Introduction

Process Safety Metrics and Benchmarking are concepts that have been discussed for well over a decade.

No matter what regulatory drivers an organization operates under (e.g., SEVESO III / COMAH, OSHA 1910.119, DOT PHMSA, EPA, CSA Z767), many of the same metrics apply because process safety is not defined solely by regulatory requirements, but also through engaging the culture to drive outcomes.

The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Guidelines for Risk-Based Process Safety book also encouraged companies to refine metrics and reporting.  Finally, API-754 identifies useful metrics both leading and lagging for driving performance in the refining and petrochemical industries globally and is also largely viewed as a global harmonizing standard for other industries.  In addition, OS has developed a comprehensive set of leading and lagging indicators for all the process safety elements.

PSH is defined as a holistic and continuous monitoring methodology covering all process safety functional reporting areas to provide a clear picture of an organization’s overall health.  The intent of PSH is to provide the organization with an accurate picture of real-time process safety performance by developing a risk profile and establishing predictive trends indicative of future process safety performance.

This white paper provides a deeper look into how companies can develop a strategy for process safety health monitoring.