The Baker Panel Report - ABSA

RECOMMENDATION #3—PROCESS SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISEBP should develop and implement a system to ensure that its executive management, its refining line management above the refinerylevel, and all U.S. refining personnel, including managers, supervisors, workers, and contractors, possess an appropriate level of processsafety knowledge and expertise.Commentary(1) “develop and implement . . . ”— BP’s effort to develop and implement a system to ensure process safety knowledge and expertise willbenefit greatly from the input of various stakeholders, including employee representatives and contractors. Those stakeholders should beinvolved in developing, reviewing, and implementing such a system. BP should also seek input and advice from external groups withappropriate process safety expertise to help design, develop, and implement this system. Such groups might include, but are not limited to, theCenter for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS); American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE); the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE);and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).(2) “a system to ensure . . . an appropriate level of process safety knowledge and expertise”—Specifically, this system should(a) define the level of process safety knowledge and expertise required for U.S. refining personnel and contractors and those managers abovethe refinery level who have managerial oversight of, or who provide staff support for, U.S. refining operations. This group includes executive management for refining and all levels of refining line management, including corporate management above the refinerylevel; health, safety, security, and environmental staff personnel for refining operations; refining engineering personnel and chemists; and other members of the refining workforce, including contract personnel, having some process safety responsibilities. Knowledge andexpertise for refinery level managers, supervisory personnel, workers and contractors should include an appropriate level of processknowledge for operating units under their management or supervision or on which they work.(b) establish, implement, and maintain a process safety training curriculum for line managers; supervisors; health, safety, security, andenvironmental personnel; engineers; chemists; and operations and maintenance personnel. The training should be completed within the firsttwo years of employment for newly hired personnel, and it should be updated and reinforced annually for experienced personnel;(c) provide education on an annual basis to all refinery line management on BP’s expectations about reporting of potential process safety incidents and near misses, and sharing of both the reports and actions taken in light of the reports;(d) on at least an annual basis provide awareness training about reporting of potential process safety incidents and near misses to operationsand maintenance personnel;(e) educate refinery personnel on how to conduct root cause analyses in a manner that thoroughly examines all possible causal factors,including systemic and management causal factors; “determines if root causes of process incidents were identified or should have beenidentified in the relevant process hazard analysis;” and leads to appropriate recommendations to address the findings;Panel’s Recommendations C 247