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Workbook introduction

The workbook has been produced to assist you with your studies. You are not required to
complete the workbook as part of the course. The workbook does consist of supplementary
activities and exercises aimed at preparing you for your NEBOSH Certificate in Process Safety
Management written examination. It is recognised that not all students will be in employment and
would therefore have difficulty in undertaking the ‘organisational based’ activities and exercises
in the workbook. In such cases the student may choose to leave those activities and exercises or
try to get permission to undertake those activities and exercises in an organisation that employs a
friend or a family member.

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Element 1

1. Is process safety a regular agenda item at your site health hand safety committee or
management team meetings?
2. Does your organisation have objectives and targets for process safety? If so, what are they?
3. Are these objectives and targets shared with the workforce, with regular updates given on
progress?
4. Are process safety incidents (spillages, leaks, excursions outside the SOE) investigated and
the learning shared with relevant parts of the organisation?
5. Does your organisation have a system for capturing lessons learnt from process incidents so
that they can be easily retrieved and stay ‘forever learned’? If so, select a past incident and
comment on lessons learnt.
6. Does your organisation have an effective system in place for managing process changes? If
so, briefly describe the system.
7. Does your organisation have an effective system in place for updating changes to key
process documentation (For example, P and I diagrams, PEFS, design specification
changes)?
8. Are workers involved in process health and safety related issues? For example, as part of a
HAZOP team, or in setting process related objectives and targets?
9. Competence plays a very important role in process safety, which relies on a complex system
of hardware, software, human factors and safety management systems. How does your
organisation ensure the competence of those who are involved in process safety
management (e.g. process operators, process supervisors/managers, maintenance
technicians, process engineers and senior managers)? Does your organisation have a
competency management system in place?

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Element 2

1. Does your organisation have a management system in place for process safety? (Examples
include ISO 45001 and OSHA process safety management standard).
2. Does your organisation have a major accident prevention policy (MAPP) in place (Signed by
the chief executive)? If so, obtain a copy and comment on it.
3. Does your organisation have a programme in place for process safety audits?
4. What process risk management techniques are used in your organisation? (For example,
HAZOPs, bow tie/Swiss cheese barrier models, consequence modelling).
5. What maintenance strategies does your organisation use to manage asset integrity?
6. A failure of the PTW system was a key causal failure which led to the Piper Alpha disaster.
What changes, if any, did your organisation make to the PTW system as a result of the
lessons learnt from Piper Alpha?
7. Another Piper Alpha failure concerned shift handover. Does your organisation have a
formalised, documented system for safe shift handover?
8. Does your organisation have a system in place for contractor selection to ensure that
contractors’ health and safety standards are acceptable? If so, what criteria is used for their
selection.
9. Are contractors monitored whilst working in your organisation? If so, how?
10. Is contractor accommodation sited away from live process areas?

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Element 3

1. Have a look at a set of operating procedures for one of your process units. Are they clear,
unambiguous and easy to read? Are they up to date?
2. Does your organisation carry out a pre-start-up safety reviews after process shutdowns?
3. Select a safety critical element on one of your processes. Establish the performance
standard that is required to meet (For example, an actuator is expected to fully close a trip
valve within one second).
4. What is steam used for in your organisation?
5. If you have cooling towers in your organisation, determine the arrangements that are in
place to minimise the risk of a legionella outbreak.
6. Identify the sources of static within your process areas and the arrangements that are in
place to control unwanted discharges.
7. Identify a process in your organisation that uses chemical reactors. Identify the
arrangements that are in place to minimise the risk of a ‘runaway reaction’.
8. Identify the primary and secondary control measures that are in place in your organisation to
minimise the risk of loss of containment from tanks storing flammable or toxic substances.

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Element 4

1. What range of fire detecting equipment (smoke/heat detectors) does your organisation have
in operation (select one area/building in the organisation)?
2. What type of fire alarm equipment (manual/automatic call system, audible/voice alarms)
does your organisation have in operation (select one area/building in the organisation)?
3. Is there a maintenance schedule in place for fire detector and alarm equipment?
4. What type/classifications of fire hazards do you have in your organisation (select one area/
building)?
5. Is the appropriate fire extinguishing media in place?
6. Is there a maintenance schedule in place for portable fire extinguishers?
7. To protect installations from potential explosions, a method of analysing and classifying a
potentially hazardous area is required. Identify any area in your organisation that is classified
as:
• Zone 0
• Zone 1
• Zone 2
8. What arrangements are in place on your fuel storage tanks to mitigate against lightning
strikes?
9. Identify an area in your organisation where dust is produced that could potentially give rise
to a dust explosion. What arrangements are in place to prevent or mitigate against a dust
explosion?
10. Locate a copy of your organisations (process) emergency plan. What possible scenarios are
covered (e.g. fire/explosion, gas release, chemical spillage)?

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