Lori Pavlish, who is responsible for several of The Dow Chemical Company’s global supply chain environmental health and safety programs, addressed delegates at the International Liquid Terminals Association’s 2014 conference.
Discussing key components in evaluating preventive maintenance programs of terminals, carriers and warehouses, Pavlish noted “a comprehensive preventative maintenance program is critical to each facility’s success in the storage and handling of products without causing harm to personnel or the environment.”
In addition to its commitment to Responsible Care®, Pavlish said Dow has embraced the five characteristics of a Highly Reliable Organization (HRO), or an organization that has “fewer unplanned events than would normally be expected.”
The first recommendation is to “expect the unexpected.”
“HROs are focused on predicting and eliminating catastrophes rather than reacting to them,” Pavlish explained. “I think we all know how much time and energy it takes to respond to an unplanned event. Our focus has truly shifted to preventing those events in the first place.”
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“Do not generalize. Be reluctant to simplify interpretations,” is the second priority of an HRO.
“For example, oversimplifying an explanation may result in an unworkable solution and failure to understand all the ways in which a system could fail,” Pavlish said.
Thirdly, Pavlish encouraged preventative maintenance personnel to “identify trends and anticipate impact, and have sensitivity to operations.”
“Try to identify problems quickly to eliminate potential errors,” she said. “Employees are trained to pay attention. Details of events become a source of information for them, and they need time to react.”
HROs are well advised to “commit to resilience,” she added as the fourth tenet of the outline.
“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Pavlish quipped to conference visitors based in the northern U.S., referring to the harsh winter of 2013 and 2014. “A commitment to resilience is one of those characteristics that helped us not only to survive but sometimes thrive in these adverse conditions.”
Citing the final characteristic of an HRO, Pavlish said her teams look for “organizations that engage and defer to expertise, regardless of where that expertise resides with that organization.”
“It could be in your leadership structure, or it could be in your guys out in the field making the world go ‘round,” she said.
Pavlish encouraged conference participants to investigate the potential value of integrating HRO characteristics into their own organizations.
“Wikipedia has a real good outline of what an HRO is,” she offered. “It doesn’t cost you anything; take a look at it. We believe it adds another value to everybody’s programs.”
Regarding the impact of sustainability, Pavlish said industry’s relationship with the world “is founded in sustainability (to create) economic prosperity and social value while contributing to the protection of our planet.”
“Sustainability requires making every decision with the future in mind,” she continued. “As guardians of our families and friends, our coworkers and our neighbors, we’re protecting their health and their safety. All of us in this industry collectively have that responsibility. We are responsible now and in the future.”
Ultimately, the responsibility for the safety and successful preventative maintenance program is “leadership, leadership, leadership,” Pavlish said.
“If leadership does not wholeheartedly buy into the goals they set for their team, if they don’t walk it, talk it and model it 100 percent of the time, no one else is going to buy in,” she said. “Leaders get what they give. So give your organization your best!”
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