Process safety management

1.1 Facilities and workplaces impacted

This Standard identifies the requirements for a PSM system for facilities and worksites handling or storing materials that are potentially hazardous, either due to an inherent chemical, biological, toxicological, or physical property of those materials, or due to the material’s potential or kinetic energy.

1.2 Minimum lifecycle requirements

This Standard applies throughout the lifecycle of a facility or worksite, including

a) conceptual design;

b) facility siting;

c) preliminary and process design;

d) detailed engineering design;

e) construction;

f) commissioning and start-up;

g) operations/maintenance;

h) revamps/modifications;

i) decommissioning; and

j) site closure.

1.3 Polices, practices, and procedures

This Standard identifies the various policies, practices, and procedures that may be used to implement a PSM system.

Note: It is not the intent of this Standard to define prescriptive solutions that will meet the needs of every organization. Each facility or worksite, within an organization, is unique and the user of this Standard will find that a particular policy, practice, or procedure that is effective at one site might need to be modified or rewritten for it to be effective at another site. An organization may include these minimum requirements in an integrated health, safety, environmental, and risk management program or in a stand-alone PSM program in preventing incidents at facilities that manufacture, store, handle, or otherwise use potentially hazardous materials. An organization may also use this Standard as an audit tool of their PSM system.

1.4 Terminology

In this Standard, “shall” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and “may” is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.