In March 2020, the world was in a much different state than it had been in January, and the struggle continues as we head into 2021. We're facing a worldwide pandemic, a drastic drop in consumer demand, and a simultaneous price war and consequent supply cuts for crude oil. At the beginning of the year, the price of oil was stable and at a level that was sustainable for all sectors of the refining and petrochemical industries. Now we are all examining every detail of our businesses to determine what is essential and what is not. We are operating with minimum resources in order to ensure staying power in our industries. The only certainty now is uncertainty, and the list of risks is growing. What challenges lie ahead?
These days, many of us find ourselves asking the same questions. The concern is valid, but at Smith & Burgess, we have made it this far by adapting to new and uncertain conditions and will continue to help others do so.
As we head into 2021, I want to highlight three areas of process safety and technology that present special opportunities for adaptation and improvement:
- Commitment to process safety
- Training
- Data from a distance
Commitment to process safety
The leaders of an organization have the important responsibility to promote and uphold the business' process safety culture. This is especially important during a time of crisis, when the team is looking to its leaders for guidance and strength. Many aspects of business and processes are changing rapidly, and with changes, come more risk of incidents. With teams and personnel focused on adjusting the business' operations and processes to deal with the pandemic, there can be a tendency to pay less attention to key safety practices.
During this time, leaders and team members should double down on their commitment to process safety:
- Safety culture. Leaders can maintain a company's culture during a crisis by increasing the frequency of communication, ensuring team members are aware of the changes happening and feel they are part of a cohesive team, understanding and managing the stress load on employees, and reiterating that safety still comes first in the company.
- Compliance. Codes and standards should still be followed during a crisis. For example, the need to quickly convert a process or equipment to meet changing demands does not mean industry and corporate standards for relief systems design can be neglected.
Training
With less fuel demand and companies reducing to core operations or converting to different products, there are opportunities for personnel to gain knowledge by attending training, getting involved in specialty projects and becoming involved in process safety activities such as a process hazard analysis. Operations personnel who may have downtime have the opportunity to write operating procedures that currently do not exist or require revamping. Personnel can also help other departments or teams prepare for changes to plant operations or processes, which helps balance workloads and also provides on-the-job learning opportunities. In addition to practical hands-on training, both employees and employers can benefit from continuing education and career development, whether through graduate degrees or online training.
Data from a distance
Many of the activities that were traditionally performed in-person, such as training classes and meetings, are now being done online. Over the past few months, we have seen a rapid shift to collaborating and accessing information remotely. As we head into 2021, social distancing guidelines may require us to continue to rely on these measures, but there may also be benefits from operating remotely that companies will want to adopt long term.
For example, companies can continue to make as much of the required training available online. If process safety information (PSI) is currently stored in physical folders, now is a great time to convert it to an electronic format that can be accessed remotely. When setting up PSI databases and knowledge depositories, ensure remote access is available to key personnel. We live in the information age, and the current crisis may provide a "jump start" for businesses to identify areas of their operation that have yet to be fully transitioned to a structure where large quantities of data are easily accessible from a distance.
For more information, visit www.smithburgess.com or call (713) 802-2647.
