UK HSE HSG 254 - Developing process safety indicators. A step-by-step guide for chemical and major hazard industries

This guidance is aimed at senior managers and safety professionals within major hazard organisations that wish to develop performance indicators to give improved assurance that major hazard risks are under control. It is presumed that companies using this guide already have appropriate safety management systems, so the emphasis is on checking whether their risk controls are effective and operating as intended. The guide draws on good practice in the UK chemical sector. Too many organisations rely heavily on failure data to monitor performance, so improvements or changes are only determined after something has gone wrong. Discovering weaknesses in control systems by having a major incident is too late and too costly. Early warning of dangerous deterioration within critical systems provides an opportunity to avoid major incidents. Knowing that process risks are effectively controlled has a clear link with business efficiency, as several indicators can be used to show plant availability and optimised operating conditions. While aimed mainly at major hazard organisations, the generic model for establishing a performance measurement system described in this guide will also apply to other enterprises requiring a high level of assurance that systems and procedures continue to operate as intended.

Significance score:

Clarity:

This Health and Safety Guidance is for senior managers and safety professionals within organisations wishing to develop performance indicators to give improved assurance of control over major hazard risks. Although primarily addressed to major hazard operators, the generic model for establishing a performance measurement system, as given in this guide, can equally apply to other enterprises requiring similar levels of assurance. Offering a six-stage process to adopt in order to implement a programme of performance monitoring for process safety risks.

Target Group(s):

• HSE managers
• Supervisors

Risk Theme:

• Monitoring and Learning - Measuring Safety Performance