management implementation projects, and there is a significant interest within the industry for the launch of the new isrs7-PSM service. “As the reference base is accumulating, the adoption of this approach will lead to significant opportunities for benchmarking Process Safety Management performance,” he concludes.

The basic tool isrs7 is DNV’s world leading system for measuring, improving and demonstrating safety, environmental and business performance. Its proven track record within the energy industry made this the natural platform upon which to build the new isrs7-PSM tool.