The importance of leadership team involvement in process safety
04 September 2012
Within industry generally, and the process and energy sectors in particular, there has been increasing awareness that overall safety is not just dependent on the knowledge and actions of operators and line managers. The board room determines the vision and culture for the whole organisation, and senior leaders also need to have awareness of the nature and extent of risks within their areas of responsibility.
In 2010, the UK's National Skills Academy and Cogent SSC announced the formation of a Process Safety Management Project Board with a wide range of partners to introduce quality-assured Process Safety training for all levels.
At the launch of the National Skills Academy’s training strategy in March, participation in Process Safety Management Foundation courses aimed at plant managers, designers and other senior operational personnel was already at a high level. Following on from that, the Process Safety Leadership course, aimed at senior executives and board members, has also received a very positive reception.
Take-up has been particularly good amongst larger companies, and the Board is now seeking to repeat this success amongst smaller and medium-sized operators of COMAH sites.
One of the best ways of finding out more about these important initiatives is to attend one of the HazardEx regional events in the coming months. Neil Smith, Skills Development Director and Project Manager for the Academy's Process Safety Management Programme will be providing full details of available courses and an update on new developments, including the OECD’s Corporate Governance for Process Safety programme.
HazardEx regional events will take place in Teesside, Aberdeen, Cheshire and Humberside over the next six months, with the first scheduled for September 19.
For more details click on Our Conferences/Events in the left hand menu.